Alef: The NEXT Conversation

Facebook Rabbis

By Richard Skeen

Shavuot is among my (and Alef’s) favorite holidays with its unique appeal of late night learning, cheese cake and Jewish networking that rivals when we all gathered at the base of Mt. Sinai. But what makes Shavuot special is the enthusiasm young Jewish adults have in taking part. Last night JCC’s, synagogues, havarot and Hillel’s across North America were bursting with young Jews eager to learn, sing, ponder or just be a part of the all night offerings.

The three gatherings in the New York area I visited hinted at this enthusiasm for Shavuot learning. The 14th Street Y offered learning with Limmud and Storah-telling, while the JCC’s menu was a Jewish Bonnaroo-like collection of teachers, artists and musicians: painter Sonia Benjamin’s Indian-inspired Blue Angels, Rabbi Joseph Telushkin’s look at Hillel’s relevance today, a musical tribute to Debbie Friedman, Jay Michaelson’s discussion of the problematic use of the terms “abomination” and “sodomy” and Rabbi Amy Kalmonofsky on The Book of Ruth. Something for everyone is an understatement. Even outside the city communities offered “name” speakers and a surprisingly robust menu of learning (early in the evening I heard Rabbi Rachel Cowan of the Jewish Spirituality Institute speak in Montlcair, NJ).

The Jewish world is undergoing dramatic change, led by many amazing and inspiring Rabbinic voices that bring a very different sensibility to their work. While Shavuot puts much of these voices on display, much of their inspiration and message of meaning and purpose can be found easily on Facebook or YouTube. It seems odd to look for inspiration or learning in the same place I keep track of Jack White and Gilt City, but there are a handful of Rabbi’s that offer really rich content on their Facebook pages. Not surprisingly two of the best are LA based Rabbi David Wolpe, and Ikar’s Rabbi Sharon Brous.

Here are a few of the others worth checking out:

• Rabbi Simcha Weinstein’s Art School Rabbi wall
• Rabbi Yonah (with 13,000+ friends he’s doing something right) Why I Drink Beer On Shavuot | Rabbi Yonah | Jewish Journal
• Rabbi Zalman – Reb Zalman in NYC! Joined by Rabbi David Ingber, Joseph & Devorah Telushkin
• G-dcast’s facebook videos

My post-Shavuot point – keep exploring, learning and seeking. There is some really good stuff out there.

Image by smemon87, licensed under Creative Commons.

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