Electronic Efficiency

     Information and communication today are more and more often handled
electronically. Large scientific and business enterprises were the first
to sense the potential. The trend has now spread to all areas, and has
become the norm for personal communication.

     Electronic communication such as fax reduces sending time from days
to seconds. But fax is only a picture of information stored on paper.

Computerised Access

     Information typed into a computer is even more valuable, since it
can be easily searched, retrieved, sorted and worked with. Imagine being
instantly able to know if a given topic was discussed; who said what to
whom; when and where; in what context and with what implications and
consequences.

     All of these advantages are available to individuals and groups who
accustom themselves to using computers and electronic mail for work and
communication.

Jewish Information

     The Jewish Information Exchange is bringing the benefits of
electronic communication to students of Jewish Studies. In its first
year, the electronic mailing list has grown steadily from 15 to 225,
providing a central clearinghouse to its international readership.

     The Jewish Information Exchange provides a current panorama of
work in progress. It lists upcoming conferences, calls for papers,
forthcoming books, assigned dissertation topics and so forth. On a
larger scale, it seeks to identify and establish connection with
institutions and project whose work relates to Jewish Studies.

     Not only does this broad overview prevent duplication of effort;
it enables and encourages cooperation among different fields and groups.

     The Jewish Information Exchange also announces and evaluates the
the latest technological advances which have application to Jewish
Studies.

Worldwide Distribution

     Information arrives in a weekly electronic newsletter at Jewish
Studies institutions such as:

     Harvard University Center for Judaic Studies
     The Jewish National and University Library at Hebrew University
     Annenberg Research Institute for Semitic and Cognate Studies
     Taylor-Schechter Genizah Research Unit of Cambridge University
     Bernard Revel Graduate School of Yeshiva University
     Brandeis University Tauber Institute
     Jewish Theological Seminary Library
     Bar Ilan University
     Hebrew Union College Library
     Ben Gurion University of the Negev

     Technical advice is offered by recipients at the Weizmann Institute,
DEC, Sun, Intel, and the US Military.

     Although it has readers on all continents, the highest concentration
is in the US and Israel, with many in Europe. In all, over 75 educational
institutions receive the newsletter.

Support Opportunities

     Because the Jewish Information Exchange makes use of existing
academic computer networks and services, the cost to the end user is
minimal. In most cases, the major resources invested are time,
interest and effort. The same minimal costs are evident in the moderate
figures in the budget.

     In its first year, the project was done as an experiment. It has
proven successful beyond expectations, and is no longer manageable on
a voluntary basis alone. It has therefore become necessary to seek
funding in order to provide support services and cover operating
expenses. In addition, seed money would enable expansion of the scope
and quality of the organisation's work.