74 Jason Rosenberg

current, especially with younger members of our society. Maybe people will indeed find that live-streamed services offer them everything they want- structured prayer, beautiful music, interesting sermons- without any of the concomitant hassle. All the benefits of synagogue services; all the pleasures of privacy, and individuality.

Is Livestreaming the Future?

We have now looked at whether we should be allowed to livestream our services. We have looked at whether those services have a religious/spiritual benefit, and to what degree. We've even looked, briefly, at whether this is a dangerous idea, which needs to be avoided, at all costs.

However we decide to answer those questions, though, one thing seems clear: good or not, livestreamed services are going to be part of our religious world. More and more synagogues will offer this option to their members, and to the community. As more offer it, more of our members, and prospective members, will begin to expect it. Also with other synagogues providing livestreamed services, there will be less reason for us to resist. After all, someone who wants a livestreamed service will get it; we might as well make sure that they get“ours.” They may become more accepted as equal, or perhaps even better than in­person worship.

This trend can already be seen., for example, through the effort of“Punk Torah,” one of the few all online Jewish communities. It offers learning, worship, and community, entirely in an online setting. In a recent interview, cofounder and Executive Director Patrick Aleph said:“Just because