The G-D Project: So far, short on women's voices
It’s no breaking news that social media has changed the way communities of faith interact. The Internet provides us with unlimited opportunities to connect with other Jews we may never have met otherwise. For me, integrating my spiritual life with my online life has introduced me to Jewish bloggers of all denominations and to alternative Jewish press like Jewlicious and Tablet, ultimately helping me feel more connected to the Jewish community as a whole. It may sound strange, but thanks to the Internet, I feel considerably more connected to Judaism than ever before.
A friend recently introduced me to yet another online outlet for connecting Jewishly. The G-d Project, a website dedicated to documenting the many faces of Judaism, aims “to help Jewish people talk about God and spirituality in an open, honest way,” their website says. The idea behind The G-d Project is to document the lifestyles, affiliations and Jewish views of Jews throughout North America and Europe – different people, different backgrounds and different lives, brought together by a common faith. The G-d Project is sponsored by the Jewish New Media Innovation Fund and produced by PunkTorah – and though the site has slowly been releasing videos to their site, all videos went live today.
Wondering why God is spelled with a dash for The G-d Project? The site explains, “Having the space in the middle of G-d is an artistic statement: that the God concept is different for all people, and that we ‘fill in the blank’ with our own ideas about what God is and how we experience God in our lives.” Indeed, The G-d Project aims to represent a variety of voices, showcasing the many, many faces of Judaism. A few Jewesses have told their stories, and they’re worth checking out:
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Erika, the blogger behind Black, Gay and Jewish, tells of her experiences as a convert to Judaism, including the times when others members of the Jewish community – even a rabbi! – have assumed that she is not a Jew.
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Paula, who was raised in the Orthodox tradition, speaks about finding her niche in the Reform Movement and what the word “faith” means to her.
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Audrey says she believes “God is love, God is community, God exists in the schmoozing that exists in, say, an oneg Shabbat.” She explains what she would do if she were God for a day.
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Tali, whose own father is absent from her life, says she thinks of God as a father figure, which was especially important to her when she was diagnosed with Graves’ disease.
I’ve noticed, though, that The G-d Project is noticeably short on female voices so far. Their film schedule is posted online, where you can sign up to be interviewed, submit your own video, or request a Skype interview.
How do you use social media to connect to your Judaism? Would you ever consider using such a public forum to speak about your feeling on G-d? What would you talk about in such a video? I never would have thought myself to be the type to do so, but I’m thinking of recording a video to submit to The G-d Project myself! I’d love to hear from you if you plan to do the same.
Hi I am one of the Jewesses with attitude on facebook, Anybody out there, have information on prayers or text for Rosh Hashanah candle lighting remembrance led by women for women. Thanks, Babs