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