ShaBot 6000, the continuing cartoon saga of a pious Jew who purchases a robot to work as the Shabbos Goy for his household. The inquisitive robot, ShaBot, decides that he is Jewish, and is therefore unable to fulfill his duties as servant. ShaBot spends his days asking questions about Judaism, trying to find logic in a religion that sometimes just DOES NOT COMPUTE. ShaBot 6000 a comic strip for the 21st century. "Out of Line" Shavuah Tov. for more Shabbat 6000, check out "The Next Level" … Continue Reading
Missing Dialogue
It's sleeting (here) in Jerusalem; the Winograd Committee is set to deliver their final report later this afternoon and I would like to share some thoughts on a session I attended last week at the Herzliya Conference. The session was billed as, 'Rethinking Jewish Philanthropy – Interrelations between Israel and the Diaspora'. A more apt title would have been, 'An Infomercial from JAFI and the N.Y. Federation'. I really should not complain. For the first time ever the subject of Jewish Philanthropy has reached the table at the Herzliya Conference. And however brief (only 45 minutes) and the only session I attended that did not allow follow-up questions, or comments, at least there was a presence. For four long days Israel's security was addressed; as was the upcoming Winograd Report and a … Continue Reading
And Then There Were 5
Waltham, Mass. - The competition for Brandeis University's new Charles R. Bronfman Visiting Chair in Jewish Communal Innovation has narrowed to five finalists, who will present their proposals for changing the way Jews think about themselves and their community at a symposium on campus February 24. The winner will be awarded two years to develop his or her ideas into a book. The finalists were announced by Jonathan D. Sarna, Joseph H. & Belle R. Braun Professor of American Jewish History, who chairs the committee composed of Brandeis faculty that made the selections. The finalists and their topics are: - Ariel Beery, founder and publisher of PresenTense magazine, whose project is "Translating Judaism for the Post-Digital Age" - Shmuley Boteach, founder and executive director of the … Continue Reading
The Next Level
Perhaps you caught a view of his work a few months back. For William Levine, along with Birthright Israel alumna Michelle Citrin were all over the web with their incredibly popular I Gotta' Love You Rosh Hashanah. But deep down, William, aka Ben, is a cartoonist. So it is with great pleasure, and for a change of pace from the sometimes dull world of philanthropy, we begin to bring you on a regular basis... ShaBot 6000, the continuing cartoon saga of a pious Jew who purchases a robot to work as the Shabbos Goy for his household. The inquisitive robot, ShaBot, decides that he is Jewish, and is therefore unable to fulfill his duties as servant. ShaBot spends his days asking questions about Judaism, trying to find logic in a religion that sometimes just DOES NOT COMPUTE. ShaBot 6000 a comic strip … Continue Reading
Rethinking the Business Model of Jewish Community
Most people treat Jewish community work like a casual non-profit. But perhaps there’s a more effective, more business-like way to encourage innovation within a responsible, results-oriented framework? PresenTense Editor and Publisher Ariel Beery and his frequent business partner Aharon Horwitz think so, and tell you all about it in their new article in Ha’aretz, “Investing in Value." To save our community from the boom-and-bust dynamic, we need to prioritize value over image, and encourage young entrepreneurs to seek out value-enhancing opportunities that will allow them to generate returns on investment. To do so, the model of today’s Internet start-ups might be instructive: Start-ups now begin with a prototype and seek small seed investment. When a prototype is deemed to work, the … Continue Reading
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