With the High Holidays upon us, the good folks who brought us quirky digital takes on the weekly Torah portion and that Leviticus-inspired iPhone game are back with something new: a website that lets you create a virtual scapegoat. That is, an eScapegoat.
Say what?
Intrigued by the ancient Yom Kippur ritual in which the High Priest chose a goat to symbolically take on all the Israelites’ sins before being released into the wilderness, the Jewish animation studio G-dcast created a PETA-friendly version for modern times. Not only can you submit your own sins to an eScapegoat, you can also sign up to get an email with some of the juiciest sins shared by others. (Unfortunately, users’ identities will remain anonymous.) Right before Yom Kippur they the goat will be sent off to Azazel.
It’s a cool digital way to prepare for the holiday, especially since it doesn’t require you to sit through a sermon. What will you confess?
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.