18Forty is a new media company that helps users find meaning in their lives through the exploration of Jewish thought and ideas. By addressing contemporary issues openly and honestly, 18Forty expands conversation, deepens understanding, and elevates experience. With a commitment to exceptional design and intellectual integrity, 18Forty is rethinking Jewish wisdom and reframing Jewish values for a modern world.
The year 1840 marked the climax of the first industrial revolution. This era saw new labor-saving inventions, scientific advances, academic theories, and the beginning of increased general education levels. These advancements brought massive societal benefits. At the same time, they created substantial societal dislocation and produced new challenges for people to find meaning in this world.
As the industrial revolution progressed, a profound question about religion emerged: Would the rise of industrial, technological, and academic progress render religion obsolete or would these disruptive societal changes make religion crucial to understanding this new reality and provide meaning to peoples’ lives?
One mystical text portended a religious revolution in 1840. Some interpreted this as a reflection on the need for redemption from the ills of modern innovation. Others focused on the more positive message of newfound opportunities for religious enlightenment in an age when human creativity was being redefined.
Today, we are once again faced with the choices and challenges society confronted in 1840 on an even greater level. While many of the benefits brought by these changes are self-evident, these rapidly accelerating changes are causing new societal and individual challenges. The levels of anxiety, depression, and other mental health concerns are rising at an alarming rate, especially among Millennials and Generation Z. Traditional familial and communal emotional support networks are being replaced by impersonal online communities. And the exponential rate of technological development makes the future feel unpredictable.
As a society, how will we construct meaning in today’s age of limitless information? Some will see religion as an anachronistic artifact from a simpler and more naïve time. 18Forty hopes to confront some of those challenges and present a new vision for the value of religion in the modern age.
Was the year 1840 the end of religion or the beginning? In this special podcast, David discusses the significance of the year and how it remains relevant today. Follow along with the source sheet and listen below:
David Bashevkin is the director of education for
Editor
Yehuda Fogel is an editor and writer at The Lehrhaus, where he is proud to have worked with diverse writers and ideas. He currently studies clinical psychology, as a doctoral student in LIU Post. He has researched psychedelic use in the New York State Psychiatric Institute, and is an alumnus of Yeshiva University. Yehuda is fond of overthinking his bio and using Google Docs.
Editor
Denah Emerson received her B.A. in Art and English Communications from Yeshiva University. She subsequently earned a Masters of Fine Arts in Design and Technology from Parsons The New School for Design. Denah works as an artist, graphic designer, and research and marketing specialist. Denah embraces millennial digital nomadism as a wandering writer, performer, dance fitness instructor, financial advisor, life coach, and certified bartender. Denah is clearly a jack of all trades, master of none.
Editor
Sruli Fruchter is pursuing semikha at RIETS while working as a project manager for 18Forty and Dryve Marketing. He studied international and global affairs at Yeshiva University, where he was the 100th editor in chief of The Commentator. When not reading, writing, or tweeting about Rav Kook, Sruli enjoys adding books and articles to his ever-growing reading list. While his work has appeared in outlets like The Commentator and 18Forty, the New York Times is still a holdout.
Associate Editor
Devorah Spigelman holds an LL.B. from The College of Law and Business in Ramat Gan, Israel, as well as an LL.M. from Yeshiva University's Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in New York City. She is a member of the New York State Bar and is currently in the process of becoming a member of the Israeli Bar. While not lawyering, Devorah enjoys procrastinating and doom scrolling on Twitter.
Associate Editor
In addition to 18Forty, Cody Fitzpatrick works with Valley Beit Midrash, in Arizona where he lives, Tablet Magazine, and Judaism Unbound. In 2021, he was a Tablet Magazine Journalism Fellow. Cody holds a B.A. from Arizona State University in journalism and mass communication. For almost four years, he was a digital writer-reporter for the Tennis Channel, though, especially these days, he is no Rafael Nadal when he takes the court himself.
Contributor
Maury Rosenfeld has worked as a speechwriter and researcher at the Orthodox Union, as well as with and under Dovid Bashevkin in NCSY’s educational department. Before that, he worked with young adults in crisis at The Door: A Center for Alternatives, in New York City. Maury is currently a smicha fellow at RIETS, and hopes to one day own a cabin in the woods. His writing has been rejected from several reputable outlets.