Daniel Sieradski
Encyclopedia
Daniel Jonathan Sieradski (born June 19, 1979) is a Jewish American writer and activist. He was the founding publisher and editor-in-chief of Jewschool, a popular left-wing Jewish weblog, as well as the weblogs Radical Torah and Orthodox Anarchist. He is also the creator of the synagogue listings and reviews website ShulShopper. From August 2007 to July 2009, he was the Jewish Telegraphic Agency
's director of digital media
. , Sieradski is the Director of Digital Strategy for Repair the World.
Project, which attempted to actualize the ideas brought forth by media theorist Douglas Rushkoff
in his book Nothing Sacred: The Truth About Judaism.
He has developed websites for an array of artists and organizations including The Jewish Community Center in Manhattan, JDub Records, Hazon
and Habitus: A Diaspora Journal
.
From August 2007 to July 2009, Sieradski was the Jewish Telegraphic Agency
's director of digital media
. , Sieradski is the Director of Digital Strategy for Repair the World.
the Google
search engine. Responding to outrage over the placement of an antisemitic website atop the results on Google's search for the term Jew, a fact first publicized by Steven Weinstock, Sieradski led a successful campaign which replaced the site Jew Watch
with Wikipedia
's entry on Jews.
presidential candidate Ron Paul
was actively raising support from White nationalists
while giving short-shrift to the Jewish press. "Ron Paul will take money from Nazis," Sieradski wrote, "but he won't take telephone calls from Jews." In response, columnist Andrew Sullivan
accused Sieradski of smearing Paul as an anti-Semite, though he partially recanted after his colleague Matthew Yglesias came to Sieradski's defense.
concerts with Israeli and Palestinian rappers, with a project called Corner Prophets, with the stated intention of promoting peace and coexistence through the arts. He has also been a DJ on the jointly-operated Israeli-Palestinian FM radio station All For Peace which broadcasts from Ramallah
.
In August 2006, Sieradski and two fellow yeshiva
students organized a benefit concert in Jerusalem attended by 80 people, that raised more than NIS4,500 or around $1,000, for Israeli and Lebanese victims of that summer's war between Israel and Hezbollah. In January 2009, Sieradski led a similar effort to express empathy for victims on both sides of the Arab-Israeli conflict. Responding to the renewed violence in Gaza
, he organized a demonstration in New York City, attended by fewer than 50 people, condemning both Israel's and Hamas
's attacks on civilians.
On October 7, 2011, citing the Hebrew prophet Isaiah
's admonition to fast by "feeding the hungry, housing the homeless, breaking the bonds of oppression," Sieradski organized a Kol Nidre
Yom Kippur
prayer service at Occupy Wall Street
, the mass demonstration for economic justice in Lower Manhattan that began in September 2011. Some reports placed attendance at upwards of 1,000.
. B'nai B'rith
Magazine called him a "fresh faced iconoclast ... redefining American Judaism," and Tikkun
said he was "fast becoming one of the most recognized Jewish literary voices on the Internet." The Jewish Standard described Sieradski as "a leader in a Jewish movement that is trying to a create a new image for Judaism to project to its youth," he was called "an innovator in Jewish new media" by Editor & Publisher
and The Forward
called him "a major figure of the Jewish Internet world and a cultural trailblazer with a diverse fan base." In 2008, The Jewish Week
counted Sieradski among a group of 36 Jewish New Yorkers under the age of 36 "who are combining mitzvot, leadership and passion in making the world a better place." In 2010, he was numbered among The Forward
50, an annual listing of the 50 most influential American Jews.
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
The Jewish Telegraphic Agency is an international news agency serving Jewish community newspapers and media around the world. The JTA was founded on February 6, 1917, by Jacob Landau as the Jewish Correspondence Bureau in The Hague with the mandate of collecting and disseminating news among and...
's director of digital media
Digital media
Digital media is a form of electronic media where data is stored in digital form. It can refer to the technical aspect of storage and transmission Digital media is a form of electronic media where data is stored in digital (as opposed to analog) form. It can refer to the technical aspect of...
. , Sieradski is the Director of Digital Strategy for Repair the World.
Jewschool
In 2001, Sieradski, founded Jewschool, which was called "influential" by Cnet.Professional life
Sieradski has worked as a web designer with several Jewish organizations. As the director of Matzat, an organization which specializes in web development and Internet marketing strategy for Jewish non-profit organizations, Sieradski oversaw several projects including the now defunct Open Source JudaismOpen Source Judaism
Open Source Judaism is a small movement within the Jewish community that uses open collaboration to create works about or for Judaism. One of the groups completed works include an open source Haggadah ....
