C
OVID-19 has affected
people’
s lives in tragic
ways. The pandemic
has also caused us to adjust to
new realities like
our kids being
home from
school for the
final few months
of the school
year. There have
been countless
events canceled,
including vacations, summer
camp, concerts, fundraisers and
sporting events. Our children
have been disappointed because
of commencements and gradu-
ation parties that could not take
place.
However, there are “silver
linings.
” One of the unintended
consequences of working at
home for the past few months,
in addition to increased family
bonding time, has been an
increased reliance on technolo-
gy to stay connected. For many
in our local community, that
has been a positive, allowing
them to learn new skills and
become more comfortable with
virtual work technology. Some
business owners have even
questioned why they should
continue to pay rent for their
office if they can be just as effi-
cient working from home.
“I saw firsthand how video
conferencing technology like
Google Meet was beneficial in
enhancing the learning process,
”
said David Hack of Farmington
Hills, whose son recently gradu-
ated from Hillel Day School.
“Watching my son use
Google Meet and Zoom to
have virtual interaction with
his teachers prompted me to
look into using Zoom to meet
with my clients in my dental
scrap business. When dental
offices were closed at the end
of March, I was able to connect
with my clients and not miss
any planned sales meetings. I’
ve
learned a lot lately about new
ways of having meetings.
”
For Jeff Dwoskin, a local
standup comic from West
Bloomfield, technology tools
like social media and video
conferencing have long been
part of his communications
arsenal. However, he learned
new ways of utilizing mobile
apps to shop for his family’
s
groceries.
“Our family went all-in on
Instacart. At the beginning of
the governor’
s ‘
Stay At Home’
order, it was near impossible
to get a time on Instacart, but I
became an expert on figuring
out the timing of placing our
shopping orders online. We
literally didn’
t go anywhere for
months and Instacart was our
lifeline.
” Dwoskin also used the
time away from his office to
launch his own podcast.
Risha Ring, president of the
Jewish Historical Society of
Michigan, said she has been
grateful that the pandemic has
forced her to push the organi-
zation to begin using technol-
ogy like Zoom. “
All of JHSM
programming and our meet-
ings (locally and throughout
the state) are now on Zoom.
That technology has saved
our organization. In fact, now
people from as far away as Iron
Mountain and the Soo [Sault
St. Marie], plus the whole west
coast of the state, are now our
partners in sharing Michigan’
s
Jewish history. That couldn’
t
have happened without our
quick embrace of video confer-
encing.
”
At Adat Shalom Synagogue
in Farmington Hills, the entire
catalog of programming and
prayer services has become
virtually accessible through
Zoom. The congregation’
s
communications director, Susie
Steinberg, explained that her
unplanned move home from
the synagogue office came with
many challenges, but it has also
expedited her dependence on
the internet to do her job.
“I was thrown in headfirst to
master new skills to effectively
do the job at hand, which was
to communicate virtually,
”
Steinberg said. “I learned how
to fearlessly (and I started with
great trepidation) use AnyDesk
to remotely connect to my
office computer, how to multi-
task with only one computer
screen and, most importantly,
to Zoom.
”
Steinberg added that now
that the synagogue’
s staff has
moved back into the office, she
and her colleagues have a “new
bag of tricks, but, most impor-
tantly, a confidence that we can
meet challenges and create new
and often exciting outcomes.
”
Some of the new technology
adopted during the COVID-19
pandemic is specific to certain
industries. Clio Software, a
comprehensive case manage-
ment tool for law firms, has
been around for many years,
but these months away from
the brick-and-mortar office
compelled attorney Jamie Ryke
of Bloomfield Hills to become
dependent on it. Ryke, a part-
ner in the Probate Law Firm of
Thav Ryke and Associates, said
that he has fallen in love with
Clio because it’
s a “complete
management system for law-
yers. It has combined the most
important things I use daily to
be organized and successful,
namely my calendar, email and
billing software.
”
Ryke added that he has never
been as organized as he is now.
“Learning to maximize the Clio
application has made life easier.
I also have appreciated being
able to attend legal hearings
from home on Zoom, since it
means I don’
t have to drive all
over the state anymore.
”
Technology will continue to
make our lives more organized
and allow us to feel closer
to others, but the ongoing
COVID-19 pandemic has
expedited our adoption of new
technology and forced us to put
it to use to stay connected.
Rabbi Jason Miller is a local educator
and entrepreneur. He is president
of Access Technology in West
Bloomfield (https://access.technolo-
gy). On Twitter: @RabbiJason.
24 | AUGUST 6 • 2020
Jews in the D
jews in the digital age
Learning New Tech
Can Help Us Connect
Rabbi Jason
Miller