MAY 27 • 2021 | 23

JEWS IN THE DIGITAL AGE

T

he year 2020 was so 
full of changes and 
disappointments 
that it is no wonder we 
began 2021 eager for things 
to return to normal. That 
certainly was not the case 
for my CES experience in 
January.
The annual international 
Consumers Electronics Show 
has become a regular activity 
on my calendar at the start 
of each year, and I was 
especially looking forward 
to this year’s convention 
for several reasons. First, it 
would be my 10th CES in Las 
Vegas. Second, I missed the 
2020 event because I traveled 
to Phoenix to officiate a bar 
mitzvah.
While I was able to attend 
this year’s CES, it was 

certainly a change from past 
experiences. The Consumer 
Technology Association 
(CTA), which produces CES, 
made the difficult decision 
of making this year’s show 
fully virtual. I am glad they 
were able to still convene the 
world’s best tech showcase, 
but virtually attending from 
home was vastly different 
than being in Las Vegas 
and being able to touch the 
cutting-edge tech gadgets 
and futuristic electronics.
Surprisingly, this was 
one of my favorite CES 
experiences yet. That must 
sound surprising since it 
lacked the sights, sounds 
and feels of a typical 
CES. However, this year, I 
found myself much more 
available to sample the panel 

discussions, lectures and new 
product presentations (I also 
didn’t have sore feet from 
walking miles around the 
convention floor). 
Tech luminaries from 
around the world addressed 
the challenges brought on 
by the COVID pandemic 
and put forward their 
revolutionary solutions as we 
face an unpredicted future. 
I learned a new term from a 
leader at Procter & Gamble, 
who referred to the way tech 
companies have been forced 
to adapt this past year as 
“constructive disruption.”
It was fascinating to hear 

some of the world’s most 
creative and innovative 
technologists explain how 
they were forced to shelve 
the products they had 
been working on for years 
to quickly create the new 
technologies our world 
required as we battled a 
global pandemic. I heard 
government leaders explain 
their role in helping to 
democratize high-speed 
internet and ensure the 
infrastructure was in place 
for 5G. I was intrigued 
by how rapidly the field 
of digital health has been 
growing and how new 
technology owes so much to 
space exploration. 
I remain in awe of how 
the CTA was able to pivot 
so quickly to a fully virtual 
show this year. I learned a 
lot and truly experienced 
a different aspect of this 
phenomenal tech show. 
Hopefully, next year I will be 
back in Las Vegas and will 
be able to have a tactile CES 
experience once again. 

Virtual format for consumer 
electronics show was a success.

CES 2021

RABBI JASON MILLER 
CONTRIBUTING WRITER 

Gary Shapiro of Franklin, Mich., 
CEO of the Consumer Technology 
Association, opens the 2021 CES 
— the first virtual CES ever.

Adam Arnold

Always follow your 
dreams! Go get ‘em...
the world awaits! We 
love you to the moon 
and back and we are so 
proud of you and all of 
your accomplishments! 
Go Green! Go White!

Love always,
Mom, Dad, Sam & Shoshana

Mazel Tov! 

Cantor Olivia Brodsky

Congratulations on receiving 
your Masters of Sacred Music 
from Hebrew Union College 
& Cantorial Ordination from 
HUC-JIR’s Debbie Friedman 
School of Sacred Music. Much 
success as you begin your 
career at Temple Beth Rishon 

in Wyckoff, New Jersey.

With love & pride,
Grandma Dina, Auntie Ann, Uncle David, 
Auntie Helene, Auntie Stacy & Uncle 
Jeffrey

