AI rabbis? Some NY Hasidic groups see new technology as a challenge, others as a tool
NEW YORK — In the heart of Brooklyn’s Satmar Hasidic community, a young man entered an electronics shop and made his way to the back office, where he placed a new iPhone on the table.The store manager, Baruch Kahana, inspected the phone through thin-rimmed glasses. He plugged the device into a computer and began to tinker, blocking access to certain sites and apps to protect the customer from perceived technological risks. His objective: a “kosher” phone.Kahana had koshered thousands of devices in his 10 years at the Technology Awareness Group (TAG), a nonprofit that says it helps religious Jews install filters on electronic devices “to retain our Yiddishe values.”The customer’s request was a new challenge, though — he had asked Kahana to remove an AI assistant from WhatsApp, something Kahana had never done.“Some temptations I am able to deal with myself. Some temptations I have to block,” the customer said.Kahana…
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Hasidic communities in New York are divided on the integration of artificial intelligence, with some viewing it as a challenge to religious values and others as a beneficial tool. Organizations like the Technology Awareness Group (TAG) are developing "kosher" filtering solutions to restrict AI access on devices, particularly for more insular groups like Satmar Hasidim, to prevent exposure to sensitive topics. Conversely, more technologically amenable groups, such as the Chabad-Lubavitch movement, are actively developing their own AI applications. For example, computer scientist Dr. Moshe Koppel, in collaboration with Chabad, created Rav Dicta, an AI program designed to answer Jewish law (halacha) questions using specialized religious texts. Despite its utility, Rav Dicta includes a warning that it is "not a substitute for a human rabbi," emphasizing the continued importance of human connection in religious guidance.
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