Pardes In the Press
Elizabeth Man Creates an Israel Out of Pixels
For Chaim Landau, on-line game offers window into reality
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Second Life Israel offers game players a chance to visit famous Israeli sites, including the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. |
February 14, 2008
An Elizabeth-raised man studying in Jerusalem has cocreated a virtual version of Israel for Second Life, the popular multiplayer Web site.
In the "Israel" Chaim Landau helped to create, players can visit the holy sites of three major religions, Eilat’s underwater observatory, the Dead Sea, Jerusalem’s open air market Mahane Yehuda, and the Tel Aviv promenade — while sitting in front of their computers.
"I was looking for places to promote Israel that were outside the box and didn’t center on the Arab-Israeli conflict," Landau said.
Landau grew up in an observant family in Elizabeth, where he attended the Jewish Educational Center yeshiva. He grew up using sign language in addition to speaking, because both his parents are deaf.
"The computer is critical to me for communicating with my parents, because we can’t speak by phone," said Landau. "When I was serving in Gaza during the height of the Intifada in 2002, I would walk to the nearby Jewish community and knock on doors until I found someone with Internet access so that I could send my parents an e-mail and let them know that I was OK. I told them that at least I’m not in the West Bank, where the fighting was much worse."
Following high school, Chaim spent a year in Israel studying at Yeshivat Sha’alvim, and then enrolled at Bar-Ilan University in Ramat Gan, where he majored in political science and media studies. He took a break from his studies for a year to enlist and serve in the army as a tank driver.
"My fellow soldiers invariably asked me why in the world I came to Israel and enlisted in the army…. After fumbling around for a quick answer oftentimes the next question I would be asked is why all American Jews don’t make aliya to Israel," he said. "I always found the questions very ironic — they’re totally contradictory and speak of the Israeli confusion over Diaspora Jewry and its relationship with Israel."
After earning his BA at Bar-Ilan, Landau spent a year at the London School of Economics earning a master’s degree in international relations. He was selected for a Legacy Heritage Fellowship, and sent to Brussels to work with the European Union of Jewish Students.
His work on Second Life grew out of an attempt to promote Israel in an unconventional setting. Some 12 million people take part in Second Life’s virtual world, creating an "avatar" and socializing with fellow players.
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Chaim Landau, right, with study partner Rivka Blutstein, are students at the Pardes Institute in Jerusalem. |
"When I first read about Second Life, it quickly dawned on me that this had the potential to reach a worldwide audience," he said.
He worked with Texan Beth Brown, founder of Second Life’s virtual Jewish community, in developing the Israeli sites. It launched on Jan. 13.
Meanwhile, Landau is looking forward to a career in Jewish leadership, and is currently enrolled in the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies, a yeshiva that attracts men and women from a variety of religious and ideological backgrounds.
"I felt that this may be my last opportunity to study Torah full time until I retire — it was basically a now or never moment," he said. "I wanted a place …where people were not told what to think or how to behave, but were given the knowledge to make informed choices regarding their Judaism."
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