Sefaria in the News: September-October 2024
In an ever-evolving world, Sefaria's team is always thinking about new ways to bring the Jewish canon into the digital world. Over the past couple of months, we've been honored to have our team's ideas and innovations featured in major publications and podcasts.
Take a read (or a listen) to catch up with some of the latest Sefaria-related ideas and creative projects in the news.
Opinions & Conceptual Exploration
  • Productivity Is a Drag. Work Is Divine. (The Atlantic, September 2024): Sefaria's Chief Learning Officer, Sara Wolkenfeld, explores how Jewish texts may inform our understanding of AI's role in our lives (Explore the sources cited in the article on this source sheet).
  • Hey Siri, How Are You? (ARC, September 2024): Sefaria's Chief Learning Officer, Sara Wolkenfeld, writes about why we should be more careful when we speak to our technology.
  • A Flood of Biblical Proportions (The Forward, October 2024): Sefaria's Learning Coordinator, Justin Goldstein, provides some Rosh Hashanah lessons in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.
Project Features
  • Jews Honor Family and Friends With Letters in Digital Torah Project (Jewish News Wire, September 2024): JNS announces a new feature on Sefaria's Global Community Torah, allowing digital "scribes" to dedicate a letter of Torah to a loved one.
  • Investor Daniel Loeb Launches ‘Simchat Torah Challenge’ (eJewish Philanthropy, October 2024): eJP announces a Loeb Foundation initiative, created in collaboration with Sefaria, to encourage 10,000+ Jews to read the weekly Torah portion in 5785.
  • How Oct. 7 Changed American Jews (The New York Times, October 2024): Among other changes in the landscape of American Jewish life, the Times notes an increase in Jewish learning, as evidenced by a 30% increase of monthly learners on Sefaria.
  • Torah Challenges (The Unorthodox Podcast, October 2024): On Tablet Magazine's acclaimed podcast, hosts discuss the Loeb Foundation's Simchat Torah Challenge (as explained above), including how Sefaria is helping facilitate this expansive learning project.