This Chanukah, instead of heading to a party at a synagogue or a bustling outdoor celebration, Kayla Epstein, 24, found herself in Brooklyn, N.Y., surrounded by others also interested in both the holiday and technology.
She was one of about 30 guests at an event that drew digitally savvy young professionals from around the city.
They convened last week at Brooklyn’s Makeshift Society—a group that offers workspace for freelancers and small teams to start and grow their businesses—as part of an event run by Tech Tribe, which sets out “to create engaging and impactful experiences for young Jews in tech and digital media.” The event was focused on 3D printing and the Jewish experience, and it also hosted a design contest that wound up with a dozen entrants.
“We showcased 3D printing, and it was a chance for people to enjoy traditional Chanukah treats,” says Rabbi Mordechai Lightstone, 30, who with his wife Chana set the event in motion. “The exploration and the ownership and the sense that this is something that you are involved in that exists in the maker sphere is something I wanted to impart to people about Judaism as well.”
“This is the first time a 3D-printed menorah has been used in a public menorah-lighting,” says Lightstone, who adds that the gathering was unique because of its direct targeting to a niche sector—those into creative technology with an arts-and-design element.
Which begs the question: What is a 3D-printed menorah, and how is it made?
Basically, it’s a menorah (or any object, for that matter) that is produced via a 3D-printer, which manufactures three-dimensional objects from a digital file, using a printer that can be bought for use in an office or at home.
Lightstone describes the steps it takes to create the menorah, specifically: incorporating one large spool of Cool Gray filament (plus a little bit more for reprints); 30-plus hours of printing; 1.5 hours of shaving prints with an X-Acto knife to make sure everything fits; several late nights at the office; and a little elbow grease.
“And, voilà … a Chanukah miracle!” he says.
The menorah was printed by Jared Leavitt from Access Communications on a MakerBot Replicator 2 Desktop 3D printer.
Lightstone adds that the winning design in the contest came from Noah Greenbaum of Makerbot, who created a giant illuminated dreidel.
Adapting to Culture
Tech Tribe is part of a growing niche targeting Jews and technology. In the case of Chanukah, a sister Tech Tribe event was held in Chicago on the same night.
Adam Hecktman, 48, hosted Tech Tribe’s Chicago event on Dec. 17 at the Microsoft Technology Center, which also drew about 30 people.
Hecktman, who is also Microsoft’s director of technology and civic innovation for Chicago, helped put the event and space together when he found out that Rabbi Avraham Kagan, co-director of Chabad of River North in Chicago, was looking for a “cool, high-tech place for Jewish folks in the tech community to have a little high-tech celebration.”
The event was a chance to tie together old and new by bringing technology together with the story of Chanukah, which recalls—as the Tech Tribe event description explains—“the Jews rising up against their Greek-Syrian oppressors to regain control of Jerusalem, and how a one-day supply of oil ended up lasting eight nights, allowing for their victory.”
Hecktman’s favorite part of the event was when Kagan presented Judah Maccabee’s so-called “business plan,” presenting the story of the Chanukah miracle as a startup would pitch its business.
“The cool thing about the Jewish people is that we adapt our culture to every new age,” explains Hecktman. “I believe this is just another step in that direction. What could be more of a nexus of new and old than creating a menorah using 3D-printing technology?”
Benny Gross, education technology and IT director at the Hebrew Academy of the Five Towns and Rockaway on Long Island, N.Y., provided the designs for the menorah used at Lightstone’s event.
He came away from the event with a new set of connections, from teachers to potential collaboration partners to work with his students as they get more involved in startups.
“I think what was so great about the night was that we all shared our experiences of Chanukah, and it was a very Jewish atmosphere,” he describes. “But we understood that there was a connection not just with Judaism, but with technology as well.”
Gross says he was also inspired by the overarching message of how technology and Torah fit together. Where some might worry that technology could take people farther away from Torah, he says: “I felt—and I think everybody there did—that technology can bring you closer, and that’s something that was very nice.”
As for Epstein, a journalist who runs social media and reports for The Guardian US, she says she looks forward to attending more Tech Tribe-sponsored events.
She appreciates the unique elements the Chanukah event pulled together—from the technology component to the crowd it drew and even to the music played at the event.
And, in the midst of the food, menorahs, music and dreidels, guests could be seen tweeting others with selfies that included the 3D-menorah, using the #ShareTheLights hashtag.
“I thought the event really celebrated the creativity of the Jewish community in New York City.”
Join the Discussion