Jewish Community Festival, Bellevue, Washington. Courtesy of Joe Mabel.
We tend to think about Jewish communities (and communities, in general) in terms of location and self-definition. But the world of Web 2.0 allows us to go beyond these limitations in forming thriving communities.
On Twitter, secular Jews come together with Orthodox and even ultra-Orthodox Jews to debate the hot Jewish issues of the day: conversion, Israeli politics, assimilation and anti-Semitism. Discussions of midrash, service in the IDF and the definition of Modern Orthodoxy are commonplace in my Twitter feed.
However, these relationships go beyond the argumentative. Personal relationships develop between Twitter folk and the same type of interactions you would expect from any community take place here too. Advice is given out freely, physical help is offered where possible and commiseration is doled out in droves. Many of these relationships turn into offline relationships, with gatherings not unsimilar to a kiddush at shul.
In fact, I actually attended a kiddush which took place just to introduce people who knew each other only from Twitter. I was also a guest at a wedding where almost no one had met the bride and groom and most of the guests hadn’t met each other – and yet, we all felt like old friends.
Twitter gives you a unique opportunity to connect with people who are interested in what you have to say. If you like to talk about Judaism, Israel, Jewish history or Jewish culture, there is a community out there waiting for you to join.
