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Embrace the Screen-free Chanukah Challenge
BY CORINNE E. YOURMAN
THIS FALL, in the midst of a
pandemic that has marked an
uptick in our reliance on tech
to keep us learning, working,
connected and entertained, a
group of former tech execu-
tives in Silicon Valley released
a cautionary documentary
called “The Social Dilemma.”
The film has received critical
acclaim for exposing the ways
that tech companies monitor
our online behavior, then use
that information to feed us the
very ads, videos and news that
they calculate will keep us on
their platforms for as long as
possible — not for our own
benefit, but to maximize their
profits. The film advances the
claim that the result of all this
monitoring and interfering
has been a host of social ills,
from impaired teen mental
health to increased political
polarization. Just one year earlier, in the
fall of 2019, Webby Awards
founder and Emmy-nominated
filmmaker Tiffany Shlain
released her book “24/6: The
Power of Unplugging One
Day a Week,” a personal,
spiritual and intellectual
journey through her family’s
decade-long celebration of a
24-hour “Technology Shabbat,”
beginning at sundown every
Friday. In her book, she mines
Jewish and other sources
(including Abraham Joshua
Heschel’s lovely volume “The
Sabbath”) to recommend the
Tech Shabbat as a human-cen-
tered approach to managing
the tech in our lives.

Jewish but not observant,
technologically-savvy but able
to cast a critical eye on the
tech industry, Shlain makes
the compelling argument that
everyone — Jewish or not,
religious or not — stands to
benefit from a day’s respite
from their digital devices
each week. Shlain credits her
Tech Shabbats as enabling her
to carve out much-needed
offline time to devote to family,
self-reflection, creative pursuits
and rest.

Shlain’s book stands in
bright relief against the dark
dystopian glare of “The Social
Dilemma.” While the Silicon
Valley executives interviewed
for the film visibly struggle
to suggest ways we can take
back our autonomy from the
relentless pull of notifications,
streaks, autoplays and click-
bait, Shlain clearly believes it’s
possible. As she puts it, if we
are able to take regular breaks
from our tools, including our
digital devices, then it signi-
fies that we have the ability to
control them (rather than be
controlled by them).

And while it will take far
more than a weekly screen
sabbatical to revolutionize the
business model of big tech and
make it more humane, the Tech
Shabbat is an empowering step
in the right direction.

Shlain’s idea isn’t new, of
course, since many in our
community already take a
weekly 25-hour respite from
all forms of work, including
use of digital devices, every
Shabbat. But Shlain aims to
make the practice of a weekly
tech sabbatical universal and,
for naysayers and doubters,
even doable, meaningful and
necessary. Her book is there-
fore also a practical how-to
for those who have never
experienced a tech sabbatical,
particularly a weekly one, with
tips for surviving and thriving
offline each week. Her reliance
on an ancient Jewish practice
to manage the contempo-
rary problem of technological
overuse and overdependence is
extraordinary in its simplicity.

Judaism to the rescue again!
In the fall of 2018, a year
before Shlain’s book was
released, a friend forwarded
to me an article about a
different Jewish tech sabbat-
ical — a 30-minute screen-free
Chanukah challenge. The
challenge was
simple: Celebrants were encouraged to
put down their smartphones
for 30 minutes after lighting
Chanukah candles, to more
intentionally celebrate the
holiday. Proponents of the challenge
recognized the incompat-
ibility of sacred time and
tech, Chanukah candles and
smartphone use. Watching the
flames and enjoying Chanukah
treats, songs and dreidel games
require us to look up and out
toward candles and, if present,
family and friends. In doing
so, we adopt a physical stance
and conscious mindset that
triumphantly commemo-
rate miracles small and large,
historic and present day.

Conversely, smartphones
and other personal digital
devices set invisible partitions
between us as we hunch over
and look down, creating a sense
of isolation and imparting an
impression of loss, retreat and
defeat that is incompatible with
the spirit of the holiday.

