“Do Golems Dream of Electric Shuls?” Moral Responsibility of Technology (online with Rabbi-Cantor Michael McCloskey)
In Jewish folklore, characters often create a golem or clay humanoid imbued with protective power. Israeli professor of mysticism and folklorist Joseph Dan called the golem “the most important twentieth-century contribution of Hebrew literature to world literature.” By examining the role of the golem in Hebrew literature, we will explore questions these texts raise about the moral responsibility of modern creators of technology, particularly of A.I. and robots, and whether such beings have agency. Additionally, what does each successive iteration of the motif reveal about human nature and the specific challenges of the era? Together, we’ll investigate the intertextuality of this marvelous golem humanoid through the Hebrew Bible, the Talmud, among the Medieval Pietists, in 16th-century Prague, through retellings by Elie Wiesel, Isaac Bachevis Singer, Cynthia Ozick, Michael Chabon, and Pete Hamill, through film, comics, and even Hebrew slang.
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