LINK series Lecture titled "People of the Book, People of the Link" given by Estee Solomon Gray at the Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco, May 13 2010

1. People of the Book, Estee Solomon Gray @estee
May 13, 2010
People of the Link Erev Rosh Chodesh Sivan 5770 - 45th day of the Omer
The Contemporary Jewish Museum, San Francisco
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2. “ opens the CJM as a laboratory to
explore practical applications for forging
new paths in Jewish education.”
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3. me
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4. Launch Party D’var Torah
source: Solomon Gray family
picture of child doing d’var torah
Tonight because words matter
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5. MEME (pronounced /miːm/, rhyming with "cream"[1])
a postulated unit of cultural ideas, symbols or practices, which can be transmitted
from one mind to another through writing, speech, gestures, rituals or other imitable
phenomena. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meme#Meme_maps
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6. D’VAR TORAH (Heb: ‫( )דבר תורה‬Plural: Divrei Torah)
a talk on topics relating to a section (parashah) of the Torah – typically the weekly Torah portion. ... Divrei
Torah can range in length ... In most congregations, it will not last much longer than fifteen minutes, but in the case
of Rebbes or special occasions, a Dvar Torah can last all afternoon.
It is extremely likely that a D'var Torah will carry a life lesson, backed up by passages from certain Jewish
texts like the Talmud or Mishnah.
It is also known as a Drasha in Ashkenazic communities. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D'var_Torah#D.27var_Torah
The institution of the d’var Torah--literally a "word of Torah," a lesson or sermon interpreting a text, which can
be delivered by anyone, lay or clergy--reflects a fundamental Jewish belief in the infinite interpretive
possibilities of Torah. This concept is best articulated in Mishnah Avot 5:22, “Turn it and turn it; for everything
Dvar Torah: Preparation is in it,” and in the rabbinic assertion that each person who stood at Sinai saw a different face of Torah.
While the concept of the d’var Torah may be empowering, the prospect of preparing one can be intimidating.
However, preparing and presenting a d’var Torah doesn't necessarily demand vast Jewish knowledge or
extensive rhetorical skills. It requires only a willingness to explore a text and to share your exploration with
others.
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7. 1995 2000 2005 2010
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8. People of the Link
The link, not the book, is
(and always has been)
the core of Judaism.
concept
practice
value
meaning
InterTwined , R. Justin Stewart ( www.rjustin.com )
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9. From
covenant & commandment
to
community, commentary
& conversation,
the most basic acts of Jewish life are all
forms of linking.
text
ritual
learning
prayer
practice
peoplehood
.....
InterTwined , R. Justin Stewart ( www.rjustin.com )
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10. which means
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11. This is a great
time and place
to be & do Jewish !
“The #1 predictor of success in
students today is the ability to
organize study groups.”
John Seely Brown,
When Push Turns to Pull
The Churchill Club @the Computer History
Museum, May 4, 2010
http://pennhillel.org/files/u64/SNL_brochure_pics__4_smaller.jpg
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12. Birth of A Meme
Tree of Life, Lynn Silton, Palo Alto, 1997 silk, dyes, threads,paints, beads, stones
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13. 13

14. CONGRUITY
Estee’s professional/community life
1970-2010
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15. 1995
1995
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16. ✔mother-in-law support system source: Solomon Gray family
life changing experience the C in MPJCDS
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17. not but
source: Institute for Research on Learning
Learning is Social “Learning is Becoming”
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18. not but
source:John Seely Brown
Work is Social “We participate therefore we are.”
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19. COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE (often pronounced “see oh pea” or “cop”)
The organizational development (OD) concept of a community of practice (often abbreviated as CoP)
refers to the process of social learning that occurs when people who have a common interest in
some subject or problem, collaborate to share ideas, find solutions, and build innovations.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community_of_practice
“A social history of learning that has become a
social structure.” Etienne Wenger, CP Square - Oct 2007
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20. source:John Seely Brown
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21. meaning
CoP = Learning =
Innovation = Local
Interpretation = Practice
reification
participation
“Wisdom resides in the skills,
understandings, and relationships… as
well as in the tools, documents, and
processes of practitioners in the field.”
identity
COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE
source: Etienne Wenger
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22. source:John Seely Brown
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23. 23

