tion and then rework each day's
observance based on Reform
custom and liturgy. Reform Luach
is intended to assist Reform rab-
bis, cantors and prayer leaders in
planning worship and synagogue
observances."
Reform Luach is now in beta
version and drawing its data
primarily from the HebCal.com
website.
Perhaps the biggest news when
it comes to Hebrew calendars and
computers came last month when
Google announced that Google
Calendar gained support for the
Hebrew calendar. As a result,
Google Calendar users can now
display Hebrew dates alongside
Gregorian ones.
To enable the Hebrew calen-
dar, go into Settings, click on the
General tab, and select it as an
alternate calendar. The Hebrew
calendar is lunisolar, meaning it
bases its months on lunar cycles
and its years on solar cycles.
Not sure why you might want to
have the Jewish calendar integrat-
ed with your Google Calendar?
The Jerusalem Post reported the
story and gave this explanation:
"Tired of always forgetting wheth-
er the Hebrew month right now
is Iyar or Nisan? Dying to know
if your birthday this year falls in
Sivan or Tammuz? Or maybe you
want to impress your rabbi?"
We might not think about
the Jewish calendar on a daily
basis, but it has an impact on
our Jewish lives. Figuring out
holidays, yahrtzeits and minyan
prayer times once took quite the
effort, but today we have quick
and accurate access to that infor-
mation on our desktop computers
and our mobile phones. From
luach mobile apps to integrated
Jewish desktop calendars, the
Jewish people are more in touch
with the calendar of our heritage
than ever before. ❑

Rabbi Jason Miller is a local entre-

preneur, social media expert and

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