The Web 2.0 revolution has driven the Internet-and much of our youth-toward a more egalitarian, fluid, and collaborative way of interacting and thinking.
Web 2.0 refers to a second generation of Web-based communities, such as social-networking sites, which invite users to star in ongoing, constantly updated, mass conversations about endless, often trivial, subjects.
At its best, this revolution challenges the Jewish community by contrasting the web's modern, intense, engaging, and personally empowering formats with what too often seems to be Judaism's stoic and alienating methods of communication.
At its worst, the excesses of Web 2.0 lure individuals away from the traditional conversation about Jewish ethics and righteousness into glib, impulse-driven, exhibitionist, and often voyeuristic behaviors.
Today's Jewish community must master the ever-changing web to maintain traditional values, understanding that changing the ways we interact offers great opportunities and daunting obstacles. We will only succeed if we deputize the stars of Web 2.0-our youth-to apply the same innovative passion they demonstrate in their surfing and blogging to Jewish identity-building.
Last year, the North American Federation of Temple Youth (NFTY) confronted the complexities of this new world boldly and creatively, conveying essential Jewish teachings as a form of shock therapy to tackle a growing web-based problem.
During its annual leadership conference, 140 leaders of the Reform Jewish youth movement entered a room wallpapered with 5,000 printouts of postings from self-identified "NFTYites" on public web forums such as "MySpace" and "Facebook."
Teens often posted vicious riffs about each other. They frequently traded explicit photo images. As the teenagers viewed the postings, they heard readings about the Jewish concept of lashon hara - an evil tongue.
Viewing these materials en masse, many gasped at the harsh gossip, the sexual braggadocio, and the embarrassing cell-phone photos from drunken parties-all posted in perpetuity.
The teens committed to fostering a "healthy, safe, and self-respectful online environment" and developed guidelines for ethical posting: invoking the Jewish concepts of guarding one's speech, judging others favorably, respecting privacy, and preserving sanctity.
In that spirit, 120 internet-savvy 20- and 30-something-year-old Jews from 20 different countries have met in Jerusalem for the last two years to tackle an even more ambitious mission: developing a common language and relevant agenda, despite the vast differences in Jewish realities from Montreal to Mumbai, and considering young Jews' individualistic web-based identities, and triggering constructive changes to transform the Jewish world.
Birthright Israel, which provides trips to Israel for Jewish young adults, and the identity-oriented Charles and Lynn Schusterman Foundation, drive this experiment, called ROI 120.
One caucus endorsed a new Jewish rite of passage-that all young Jews volunteer a year of service after high school. And the computer geeks uploaded sophisticated social-networking tools for "doing Jewish," as the modern phrase goes, on the web.
Amid the euphoria unleashed by this creative cornucopia, the participants criticized the Jewish status quo. Most perceived the Jewish world as bureaucratic, rigid, unwelcoming, fragmented, conventional, and superficial.
"I feel cheated," one American woman said, reflecting on the minimal Jewish education her parents provided.
Here, then, was a worthy generational mission: to reject the labels; break down the barriers; and, as they do elsewhere, synthesize, amalgamate, and integrate.
Judaism 2.0 needs to tap the power of Jewish tradition, without fearing new formats and forums for expressing ancient insights and ideals. We can offer a real community with enduring values as a response to the virtual community and self-indulgent values endemic to the web.
Young Jews need to appreciate Judaism's moral values, life-affirming rituals, meaningful frameworks, defining stories, inspiring heroes, spiritual quests, grounding obligations, and community-building special days.
But they will only be open to the Jewish message and Jewish rituals if we develop communal institutions and networking structures that are as enveloping and inviting as the Internet -- and that speak some of the same contemporary language.
The conversation has begun on the margins-the mainstream must join in. The transformation train has left the station. We must hop aboard.
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