The head of Bnei Akiva in Israel, Danny Hirschberg, is using social media sites to push his message, “turn off cellular telephones on Monday, Rosh Chodesh Menachem Ac 5773.” He is calling it a “cell phone fast day”.
Hirschberg explains that while he has nothing against cell phones, he is aware that for most of the members of the Zionist youth movement, ‘shutting down’ for a day will be more difficult that fasting on Tisha B’Av.
He feels that following his lead and going off the air on rosh chodesh will be a step in the right direction, towards “placing things back in proportion. We can use one day to look around and see things around us.”
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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3 Responses
Actually, a great idea. Call it “mehachem av recognition day” or “mental health day” but for 99 percent of the younger generation, this is more of an imposition than fasting, wearing shoes, not shaving or not engaging in other stuff we don’t discuss here. The dependency on cellphone and PDAs is so pervasive among today’s youth that even going one Day without Facebook, Twitter, or texting will force them to think about chuban bayis…(i.e. what if c’v there was no internet??)
9 days requires us to decrease our joy
for most of us losing our cell phone for a day will be a hardship.
not a bad idea.
How about stating with a cellphone fast during davening