2014 Schedule
Interactive: March 7–11  •  Film: March 7–15  •  Music: March 11–16

Is Facebook Making Houses of Worship Go Extinct?

#sxsw #faithbook

In the core conversation "Is Facebook Making Houses of Worship Go Extinct?" we plan to discuss how social media has changed the role of the religious meeting place. Using the model of the synagogue as a case study, we note that in the past, people went to the synagogue not only to pray as a community, but also for the social element. It was the place that they made their lifelong friends. It was where they met their future spouse. It was where they went to get all of the important news that concerned the local and global Jewish community. Today you don't necessarily need a central meeting place to accomplish those social needs. With the growing use of social networks, young Jewish adults have found other ways and places to connect. We plan to examine how communal religious spaces are needing to adapt to be more than just the physical space people come to pray, but to also be places that foster connections and relationships in new, innovative and experiential ways.

Presenters

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Rebecca Saidlower

Dir of Mktg & Communications

The Jewish Education Project

Rebecca Saidlower is the Director of Marketing and Communications at TheJewish Education Project, where she is transforming a 100-year-old agency to connect with today’s lay leaders, educators and families. She is also a creative community builder for NYC’s Jewish Young Professionals, where she combines her talent for experimenting with new approaches with her strong social network to galvanize others to act, give and advocate. Rebecca served as Vice President of the board of trustees at the Mt. SinaiJewish Center, a fast growing congregation with over 500 members primarily in their 20s and 30s. Rebecca has an insiteful understanding of both social media and faith based communities and has first hand experience in how synagogues can adapt to meet the needs of people today.

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Susanne Goldstone Rosenhouse

Social Media Coord

NJOP

Susanne currently manages NJOP's social media projects, including the Jewish Treats blog, the @JewishTweets Twitter account (which currently has over 40,000 followers), the Jewish Treats YouTube Channel, Instagram and Pinterest Boards.

She was a panelist on “Jewish Synergy: Social Media and the New Community” at SXSW 2011.

Called a "Social Media Rock Star" by the New York Jewish Week newspaper and was named as one of their “36 Under 36", a listing of the 36 most influential Jewish leaders under the age of 36.

Member of the ROI Community, the global community of young Jewish innovators.

Susanne is currently working towards a Certificate in Experiential Jewish Education at Yeshiva University. She works remotely for NJOP from Dallas where she lives with her husband and young daughter.

She can be found on Twitter at @susqhb. Tweet a hello!

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