24. [LAY? !
Three Eras of Jewish History
Rabbi Yitz Greenberg
Three Stages of Covenant
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25. So that’s why ...
‣‘The Jews’ actually skipped the whole pyramid hierarchy thing.
‣ We’ve been living & evolving radically linked architectures for millennia.
omg-d moment
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26. 9th c. Quran Napoleon
“People of the Book” NOT
mind freeing pair of facts
“eglise” NOT
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27. Why didn’t
you tell me ?!
about what, John?
JSB
The TALMUD,
of course
stopped-me-dead-in-
my-tracks question
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28. So what does it MEAN?
Earth, Lynn Silton, Palo Alto, 1997 silk, dyes, threads,paints, beads, stones
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29. NODE TIE NODE
link
relationship
connection
person G-d
person self
person person
Link
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30. covenant
Covenant
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31. commandment / commandedness
covenant
Commandment on Shavuot
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32. commentary
community
Commentary
Community
and so on ..
Conversation
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33. Connection Ruth
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34. Relationship is the Jewish core
How do we know ?
Ask yourself ..
Why did OneGod not preserve peace and perfection?
Why did OneGod create multiplicity ?
In order to be in relationship.
Rabbi Lavey Darby Congregation Rodeph
Shalom, Marin, @ Wexner Shabbaton
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35. To see oneself as a Jew is to see oneself as
part of a conversation.
A conversation that extends over time, space, media,
generations ..
In fact, Judaism IS the conversation.
Arnold Eisen, Chancellor of Jewish
Theological Seminary, speaking to MPJCDS
board, c 1997
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36. We learn, therefore we are.
source: Sacks, 1993 in Plaskoff, 2008
and
“Lo ba’shamayim he”
(It is not in heaven.)
source:Talmud
Jewish learning
arises from & creates two ‘proof’ phrases
Communities of Practice
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37. 1. Learning is inherent in human nature.
2. Learning is the ability to negotiate meaning.
3. Learning creates bounded emergent structures.
4. Learning is fundamentally experiential and social.
5. Learning involves a transformation of identity thru trajectories of
participation.
6. Learning involves social energy and power.
7. Learning involves engagement, imagination, and alignment.
8. Learning involves the interplay of the local and the global
source: Josh Plaskoff, PhD Thesis University of Indiana School of Education
Etienne’s Wenger’s
10 Principles of Learning in 8
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38. Ok, so what does it look like in
practice?
Babel, Lynn Silton, Palo Alto, 1999 silk, dyes, threads,paints, beads, stones
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39. Learning
chevruta
va’ad
beit midrash
.....
http://pennhillel.org/files/u64/SNL_brochure_pics__4_smaller.jpg
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40. Chevruta Assignment On Arrogance
+ + +
Mussar Institute Chaburah Program, Chevruta
Social Talmud Study on Arrogance : Tractate Sotah pages 4b
and 5a
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41. 41

42. The Social Talmud
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43. 43

44. Peoplehood
http://pennhillel.org/files/u64/SNL_brochure_pics__4_smaller.jpg
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45. 2001
“The network is emerging as the
signature form of organization
in the Information Age, just as
bureaucracy stamped the
Industrial Age.”
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47. 47

48. NETWORK (source: Connected, Christakis & Fowler)
STRUCTURE
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49. (source: Patti Anklam)
NETWORK
NETWORK
CULTIVATION
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50. The Jewish
Innovation Sector
“ Where the unity-focused system of the twentieth
century sought to bring together a diversity of
individuals in a single organization, the innovation
ecosystem fosters a diversity of organizations that
serve specific interests, or niches. The health of
each organization is not dependent on its size or
scale, but rather on the quality of its interactions,
the nature of its specialization, and its ability to
adapt. Organizations do not need to become large to
have impact. In fact, many participants prefer more
intimate settings.”
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51. 51

