Technology almost always outpaces ethics; as new tools become integrated into our daily lives, religious and ethical communities tend to react slowly, if at all. These challenges are not unique to the Jewish community, but Judaism’s millennia-old intellectual tradition will need to learn how to confront them in its own way. We need a place where those problems can be discussed among Jewish clergy, educators, scholars, technologists, and content creators, and solutions and responses can be translated into lesson plans, interventions, writings, and multimedia for the wider public. Despite the stakes and urgency of the problem, no such space currently exists.
Sinai and Synapses will convene a working group of 12 members in year one, expanding to 25 in year two, to achieve three main goals. (1) To bring together a diverse group of Jewish professionals, technologists and academics to discuss specifically Jewish questions surrounding the digital world, technology, and artificial intelligence, and understand both the immediate impact of these new technologies as well as how they reflect ancient questions; (2) To create lesson plans, articles, and multimedia content for use in synagogues, religious schools, and the wider public, particularly through an RFP for Jewish communities to propose interventions on how Judaism can help cultivate character in light of new technologies and digital tools; and (3) To serve as a primary location for developing ideas and a network for further program development for all those who explore how Jewish thought and education influence -- and are influenced by -- new technologies.
The dynamic interaction among stakeholders and experts will be a key vehicle for success. Technology always creates a level of fear and uncertainty; by understanding what technology can and can't do, seeing throughlines across millennia, and bringing together both academics and practitioners, the Jewish community will be able to better live in our new digital age.
