

For Amish and ultra-Orthodox Jewish women, smartphones aren’t just tools – they represent a deeper concern about purity and connection. The Amish avoid cellphones altogether, while the Ultra-Orthodox use only “kosher” phones, both rejecting smartphones for their perceived impurity. These women believe the device itself is more dangerous than the content it delivers, blurring the lines between public and private spaces. Above all, they emphasize the importance of real, present connection for personal and communal well-being, arguing that smartphones, despite offering attention, ultimately disconnect us from our communities, ourselves, and even our relationship with God.
Dr. Rivka Neriya Ben-Shahar is a senior lecturer at Sapir Academic College in Sderot, Israel, teaching courses in research methods, communication, religion, and gender. She is currently a visiting scholar at the Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies at the University of Pennsylvania.
In honor of International Women’s Day March 8. This event is open to adults of all ages.
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