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August 24, 2008
I think not
Rene Descartes was sitting at a bar. The bartender came over and asked if he would like another drink. He replied, "I think not." And he vanished.
At the J-Blogging conference Rabbi Student of Hirhurim was asked about J-blogging or the J-Blogosphere. Batya sums up his response with an apt comeback:
He totally denied that we jbloggers are a community and insisted that blogging is "just a hobby." Well, it's my hobby, too, and just like I network with others who crochet, I network with other bloggers. What was he doing taking a free trip to Israel for a major jblogging networking session if he doesn't consider himself part of our community?
She's right. There was a sense of community underlying the conference, if he doesn't feel a part of it, why participate?
And then let's check out the Wikipedia entry for J-Blogopsphere.
Blogs a Rabbi Must Follow, compiled by blogger Rabbi Gil Student, was a presentation given in May 2006 to the annual gathering of the Rabbinical Council of America, an Orthodox group. The presentation explains the importance of J-blogs, the impact of the J-blogosphere upon Jewish communities, lists popular subjects and topics within the J-blogosphere and directs the reader to noteworthy blogs.
So Rabbi Student is part of the definition of a community that he believes doesn't exist.
DovBear also agrees with Rabbi Student that there's no J-blogging community.
And yet both of them display badges showing that they've won mulitple JIBs - Jewish Blogging Awards - as testament to their dominance in the J-Blogosphere. Both of them have done an excellent job of cultivating audiences or communities, but the JIB's were supposed to reflect popularity among J-Blogging community. They won these contests because of their huge audiences, not any general popularity in the J-Blogging world. So it seems inconsistent to deny the existence of a community and display the accolades awarded by said community.
Another one of Rabbi Student's comments was also inconsistent with his own practice. Jack writes:
The good rabbi said that he does not like Haveil Havalim because he is uncomfortable with some of what is presented within. Presumably he doesn't want to appear to be endorsing positions that he disagrees with
As noted in the Wikipedia entry, Rabbi Student prepared a list of Blogs Every Rabbi must Follow for an RCA convention two years ago. Check out the link. In a presentation to a major Rabbinical group, Rabbi Student recommended blogs that he termed "Scandal Blogs" and "Skeptic Blogs." In some of these blogs most of the content runs counter to his beliefs (I hope) and yet he didn't mind appear to be endorsing them. (If he felt the need to include one such blog in each category on grounds that Rabbis should know what other people say, that would be one thing, but these are group of three blogs each!)
However, he wouldn't endorse Haveil Havalim because a handful of posts might run counter to his beliefs. Again here, Rabbi Student's practice is inconsistent with what he preached at the J-Blogging convention.
Posted by SoccerDad at August 24, 2008 5:36 AM | TrackBack
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I'm glad you wrote this post.
Especially:
"What was he doing taking a free trip to Israel for a major jblogging networking session if he doesn't consider himself part of our community?" (even if Batya originally said it, you get credit for repeating it)
sd, thanks for the mention. Gil's attitude bothers me, yes in present tense. I find it very peculiar that those rabbis could give him so much power.
Leora, He also gave a very chutzpadik answer to a blogger who asked how to increase "traffic."
He admitted being totally unfamiliar with the blog, but was sure that if it was more attractive, it would get more visitors.
Leora, some things just make no sense. Or are some people just allowed to be "superior."
Posted by: Batya at August 24, 2008 1:09 PMIf I understand Gil, he views the purpose of his blog as a compendium of Torah knowledge in the broadest sense. The amount of material now on his blog as opposed to two years ago is several degrees more in all ways.
He does not often engage in disputes except for factual content. In other words, his blog is a "take-it-or-leave-it" type. There is the political blog which attempt to convince, influence and mobilize to action, not knowledge. There is also the blog which focuses are more narrow themes and is like a fan club. There are blogs of individuals who just want people to read what they think and there are individuals who actually need the responses even of three people so that they feel alive or not alone.
Remember, blogs started out as online diaries.
Given all that, since the main argument about the raison d'etre of the conference was 'who is being represented?', it is unfair to criticize Gil for taking advantage of the offer. It was offered and he came and expressed his opinion. What? We bloggers are now against freedom of expression if someone doesn't agree with our or whomever concept of 'community-do-or-die'?
I repeat what I left at someone else's blog comment section: we need to get a substantial survey of Jewish blogs in terms of readership analysis, movement of blogs, cross-fertilization, etc.
P.S. For the sake of what's called גילוי נאות, I appear on that 2006 list. Why I don't know. It can't be for the numbers.
Posted by: Yisrael Medad at August 24, 2008 1:40 PMit is unfair to criticize Gil for taking advantage of the offer. It was offered and he came and expressed his opinion.
What is unfair about it. He can voice his opinion and we can voice ours.
I appreciate what he does and the service that he provides, but I take issue with the inconsistencies of his positions.
Posted by: Jack at August 24, 2008 8:50 PM>>it is unfair to criticize Gil for taking advantage of the offer. It was offered and he came and expressed his opinion.
I agree with Jack--it is a perfectly reasonable question to ask. Just because something is offered does not mean you have to accept it. What...he has principles except when it might interfere with him getting a freebie? Not exactly rabbi-like.
Posted by: gila at August 27, 2008 2:41 AMJust copying my comment at the Muqata's place:
Good post, If I am allowed to express my opinion.
Jewish blogosphere is a slice of Jewish community that reflect most of our ills. Including the infinite ability to fractionalize till a necessary number of micro-communities of one is created.
Haveil Havalim was created and intended as one of the means to unite us, if for an hour or two per week. Pity that a person would shun it because his/her political or religious view make in non-kosher for him/her to participate.
And re Gil Student's "Jews are a community because of a shared history and a shared religion.": this is precisely because of the history of our internal strife that he should be supportive of HH. Unfortunately, the opposite happens. Funny that...
B"H
I think this question can be answered in a simpler. fashion.
A group is a community if the members of that group say that they are.
A member of that community is a member when s/he identifies as such.
Gil doesn't. Others do, but not all in the same way, nor to the same degree.
What's the big whoop?
That being said, there ARE several good points made by all above.
Posted by: Ben-Yehudah at August 29, 2008 10:16 AMI you look at the jibawards.com website's first page, you will find no mention of "community."
Thus I see no issue with Gil's or others displays of the JIB banners.
He won his awards for blogging, not for being a part of a community.
It was just pointed out to me that the original 2005 JIB awards rules specifically mentioned the community.
http://info.jpost.com/C005/BlogCentral/JIB.2005/rules.html
Gil's awards began in 2005, suggesting that he may have, albeit unknowingly? identified with this community, at least at one point.
Posted by: Ben-Yehudah at August 29, 2008 11:30 AM