Abstract
In 2013, a boy with special needs used the video game Minecraft to deliver the sermon at his bar mitzvah at a Reform synagogue, an apparently unique ritual phenomenon to this day. Using a narrative inquiry approach, this article examines two rabbis’ negotiations with new media, leading up to, during, and upon reflection after the event. The article explores acceptance, innovation, and validation of new media in religious practice, drawing on Campbell’s (2010) framework for negotiation of new media in religious communities. Clergy biography, philosophy, and institutional context all impact the negotiations with new media. By providing context of a set of factors influencing a particular negotiation and validation of a ritual and educational innovation using new media, the article intends to demonstrate the importance of clergy narrative for understanding new media negotiations in religious settings, and in particular in progressive religious communities.
Publication Date
Fall 10-2020
Document Type
Article
Department, Program, or Center
School of Interactive Games and Media (GCCIS)
Recommended Citation
Gottlieb, Owen (2020). Minecrafting Bar Mitzvah: Two Rabbis Negotiating and Cultivating Learner-Driven Inclusion through New Media. In The Journal of Religion, Media, and Digital Culture: Vol. 9 Issue 2 (pp. 185-206). Brill Publishing.
Campus
RIT – Main Campus
Included in
Art Education Commons, Curriculum and Instruction Commons, Digital Humanities Commons, Educational Leadership Commons, Educational Methods Commons, Educational Technology Commons, Ethics in Religion Commons, Ethnic Studies Commons, Game Design Commons, Instructional Media Design Commons, Interactive Arts Commons, Interdisciplinary Arts and Media Commons, Jewish Studies Commons, Language and Literacy Education Commons, Other Arts and Humanities Commons, Other Film and Media Studies Commons, Practical Theology Commons, Religious Education Commons, Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons, Social Justice Commons, Special Education and Teaching Commons, Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons
