Jewish Techs

Tag: Holidays

  • Holiday Gift Guide (Technology Edition)

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    Rabbi Jason Miller
    in

    The holiday shopping season is in full effect. Hanukkah begins the evening of Sunday, December 6 this year, which means if you’re shopping for Hanukkah observers you have about three weeks fewer to shop for gifts.Since we’re knee deep in the Digital Age that means a non-technology gift will be relegated to the category of…

  • Jewish Holidays? There’s An App for That!

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    by

    Rabbi Jason Miller
    in

    I wasn’t surprised that a reporter from the New York Times contacted me about mobile apps for Passover this year. I was just surprised it took her that long. Jennifer Medina, a reporter for the NY Times, called my cellphone a couple days before the first Passover seder this year. I excused myself from my…

  • Tanach Bible Mobile App from Davka Corporation

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    Rabbi Jason Miller
    in

    As a self-identified non-iPhone user I find myself waiting for great apps to make their way to the Android platform. I wonder if left-handed folks experience something similar when they have to special order everything from golf clubs to scissors. But living in an iPhone dominated world seems tolerable for those of us who really…

  • Walmart Hanukkah Ham: The Real Story

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    Rabbi Jason Miller
    in

    Have you seen the photo of the Boneless Spiral Ham on sale for Hanukkah? Well, just like the return of the clothing fashion styles of yesteryear, many things on the Web tend to make a comeback too. It seems like every few years the same hoaxes, urban legends, videos, jokes and funny photos get recycled…

  • Is Texting on Rosh Hashanah Kosher?

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    Rabbi Jason Miller
    in

    There was undoubtedly more texting in shul this Rosh Hashanah than in past years. In most liberal congregations, texting was likely done as discreetly as possible, often with a cellphone hidden low in one’s lap. In some congregations it might have been more overtly outside in the lobby or perhaps outside the synagogue building. But…

  • Can You Sell Chametz Online For Passover?

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    Rabbi Jason Miller
    in

    Not every Jewish ritual can be transferred to the medium of the Internet, but even the question raises some interesting points for discussion. With the latest Web technology, we have seen how Jewish life-cycle events can be more inclusive and we have also looked into the legality of convening a minyan (prayer quorum) over the…

  • Best Jewish Apps of 2010 for iPhone & Android

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    Rabbi Jason Miller
    in

    My list of the Best Jewish Apps of 2010 has generated a lot of attention. The list of thirty-three apps for the iPhone, iPad and Android phones has been reposted on several blogs around the Web. With over 300,000 apps available and over 7 billion downloads to date, there are quite a few Jewish apps to choose…

  • How Do You Spell Hanukkah?

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    Rabbi Jason Miller
    in

    I was excited when I saw that J.J. Goldberg, editor-at-large of The Forward, wrote an article referencing my recent “Jewish Techs” blog post about the Hanukkah (חנוכה) spelling confusion on The Jewish Week‘s website. And then I started reading the first paragraph of Goldberg’s piece. Say what? Goldberg asserts that I start off with “an…

  • A Video Game About Gefilte Fish? Yep!

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    Rabbi Jason Miller
    in

    Something sure smelled fishy when I received an email from fellow blogger Esther Kustanowitz today. Indeed it was. I was hopeful that the skilled writer had sent me a well-crafted sermon that I could simply deliver on Rosh Hashanah morning, but instead it was only an email to inform me that her friend Asael Kahana…

  • Best Jewish Apps of 2010

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    by

    Rabbi Jason Miller
    in

    As more Jewish people acquire the latest in handheld technology – think iPhones, iPads, Android-powered smartphones, BlackBerrys and tablet PCs — there will be more Jewish-themed applications available for download. Some of these apps will be utilities for checking the Hebrew date or learning about the weekly Torah portion. Other apps will be novelties like…