Local Rabbi Goes Viral on TikTok

JEWSIN THED

Local Rabbi Goes Viral on TikTok The video has been viewed nearly 100,000 times.

DANNY SCHWARTZ

STAFF WRITER

SCREENSHOT Rabbi Yoni Dahlen of Congregation Shaarey Zedek has gone viral on the social media platform TikTok for a video in which he shows how to light a chanukiah. The video had nearly 100,000 views as of press time.

Using the username “Motor City Rabbi” on the popular video platform, Dahlen uses the service to teach Jewish rituals to the general public. Other videos of Dahlen’s on the platform include a tutorial of how to put one’s mezuzah up, how to put a tallit on, how to wrap tefillin on the arm and put tefillin shel rosh on the head, and how to light Shabbat candles.

Dahlen also has a SoundCloud account, which primarily consists of prayers and songs recorded by Dahlen, and a YouTube account, which consists of similar TikTok content and a long-form Jewish interview series called “3 Opinions”.

Dahlen’s rabbinical social media journey began with him trying to work on the idea of “empowerment” since the pandemic started, of getting people to own and feel comfortable with their Judaism through Jewish rituals.

“I think there’s an unfair pressure in Judaism that basically assumes everyone should know how to do everything,” Dahlen said. “So, one of the things I’ve been working on is this idea of ‘how-to’ Judaism in a judgment-free setting, and really encouraging people to ask questions.”

Dahlen began with the idea of “How 2 Jew” — a video series explaining Jewish rituals and education in “2” minutes or less.

When Dahlen started to spread to other platforms such as TikTok and Instagram, he was then limited to one minute for the videos. That didn’t stop Dahlen; he just had to adapt creatively, something he had already done because of the pandemic.

Dahlen has been shocked at the viewership the video has gotten since uploading it. He usually gets 40-50 views when putting the videos in weekly emails to the congregation and maybe 100-200 views when posting them on Facebook.

When Dahlen started posting on TikTok, he became amazed at how the algorithm worked, with way more people watching and those viewers being “genuinely interested,” the rabbi said.

“What’s more amazing to me than the 100k views is the incredible amount of positive, kind comments, especially from a lot of non-Jews who say, ‘This is so great. I’ve always wanted to know this … This helps me with talking with my Jewish friends and I feel like I’m a little more educated now,’” Dahlen said.

Dahlen believes social media is a great tool to promote Judaism among younger generations, who may not seek out answers otherwise.

“I don’t think there’s enough data yet to see if it actually creates membership engagement or increased membership or anything like that, but it’s definitely something to at least get information out,” Dahlen said.

“That’s my primary goal right now, to let people who otherwise might be too afraid or embarrassed to ask or not sure what to do, to have those resources without feeling any kind of judgment or insecurity or anything like that.”

Dahlen intends to continue these videos after the pandemic is over and is more than willing to make a video about any Jewish ritual or topic people are interested in learning about. “I was trying to do it even before the pandemic started,” Dahlen said. “But now, the pandemic has made me really home in on what’s working and what’s effective, and I think that’s helpful and something I know we can carry forward.”

B’nai Moshe To Feed 400 Henry Ford Hospital Workers on Christmas Eve

Congregation B’nai Moshe of West Bloomfield is showing their gratitude for all that healthcare workers have done over this year by providing a Christmas Eve dinner to all 400 night-staff personnel at Henry Ford Hospital in West Bloomfield on Dec. 24.

For many years, B’nai Moshe has baked and delivered cookies to Metro Detroit police and fire stations and hospitals on Christmas Day as a way of saying thank you for working on their holiday to keep the community safe.

This year, with the coronavirus pandemic, they The COVID-19 crisis made it a year filled with filled with health concerns, physical and emotional challenges, and financial pressures. For people with physical disabilities like hearing loss, 2020 was doubly difficult. So to help usher in the new year on a higher note for those individuals, Hinderliter Hearing Services is joining forces with other hearing care professionals nationwide to donate up to $1 million of hearing aids to people profoundly affected by the 2020 pandemic.

As part of that effort, Hinderliter Hearing were not able to do the cookie baking and delivery but still wanted to perform the mitzvah (commandment) of giving. Henry Ford Hospital and B’nai Moshe are neighbors in West Bloomfield.

The synagogue asked its members for donations to accomplish this task and the congregation responded with $6,000 to make the dinner a reality.

The dinner will be provided by B’nai Moshe’s caterer, Chef Cari Kosher Catering, and her Southfield based Chinese restaurant

Help for Those with Hearing Loss also Facing Financial Challenges

“Wok In Cari Out.” Services in Birmingham is seeking nominations of people with hearing loss who have experienced financial difficulty during 2020 and would benefit from receiving a set of ReSound ONE hearing aids, one of the best hearing aids available on the market today.

Nominations are made by visiting hinderliterhearing. com or calling (248) 4307353 with the name, contact information and an explanation of financial challenge for the nominee.

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