Project, which attempted to actualize the ideas brought forth by media theorist Douglas Rushkoff
Douglas Rushkoff
Douglas Rushkoff is an American media theorist, writer, columnist, lecturer, graphic novelist and documentarian. He is best known for his association with the early cyberpunk culture, and his advocacy of open source solutions to social problems.Rushkoff is most frequently regarded as a media...
in his book Nothing Sacred: The Truth About Judaism.
He has developed websites for an array of artists and organizations including The Jewish Community Center in Manhattan, JDub Records, Hazon
Hazon
Hazon is a nonprofit organization, based in New York City, that seeks to create new vision in the Jewish community through outdoor and environmental education...
and Habitus: A Diaspora Journal
Habitus: A Diaspora Journal
Habitus: A Diaspora Journal is a semiannual magazine of international literature and culture.The magazine's mission statement begins: "Habitus is a Jewish magazine that takes the whole world seriously...
.
From August 2007 to July 2009, Sieradski was the Jewish Telegraphic Agency
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
The Jewish Telegraphic Agency is an international news agency serving Jewish community newspapers and media around the world. The JTA was founded on February 6, 1917, by Jacob Landau as the Jewish Correspondence Bureau in The Hague with the mandate of collecting and disseminating news among and...
's director of digital media
Digital media
Digital media is a form of electronic media where data is stored in digital form. It can refer to the technical aspect of storage and transmission Digital media is a form of electronic media where data is stored in digital (as opposed to analog) form. It can refer to the technical aspect of...
. , Sieradski is the Director of Digital Strategy for Repair the World.
Hacking Google
In 2004, Sieradski organized the so-called Jooglebomb, an attempt at hackingHacker (computer security)
In computer security and everyday language, a hacker is someone who breaks into computers and computer networks. Hackers may be motivated by a multitude of reasons, including profit, protest, or because of the challenge...
the Google
Google
Google Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program...
search engine. Responding to outrage over the placement of an antisemitic website atop the results on Google's search for the term Jew, a fact first publicized by Steven Weinstock, Sieradski led a successful campaign which replaced the site Jew Watch
Jew Watch
Jew Watch is an antisemitic website that promotes Holocaust denial, and makes many negative claims about Jews, which include allegations of a conspiracy that Jews control the media and banking industries, and accusations of Jewish involvement in terrorist groups...
with Wikipedia
Wikipedia
Wikipedia is a free, web-based, collaborative, multilingual encyclopedia project supported by the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation. Its 20 million articles have been written collaboratively by volunteers around the world. Almost all of its articles can be edited by anyone with access to the site,...
's entry on Jews.
Allegations concerning Ron Paul
In 2007, Sieradski caused controversy with an article in Jewcy alleging that then-RepublicanRepublican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
presidential candidate Ron Paul
Ron Paul
Ronald Ernest "Ron" Paul is an American physician, author and United States Congressman who is seeking to be the Republican Party candidate in the 2012 presidential election. Paul represents Texas's 14th congressional district, which covers an area south and southwest of Houston that includes...
was actively raising support from White nationalists
White nationalism
White nationalism is a political ideology which advocates a racial definition of national identity for white people. White separatism and white supremacism are subgroups within white nationalism. The former seek a separate white nation state, while the latter add ideas from social Darwinism and...
while giving short-shrift to the Jewish press. "Ron Paul will take money from Nazis," Sieradski wrote, "but he won't take telephone calls from Jews." In response, columnist Andrew Sullivan
Andrew Sullivan
Andrew Michael Sullivan is an English author, editor, political commentator and blogger. He describes himself as a political conservative. He has focused on American political life....
accused Sieradski of smearing Paul as an anti-Semite, though he partially recanted after his colleague Matthew Yglesias came to Sieradski's defense.
Activism
Sieradski organized hip-hopHip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
concerts with Israeli and Palestinian rappers, with a project called Corner Prophets, with the stated intention of promoting peace and coexistence through the arts. He has also been a DJ on the jointly-operated Israeli-Palestinian FM radio station All For Peace which broadcasts from Ramallah
Ramallah
Ramallah is a Palestinian city in the central West Bank located 10 kilometers north of Jerusalem, adjacent to al-Bireh. It currently serves as the de facto administrative capital of the Palestinian National Authority...
.
In August 2006, Sieradski and two fellow yeshiva
Yeshiva
Yeshiva is a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primarily the Talmud and Torah study. Study is usually done through daily shiurim and in study pairs called chavrutas...
students organized a benefit concert in Jerusalem attended by 80 people, that raised more than NIS4,500 or around $1,000, for Israeli and Lebanese victims of that summer's war between Israel and Hezbollah. In January 2009, Sieradski led a similar effort to express empathy for victims on both sides of the Arab-Israeli conflict. Responding to the renewed violence in Gaza
Gaza
Gaza , also referred to as Gaza City, is a Palestinian city in the Gaza Strip, with a population of about 450,000, making it the largest city in the Palestinian territories.Inhabited since at least the 15th century BC,...
