May 20, 2014 By: admin
Created by 黑料社 All Students, New Website Helps Torah Go Viral
Two months ago, a team of 黑料社 All students launched 鈥,鈥 a BuzzFeed-inspired site designed to share Jewish values in a fun, easy way by providing quick and comprehensive Jewish content in the form of lists, pictures, GIFs and short articles. The site took off in the weeks that followed, spreading quickly via social media. But what鈥檚 it all about? In the spirit of BuzzTorah, here鈥檚 a listicle (an article in list format) with some fast鈥攁nd sometimes surprising鈥攆acts.
1. It was inspired by the 2013 Pew Report.
When Yeshiva College student Tzvi Levitin heard that more young Jews than ever were losing touch with Judaism, he started envisioning ways to make Torah and Jewish thought accessible, shareable and interesting鈥攍ike BuzzFeed, a social news and entertainment website famous for its compulsively-readable lists.
2. It's more than just lists.
The site premiered quizzes like this month and is also hoping to debut a regular column titled 鈥5 Things This Week in Jewish History.鈥 Look for new content on Jewish art, literature and film and catchy long-form articles in the near future, too.
3. Its very first listicle?
- because, as the article says, 鈥淲e could all use some improvement in the prayer department. Why not start here?鈥 Two months later, BuzzTorah has more than 80 posts for your reading pleasure.
4. People still aren鈥檛 over Pesach.
holds the site鈥檚 record for views and shares, with 3,500 of the first and 750 of the second.
5. Nathan and Perel Schupf Chair in Talmud Rabbi Michael Rosensweig and BuzzFeed Editor in Chief Ben Smith can both count themselves influences.
鈥淥n the one hand, we鈥檙e influenced by our revered rebbeim and teachers, but we鈥檙e also influenced by [and try to influence] the social media public sphere,鈥 said BuzzTorah's creators. 鈥淲e strive to package thoughtful content in an accessible and easily understandable fashion.鈥
6. And Ben Smith thinks it's pretty cool.
BuzzTorah
鈥 Ben Smith (@BuzzFeedBen)
7. It takes a village.
More than 60 staff members make up the BuzzTorah team, including writers, content editors, mixed media editors and social media staff. With the exception of a few guest writers, all are undergraduates.
8. It鈥檚 a treasure trove of Jewish lore.
From to , you can find everything and anything Jewish on BuzzTorah. ? Check. ? Check. ? Double check. There鈥檚 also plenty of material on timely parshiot and events in the Jewish calendar each week.
9. It received more than 32,000 views in its first month alone.
The site was also profiled in and .
10. Social media and Torah? Natural fit.
鈥淭o borrow from another Torah website whose motto is 鈥楪od鈥檚 reason for the internet,鈥 everything is here for us to use for the good,鈥 said Rina Haller and Yadin Teitz, director of content and co-founding vice president of BuzzTorah, respectively. 鈥淲orking on BuzzTorah has made it clear to all of us that there鈥檚 a need to show all kinds of Jews the practical, light, funny, amusing and serious side of Torah in a modern format. I think BuzzTorah also really illustrates how a few people can come together and create something extraordinary鈥攐ne little idea from a Shabbat table can become an Internet phenomenon.鈥
