Jewish futurism Is…
Jewish Futurism is a bold and visionary creative framework that blends design, spirituality, and technology to reimagine the future of Jewish identity, ritual, and ethics. (This page is a hub. Start here, then explore the deeper links.)
Quick definition: Jewish futurism is a practice of using Jewish memory, text, and symbols to imagine and design Jewish futures through art, ritual prototypes, and creative learning.
Imagining a Future of Harmony
Through the creation of speculative, high-tech spiritual objects and neon-illuminated aesthetics, Jewish futurism dares us to imagine a future where technology and spirituality not only coexist but thrive together in harmony, offering opportunities for profound meaning-making. It builds on Judaism’s remarkable history of adapting to change and solving complex challenges, offering a vision for futures that deeply respect tradition while unlocking the transformative power of modernity.
Digital illustration, Mike Wirth 2022
Illuminating the Future with Neon Mysticism
Jewish Futurism is at the heart of my artistic vision, where neon-illuminated futuristic aesthetics take center stage. I use vivid colors, geometric designs, and glowing digital interfaces to create a sense of wonder and transcendence. This aesthetic, inspired by both cyberpunk and mystical traditions, becomes a bridge between the sacred and the futuristic. Through these bold and immersive visuals, I strive to help others rethink and rediscover Jewish spirituality and identity in ways that are deeply personal, relatable, and forward-looking. My work invites collective meaning-making by merging ancient traditions with speculative and contemporary expressions.
Designing the Future of Jewish Identity
At its core, Jewish futurism invites us to imagine and design a speculative Jewish future through art, design, and technology. This vision often manifests in the creation of immersive, high-tech spiritual objects and experiences, such as virtual reality, augmented reality, and interactive rituals. These innovations empower individuals by putting empathy at the heart of the universal design process, helping them connect more profoundly with their inner selves, honor their ancestral heritage, engage in meaning-making, and boldly reimagine their place in a rapidly evolving world.
Digital illustration, Mike Wirth 2022
Philosophical Foundations for a Visionary Future
Jewish Futurism is deeply tied to Jewish thought and values, including:
Adaptation and Resilience:
Jewish history is a testament to an extraordinary resilience and adaptability—from exile and oppression to liberation and the digital age—showing that reinvention is woven into the Jewish experience. This adaptability informs Jewish Futurism’s embrace of change and innovation.
Ethical Speculation:
Jewish Futurism frames technological and societal changes through the lens of Jewish ethics, exploring questions such as, “How do we preserve human dignity in a world shaped by AI?” and “What is the role of spirituality in a hyper-connected, digital society?”
Mythmaking for the Future
Drawing from the storytelling traditions of Midrash, Jewish Futurism seeks to create new myths and narratives that help individuals engage in meaning-making and find purpose in an evolving world.
Philosophical Foundations for a Visionary Future
Kabbalistic cosmologies and Jewish culture have long explored speculative and imaginative futures. Here are some major examples to start to explore with. You can read my Brief History of Jewish futurism article here.