As this is the year of Zoom,
we may find ourselves joining
loved ones near and far to
celebrate Chanukah collec-
tively, by screen. Which is
fine. But what if our commu-
nity accepted the Chanukah
challenge this year and
dedicated time to be with
family and friends, present
or pixilated, by setting aside
personal use of digital devices
for a brief 30 minutes, even for
just one night of the holiday?
And then perhaps we might
be inspired to do it again, every
week, from sundown Friday
until nightfall on Saturday, to
elevate the holiness of Shabbat
or — depending on one’s
needs and personal point of
view — to break loose from
big tech, reconnect with family
and friends, foster creativity
and autonomy, experience
human flourishing, be more
present and mindful, or restore
moments of rest and meaning
that, since biblical times, have
been our Jewish birthright. l
Growing up, I experienced
“othering” from the white and
Christian communities in my
hometown of Montgomery.

When I was a Hebrew school
teacher for my synagogue,
a police officer was stationed
every week to ensure that we
could meet safely. Students
in elementary school would
invite me to their mega-church
services and try to “save” me
from my impending doom in
hell. My mom packed what
other kids would call “smelly”
lunches and gawk at the bento
box items that I thought were
far better than their Lunchables
pizzas. Many people assumed
I was great at math, but after
asking me for help, they quickly
realized otherwise.

I’ve been called “exotic
looking” and have heard
a variety of attempts at the
ethnic guessing game. Every so
often, even outside the South, I
get a confused stare. People try
to decipher my mixed identity
by just ... staring at me, hoping
to identify what isn’t normal,
what isn’t white.

While the racism and
discrimination I faced was
painful, the lasting pain has
come from the communities I
Corinne E. Yourman, a resident of
Potomac, Maryland, is a screen
time advocate at the Children’s
Screen Time Action Network.

My Parents’ Love Is Not a Punchline
BY HANAH BLOOM
I’M THE DAUGHTER of a
white Jewish-American dad and
a Japanese immigrant mom,
and I grew up in Alabama.

As you can guess, this made
16 DECEMBER 10, 2020
growing up in the American
Deep South quite interesting.

Amid the external anti-
Semitism and racism I faced,
the joke within the Jewish and
Asian communities that my
parents were meant for each
other hurts the most; it trans-
lates into a gross invalidation
of my parents’ love. Although it
could be plausible that the two
groups can bond over shared
minority experiences, the more
nefarious explanation for this
so-called “perfect match” is the
model minority myth.

My parents met in a “meet
cute” fashion of situational fate.

My mom won the opportunity
to tour the Yokosuka naval base
twice as a civilian. Who was
the handsome American sailor
serving as the tour guide both
times? My dad. The family joke
is that my mother “won the
lottery twice.”
After the two fell in love,
I was born in a U.S. naval
hospital in Italy with an
Italian birth certificate, a
Japanese birth certificate and
an American birth certificate.

After my dad retired from the
Navy, we moved to an area
with an infamous history of
hostility toward people of color
and non-Christians: sweet
home Alabama.

JEWISH EXPONENT
See Bloom, Page 31
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM



O pinion
KVETCH ’N’ KVELL
Thanks to the Exponent
I WANT TO EXPRESS MY GRATITUDE to you and the entire staff for
continuing to publish and print the Exponent each week. I know there are other
Jewish weeklies that have ceased operation or become online only, and it is a real
tribute to you that you are continuing the tradition in Philly.

I was born in Philadelphia and have been a lifelong resident of South Jersey,
since my parents moved to New Jersey when I was 3 months old (I am now 66) —
and they continued to subscribe even when they moved to New Jersey and now I
and my wife continue to subscribe to the Exponent. I can’t imagine not having it.

May you continue to keep the Exponent a source of news and information for
the Jewish community!
Alvin Stern | Cherry Hill, New Jersey
to provide opportunities for our most vulnerable citizens, which Panzer’s words
beautifully and skillfully emphasize.

When I was privileged to be a counselor at Jewish Family and Children’s
Service and director of its family life education, Sadie Ginns, of blessed memory,
a devoted social worker, worked 24/7 with those who arrived in Philadelphia
from countries all over the world, in order to assist in employment, locate homes
and schools for their children and, of course, synagogues to welcome them.

Those in my profession stand on the shoulders of the tireless professionals
who introduced couples and family therapy, sex therapy, group therapy, family
life ed, short-term interactive therapy, and surely, if not founded, co-founded
social and public policy.

Again, thank you for Panzer’s wonderful, informative, uplifting tribute to
Kahn, and the proud, historic profession of social work.

