| By :
Mark Etinger
Enrollment in traditional Hebrew school is dropping, which has a lot of older Jews worried. Who will teach our children Hebrew? Where will they learn to appreciate Judaic studies? And how will they meet other Jews? While enrollment in traditional Jewish Day School has dropped enrollment in online Hebrew Schools has risen dramatically. Children these days are so tech savvy, why not harness that love of technology and transmute it into a love of Judaic studies? That is what a lot of online Jewish learning does. The fact of the matter is, the traditional Hebrew school, where parents once sent Jewish youth to learn the Hebrew alphabet and meet other Jews, is not effective at teaching children in our technologically saturated world. Jews have adapted before and this is not different. Our children need a new way to learn and that is exactly what Jewish learning online offers. Online Bar Mitzvah lessons also offer an opportunity for young Jewish boys to get prepared for the big day. Meeting virtually for one-on-one instruction with a qualified instructor is as effective as traditional lessons. Young Jewish boys get to learn Hebrew, the Torah, and the meaning of being Bar Mitzvahed, all from the comfort of home. There will always be a Jewish community, but part of that community will not flourish unless it is allowed to go digital. Jewish School online is the perfect example of this. So is Jewish dating. When it became harder for eligible Jews to meet eligible Jews the Jewish dating scene moved online. Now the world of Jewish matchmaking is stronger than ever, online. Jews are meeting each other online every day through social media and other channels. It's a natural way for a diaspora people to stay connected while physically apart. Jewish Dating Online, Jewish Learning Online, and Jewish socializing online; these are all examples of this adaptation. Many older Jews balk at these connections as superficial or claim they are not a substitute for traditional Jewish institutions. But superficial or not, many Jews are meeting online for a myriad of reasons, should we try to stop them? As for Jewish Institutions, they will always exist in brick and mortar, and can only be aided by interacting with the internet. Temples, YJAs, JCC's can now post their information online, field request and questions through email, or digitize their literature. Whether you like it or not Jews are going digital. And this Jew thinks that is a very good thing.
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