11 Tevet, 5762
Jerusalem

In the Context of the Jewish Agency Project for Developing Jewish Information and Computer Technological Infrastructure:

Jewish Agency organizes International "Jewish Internet" Seminar. World Authorities Information and Computer Technology will Attend

An international seminar on Jewish Information and Computer Technology (ICT) will take place on December 27^th and 28^th at the Jewish Agency's Kiryat Moriah Educational Campus in Jerusalem. This seminar is organized in the context of a Jewish Agency project to develop Jewish computer communications infrastructures, with the aim of creating a common "cyberspace" for all Jewish internet activity in the fields of Jewish information, products and services.

Fifty authorities in the field of Jewish internet, from Israel and abroad, will participate in the seminar. Among them are leading webmasters and producers, academics, businessmen and Jewish community professionals involved in Jewish computer networking and communications. The seminar will deal with ways of increasing use of Jewish internet services, with increasing the influence of Jewish internet, and with the planning of a world congress of Jewish computer communications, which will take place in Jerusalem in 2002.

Among the subjects on the agenda are the development of Jewish computerized activities, future ICT developments and their implications on Jewish computerized communications, Jewish aspects of the development of a computer-based global civil society.

Dov Wiener, Director of the Jewish Agency program for Jewish ICT infrastructure, said that the initiative stems from the flourishing of Jewish computer networking during the last decade due to the expansion of the internet. According to Wiener over 6,000 websites, hundreds of e-mail distribution lists, and dozens of portals cater to the varied needs and tastes of Jews throughout the World. Among the services offered are Jewish audio, video and printed news, Jewish dating and matrimonial services, Jewish genealogy, mutual assistance, Jewish education, activities and culture.

The Jewish Agency project is designed to update Jewish networking on the web, to foster cooperation between suppliers of information and institutions that operate on Jewish networks, and to enable information to be presented in a more user-friendly manner.

The project steering committee, under the direction of Mr. Sami Friedrich (of Shaldor, Ltd.), will convene on Friday, December 28^th to examine ways for increasing Jewish activity on the web. Other committee members include Dr. Yossi Vardi (of Mirabilis), Mr. Arieh Scope, CEO of Microsoft-Israel, Mr. Arthur Fried, Chairman of the Avi-Chai Fund and Mr. Ari Weiss, Director General of the Rothschild Foundation.

For additional Information please contact Messrs Dov Wiener, at 050-552065 or at his e-mail addresses: admin@jewishnet.net or dov@jafi.org