Sugia is a global Jewish organization based in Jerusalem, meets the challenges of the Internet Generation by creating an online forum for a Jewish response to contemporary issues. Using Jewish and non-Jewish texts, new-media and pop culture, these issues are debated within Batei Midrash (learning and discussion groups).
Our ambitious goal is to create a “network of networks” of Jewish communities who will connect and discuss with one another, bridging gaps of geography and ideology and eventually creating a Wiki-like version of the collective wisdom of contemporary Judaism.
Sugia will create a dynamic global Jewish discourse that gives rise to a Wiki-like response to the great questions of our time.
The essence of Sugia is its scalability as a “network of networks”. The user-friendly, accessible platform will ultimately serve hundreds of BMs in a multitude of different settings and thousands of participants around the world, creating a curriculum bank for educators and communal leaders.
Each BM will operate autonomously, taping into the wisdom created by the larger community of BMs . Like the Wiki model, Sugia staff will, be sparse and economically efficient . Its task would be a resource training and support center upgrading and maintaining the platform.
Another task of Sugia will be dissemination of its content. For example, in Israel commercial broadcasters have already agreed to devote slots to the exploration of a monthly sugia. Similarly, we will collaborate with content sites as well as other networks such as JCCs, Hillels, summer camps, and Birthright.
we are engaging prominent sages who will not only brand Sugia but will participate in central BM that will distill the best sugyot developed around the network creating a wiki-like “contemporary Talmud”. We believe that this will serve not only Jews in search of meaningful identity, but can become a gift that Judaism offers to the whole world.