52. Upstart Bay Area
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54. BLOGOSPHERE Source: Esther Kustanowitz
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55. BBYO
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56. Worship
‣ “A community that asks all
Jews to take hold of Torah”
‣“A grassroots movement”
Kehillat Hader ->
Machon Hadar ->
Yeshivat Hadar
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57. Judaism has always been a religion of
grassroots organizing ...
The real question is not how are independent minyanim
new, but how are suburban synagogues - a product of
early to mid-twentieth century - a departure from a
Jewish organizing heritage shared by minyanim, havurot
and dozens of Jewish communal structures of years past.
Not new Rabbi Elie Kaunfer, Empowered Judaism
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58. The crisis is not one of theory...
There is no new “big idea”; there is just investment in the
old, but in a serious, meaningful, and thoughtful way.
A different kind of community is possible, and
we are capable of building that community.
Not scary, either Rabbi Elie Kaunfer, Empowered Judaism
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59. ‣Key success factors in founding an independent minyan:
‣ an inspirational experience
‣ a personal tie with someone else who started a minyan
‣ dynamic networks
‣ freedom from organizational ties
‣Operations:
‣ no central office
‣ ceding of control to small capable rotating core team
‣ google for day-to-day tasks
‣ focus on the substance, not the institution
‣ “the stability of instability”
Lessons from the Field notes on “Empowered Judaism”
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60. ‣ Focused on building an empowered laity, not on ordaining rabbis
‣ Not limited to one gender
‣ An immersive encounter; intensive schedule
‣ f2f as the “new” technology (computer free zone in beit midrash)
‣ Fellows, not just students
‣ Reclaiming language, reinventing form
Yeshivat Hadar
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61. In a world with no clear answers , what better way to reflect on the
assumptions by which we live our lives than to encounter the sometimes
foreign and unfamiliar values inherent in our tradition and let ourselves be
surprised, shocked and challenged by them? Torah study offers a way to
approach the other.
... mixing among those with orthodox backgrounds and those without
is very prevalent in the minyanim in a way unthinkable in a previous
generation... That Jews are increasingly unwilling to settle for a broad
definition is positive ... A world without convenient categories is a world that
calls on people to take more ownership of the type of Judaism they want to
practice in the world.
Minyangoers report they are affiliated with an average of five different
Jewish communities ... a friend’s minyan in another city, an annual retreat ...
and very comfortable meeting in non-jewish spaces,
Shaken Assumptions notes on “Empowered Judaism”
New Realities
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62. It is too soon to tell
whether we are in the
midst of a middle-sized
blip in Jewish communal
creativity, or the beginning
of a major revival. But
something is surely afoot,
with activity in such diverse
quarters as congregational
life, social justice activism,
experimental philanthropy,
music, filmmaking, and other
cultural endeavors.
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63. Jewish Education
http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:iixjTVjJ78tfYM:http://elearning.huc.edu/wordpress/continuinged/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/hebrew-notebook-260x300.jpg
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64. NY Coalition of Innovating Congregations Networks are the keystone.
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65. NY Coalition of Innovating Congregations
- Social Network Analysis 2009
Documenting & Changing the Sad Reality
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66. Capturing & Cultivating the Intangible
Value Network Modeling - Facing History and Ourselves - ESG, 2009
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67. Alright, alright, but SO WHAT?
Tree of Life, Lynn Silton, Palo Alto, 1997 silk, dyes, threads,paints, beads, stones
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68. ‣ Words Matter.
‣ Stories and metaphors communicate complex
wisdom.
‣ Models shape possibility.
‣ Language itself is action, Jewishly speaking.
‣ LINK is happening.
‣ text
‣ ritual
‣ learning
‣ prayer
2010
‣ practice
‣ peoplehood
‣ “& as we look to the week ahead..”
‣ all: “kneh l’cha kehillah” - Make yourself a
network
‣ educators: relationship is your business.
‣ entreprenuers & leaders: invest in the mesh.
‣ technologists & creatives: sages you shall be!
‣ parents: stop worrying, start praising
2010
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69. 69

70. From
covenant & commandment
to
community, commentary
& conversation,
the most basic acts of Jewish life are all
forms of linking.
People of the Book
People of the Link
text
ritual
learning
prayer
practice
peoplehood
.....
Even the Book is Linked.
InterTwined , R. Justin Stewart ( www.rjustin.com )
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71. The Most Famous Meme Map A More Linked Meme Map
(aka “O’Reilly’s web 2.0 meme map”) (aka “Estee’s Brain”)
Please link yourself in !
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72. People of the Link
www.peopleofthelink.org
@PeopleoftheLink
#PotL
InterTwined , R. Justin Stewart ( www.rjustin.com )
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73. SPECIAL THANKS TO
estee@peopleofthelink.org Lynn Silton
@estee Esther Kustanowitz
Deb Schultz
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