Sarakay Smullens | Philadelphia
Message from the Archbishop
Greetings to all of my brothers and sisters of the Jewish faith tradition as you
celebrate the beautiful Festival of Lights. Please accept my prayerful best wishes,
along with those of the clergy, religious and faithful of the Archdiocese of
Philadelphia. As you light the menorah and recall the glory of the Temple’s rededication,
may you be illuminated by the brightness of joy and hope amidst the darkness
of these challenging times.

Shalom Aleichem!
Most Reverend Nelson J. Pérez | Archbishop of Philadelphia
A Couple of Issues With Word Choice
In the Dec. 3 Newsbriefs article about Walter Mosley, I was taken back by the
reference to his “Jewish mother,” with the implication that it would be assumed
that she would be a white person and a “Black father” with the implication that
he would be assumed to be non-Jewish. That seems to play into stereotypes.

The explanation of the term “yenta” as being a “busybody and gossip” (“Lil’
Yentas Serves Jewish Vegan Comfort Food,” Dec. 3) is similar to giving a
definition of the word “john” as meaning “toilet.” It may be slang for that, but
nevertheless it is a name, just as Yenta is a name. I happen to know a few women
who happen to be named Yenta.

Sandy Falcone | Broomall
Social Work Justly Acknowledged
It was marvelous to read Sophie Panzer’s superb page one tribute to the commit-
ments and mission of Dorothy C. Kahn (“Great Depression Social Work Story
Has Lessons for Today,” Nov. 26) — to the profession of social work in general
and to Jewish social work in particular.

While my social work programs at Catholic University and the University of
Pennsylvania offered excellent clinical grounding, both schools emphasized that
a grad degree in social work was a promise to work tirelessly throughout our lives
A NOTICE TO OUR READERS
There will be no print edition of the Jewish Exponent
the week of Dec. 31. That week, please visit us online at
jewishexponent.com, where the paper will be available
in digital form.

JEWISHEXPONENT.COM Life After 75 Is Worth Living
Ezekiel Emmanuel (“UPenn Doctor to Serve on COVID Task Force,” Nov. 19)
does not belong on a health care task force because he has written that living to
75 years is quite sufficient and these people should be denied health care to detect
and treat cancer and other life threatening illnesses.

He said post-75-year-olds are faltering and declining. Verdi was 79 when he wrote
Falstaff. I am 75 years old and play golf three times a week, walking the course; I
teach advanced music appreciation; I sing and lead Shabbat services at shul.

My career was as an academic neurologist and drug developer. I taught
neurology at Penn and taught medical ethics at Medical College of Pennsylvania.

I would treat all patients with dignity and would not patronize the elderly. I
treated disease regardless of age. If a person was unable to recover and had
serious illness that impacted mental capacity, I would encourage less aggressive
treatment but age was not the sole criterion.

I can only hope that Dr. Emmanuel will not try to deny a COVID vaccine
or COVID treatment to the elderly. Denying treatment based on age is against
medical ethics.

Neil Sussman | Philadelphia
There’s More to Shabbat Than Going Without Tech
Olivia Sher, in her opinion piece (“Shabbat Transformed, Reinvigorated,” Nov.

19), should have focused her work on the fact that she and her friends were more
interested in the results of the presidential election than of being an Orthodox
Jew observing Shabbos.

It is unfortunate for her that her understanding of traditional Shabbos obser-
vance means only going without technology for 25 hours. This is only partly so.

To truly envelop oneself in the Shabbos experience, one must take a “vacation”
from all things in the outside world; to rest creatively, physically and spiritually.

Nowhere in her article did I find her ability to “let go” of the rest of the week
and focus on Shabbos. She may have (almost) followed the letter of the law, but
totally missed the spirit of it.

I truly hope that one day Sher will come to a greater understanding of how
Shabbos was meant to be observed in its traditional sense. Whoever the presi-
dent would be, nothing would change that in those 25 hours. Each Shabbos is
precious — no more than any other including the one that fell on Nov. 7. l
Susan Yitzhak | Philadelphiai
STATEMENT FROM THE PUBLISHER
We are a diverse community. The views expressed in the signed opinion columns and letters to the editor published in the Jewish
Exponent are those of the authors. They do not necessarily reflect the views of the officers and boards of the Jewish Publishing
Group, the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia or the Jewish Exponent. Send letters to letters@jewishexponent.com
or fax to 215-569-3389. Letters should be a maximum of 200 words and may be edited for clarity and brevity. Unsigned
letters will not be published.

JEWISH EXPONENT
DECEMBER 10, 2020
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