, he organized a demonstration in New York City, attended by fewer than 50 people, condemning both Israel's and Hamas
Hamas
Hamas is the Palestinian Sunni Islamic or Islamist political party that governs the Gaza Strip. Hamas also has a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades...
's attacks on civilians.
On October 7, 2011, citing the Hebrew prophet Isaiah
Isaiah
Isaiah ; Greek: ', Ēsaïās ; "Yahu is salvation") was a prophet in the 8th-century BC Kingdom of Judah.Jews and Christians consider the Book of Isaiah a part of their Biblical canon; he is the first listed of the neviim akharonim, the later prophets. Many of the New Testament teachings of Jesus...
's admonition to fast by "feeding the hungry, housing the homeless, breaking the bonds of oppression," Sieradski organized a Kol Nidre
Kol Nidre
Kol Nidre is an Aramaic declaration recited in the synagogue before the beginning of the evening service on every Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement...
Yom Kippur
Yom Kippur
Yom Kippur , also known as Day of Atonement, is the holiest and most solemn day of the year for the Jews. Its central themes are atonement and repentance. Jews traditionally observe this holy day with a 25-hour period of fasting and intensive prayer, often spending most of the day in synagogue...
prayer service at Occupy Wall Street
Occupy Wall Street
Occupy Wall Street is an ongoing series of demonstrations initiated by the Canadian activist group Adbusters which began September 17, 2011 in Zuccotti Park, located in New York City's Wall Street financial district...
, the mass demonstration for economic justice in Lower Manhattan that began in September 2011. Some reports placed attendance at upwards of 1,000.
Acclaim
Sieradski has been described and as "a major figure of the Jewish Internet world and a cultural trailblazer with a diverse fan base" by The ForwardThe Forward
The Forward , commonly known as The Jewish Daily Forward, is a Jewish-American newspaper published in New York City. The publication began in 1897 as a Yiddish-language daily issued by dissidents from the Socialist Labor Party of Daniel DeLeon...
. B'nai B'rith
B'nai B'rith
B'nai B'rith International |Covenant]]" is the oldest continually operating Jewish service organization in the world. It was initially founded as the Independent Order of B'nai B'rith in New York City, on , 1843, by Henry Jones and 11 others....
Magazine called him a "fresh faced iconoclast ... redefining American Judaism," and Tikkun
Tikkun (magazine)
Tikkun is a quarterly English-language magazine, published in the United States, that analyzes American and Israeli culture, politics, religion and history from a leftist-progressive viewpoint, and provides commentary about Israeli politics and Jewish life in North America...
said he was "fast becoming one of the most recognized Jewish literary voices on the Internet." The Jewish Standard described Sieradski as "a leader in a Jewish movement that is trying to a create a new image for Judaism to project to its youth," he was called "an innovator in Jewish new media" by Editor & Publisher
Editor & Publisher
Editor & Publisher is a monthly magazine covering the North American newspaper industry. It is based in New York City. E&P calls itself "America's Oldest Journal Covering the Newspaper Industry" and describes itself on its website as "the authoritative journal covering all aspects of the North...
and The Forward
The Forward
The Forward , commonly known as The Jewish Daily Forward, is a Jewish-American newspaper published in New York City. The publication began in 1897 as a Yiddish-language daily issued by dissidents from the Socialist Labor Party of Daniel DeLeon...
called him "a major figure of the Jewish Internet world and a cultural trailblazer with a diverse fan base." In 2008, The Jewish Week
The Jewish Week
The Jewish Week is an independent weekly newspaper serving the Jewish community of the metropolitan New York City area. The Jewish Week covers news relating to the Jewish community in NYC and has world-wide distribution.-Editorial staff:...
counted Sieradski among a group of 36 Jewish New Yorkers under the age of 36 "who are combining mitzvot, leadership and passion in making the world a better place." In 2010, he was numbered among The Forward
The Forward
The Forward , commonly known as The Jewish Daily Forward, is a Jewish-American newspaper published in New York City. The publication began in 1897 as a Yiddish-language daily issued by dissidents from the Socialist Labor Party of Daniel DeLeon...
50, an annual listing of the 50 most influential American Jews.
External links
- DanielSieradski.com - Sieradski's personal blog.
- Jewschool - Sieradski's former blog
- ShulShopper
- Kris Krug Interview