Are Justice and Social Media At Odds in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict?
We use social media to put aspects of this manifold conflict on trial, yet these sites are not structured to administer justice.
Journalism by Jewish college students, for Jewish college students.
Article Archive
The New Jewish Educator-Activists of Instagram
A new type of Jewish education is going beyond the halls of Hebrew School and straight to the hearts of young diaspora Jews.
“Jewish Media Is…”: An Unsettled Fellowship Reflection
“Jewish media is constantly questioning what I think I know, what I think I believe, and who I think my heroes are.”
Illustrating the Day-to-Day: “Young, Jewish, and Alive” through COVID-19
In this short illustration series, 2020 New Voices Fellow Rebecca Lubow reflects on the moments in-between during the Coronavirus pandemic.
What Talmud Has Taught Me About Twitter
While the two may have dramatic differences, I think that the successful model of the millennia-long conversations that make up Talmud can teach us a lot about how to argue – and understand each other – on Twitter.
Creating Space as a Disabled Jew
Growing up, immediately before I attended a bar or bat mitzvah ceremony, I was often filled with dread and embarrassment. I grew up in an interfaith household, and the only time I went to synagogue, other than when my family visited our more religious relatives, was to attend a friend or cousin’s b’nai mitzvah. I…
Young Jews Created an Online Community for Kvetching – Jewbook
Young Jews are increasingly disaffiliated from mainstream Jewish institutions and those institutions are panicking. But many young Jews aren’t lost at all. They’re just expressing their Jewishness elsewhere – Facebook. In fact, they’ve built their own institution of sorts: Jewbook, a term referring to a community of Jewish Facebook groups. “I think there are several…
Social Media Was Bad For My Judaism
Our generation has created two gods. One of them is Facebook. Bold statement, right? But let me explain: There is a real G-d and a god we have created in our own (albeit distorted) image, and we dubbed that god “social media.” We spend all our time on it and use it to engage in…
5 Jewish Facebook Spaces For All Your Procrastinating Needs
Sure, it may be summer now, but fall semester is coming quicker than you know it. And when it does come, you’re going to need ways to procrastinate your midterms, projects, and more. Thankfully, New Voices has you covered with five Jewish Facebook spaces to enhance your procrastinating experience. Whether you’re into arguing with fellow…
Are You an #AppallingYoungJew?
This week, social media users witnessed a beautiful onslaught of snark and defiance from the Jewish millennial corner of the Twitterverse. Young Jews took to Twitter appalled by a swiftly deleted tweet suggesting that Israeli Knesset member Michael Oren had called their views on Israel appalling. “The opinions of young #american #jews are appalling. They need the…
Inside JVP’s National Membership Meeting
From March 13-15, Jewish Voice for Peace held its 6th annual National Membership Meeting in Baltimore. Formed in 1996, JVP has grown a lot in 19 years. “In 2011, 150 gathered [at the meeting],” said JVP Brooklyn Vice Chair Cindy Greenberg. “In 2013, 350 people were there. This weekend, there [were] over 600 of us.”…
Rabbi Hillel, the Tube, and Reading the Comments – A Jew in the Motherland
I usually read, but do not respond to, the comment threads on my articles for this publication and others. Why, then, do I read them, despite my editor’s adamant suggestions not to? To a certain extent, I have a perverse pride in rankling ideologues of all stripes (and for those of you critical of my…
5 Ways to Make Jewish Life Less ‘Clichéd’ from an Actual Millennial
I am a Millennial. I say this proudly. I dance around Jewish tradition, modernity, and practice in a way that Millennials do. I whole-heartedly enjoy my status as a Generation Y’er. At the same time, however, I really don’t like how much of the conversation about how to engage my peers is fundamentally had…
#JSIL and the Hypocrisy of its Advocates
In recent/days weeks the hashtag #JSIL has been trending on Twitter. It has become popular amongst anti-Israel activists to the use the hashtag to promote the idea that the actions of Israel are similar to those of the so called “Islamic State” (ISIL). Users of the hashtag did not have anything particularly interesting or intelligent…
Why the Search for Aaron Sofer Matters
On Friday, August 22, Aaron Sofer was taking a shortcut through the Jerusalem Forest with his friend. The two became separated when his friend wanted to try hiking up a hill, and later that evening when the friend returned home, he discovered that Aaron was missing. When I came online Saturday night, I learned about…