Examples of this continuity include:
| Era | Example | Description | Jewish Futurist Attributes | Source |
| Biblical | Messianic Prophecies | Jewish messianic visions, such as Isaiah’s call to “beat their swords into plowshares,” imagine an ideal future of universal peace and justice, foundational to utopian thought. | Visionary and utopian; anticipates a harmonious future. | Learn more |
| Biblical | The Story of Enoch | Enoch’s journey into the heavens and transformation into the angel Metatron reflects early Jewish engagement with speculative cosmology and ascension. | Speculative cosmology and transcendence. | Learn more |
| 12th-17th Century | Kabbalistic Cosmology | The Zohar’s exploration of divine emanations (Sefirot), nonlinear time, and cosmic interconnectedness resonates with speculative ideas of alternate realities and expanded consciousness. | Mystical exploration of interconnectedness and alternate realities. | Explore the Zohar |
| 16th Century | The Golem of Prague | The legend of Rabbi Judah Loew creating a Golem to protect the Jewish community reflects early Jewish engagement with artificial life and ethical creation. | Early exploration of artificial life and ethics. | Discover the Golem legend |
| 19th-20th Century | Zionist Utopias | Theodor Herzl’s Altneuland imagines a utopian Jewish homeland, while Ephraim Moses Lilien’s Art Nouveau illustrations merged Zionist ideals with innovative aesthetics. | Utopian vision tied to cultural renewal. | Read Altneuland |
| 20th Century | Avant-Garde Artists | Artists like El Lissitzky used Constructivist styles to reimagine Jewish identity (e.g., Had Gadya, 1919), blending Jewish motifs with bold futuristic designs. | Integration of tradition with futuristic abstraction. | Learn about Lissitzky |
| 20th Century (Sci-Fi) | Science Fiction and Jewish Themes | Isaac Asimov’s works on robotics, Michael Chabon’s The Yiddish Policemen’s Union (2007), and William Tenn’s On Venus, Have We Got a Rabbi reimagines Jewish identity through speculative fiction. | Explores identity, resilience, and cultural adaptation in speculative contexts. | Explore Tenn’s work |
| 20th Century (Comics) | Jack Kirby’s The Fourth World | Kirby’s cosmic saga incorporates Jewish themes of justice, redemption, and resilience, drawing from his cultural heritage to imagine epic battles of good versus evil. | Symbolizes the struggle for justice and the potential for human redemption through mythic storytelling. | Discover Kirby’s Fourth World |
| 20th Century (Comics) | Superman’s Fortress of Solitude | Superman’s Fortress of Solitude, co-created by Jewish artists Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, reflects themes of exile, resilience, and identity as Superman finds solitude to reflect and recharge. | Explores the theme of sanctuary and the intersection of personal identity and cultural belonging. | Explore Superman’s origins |
A Jewish Futurist Design Process:
1. Start with Jewish Values
Step 1.1: Identify core Jewish ethical principles relevant to the project (e.g., Tikkun Olam for sustainability, Tzelem Elohim for human dignity, Pikuach Nefesh for life-saving innovations).
Step 1.2: Study relevant Jewish texts (e.g., Torah, Talmud, Kabbalah) to find inspiration and a foundation for the speculative design.
Step 1.3: Frame the project with a Jewish ethical lens (e.g., “How can we apply Shabbat principles to technology use in the future?”).
2. Identify the Future Challenge
Step 2.1: Define a specific issue or question to address, rooted in Jewish concerns:
Example: “How can Jewish rituals evolve in a space-colonized world?”
Step 2.2: Use a “What if?” format to frame the challenge:
Example: “What if synagogues existed entirely in virtual reality?”
Step 2.3: Ensure the challenge reflects a balance of tradition and innovation, focusing on both Jewish continuity and future needs.
3. Use Jewish Speculative Thinking
Step 3.1: Explore Jewish speculative frameworks:
- Use Midrash to reinterpret or expand existing Jewish narratives.
- Incorporate Kabbalistic concepts like Ein Sof (infinity) or Olam HaBa (The World to Come).
Step 3.2: Imagine multiple scenarios for Jewish futures:
- Example: What might Passover look like on a planet with no agriculture? What symbols and rituals could adapt to this new context?
Step 3.3: Include historical and diasporic perspectives to consider global Jewish experiences.
4. Design the Prototype
Step 4.1: Choose a medium for the speculative design:
- Physical artifact (e.g., futuristic mezuzahs or tefillin).
- Narrative (e.g., short story, play, or comic about Jewish life in the future).
- Ritual (e.g., new blessings or ceremonies for future scenarios).
Step 4.2: Incorporate Jewish aesthetics and symbolism:
- Use Hebrew typography, traditional motifs, or ritual elements with a futuristic twist.
Step 4.3: Ensure the design reflects inclusivity and diversity within Jewish identity.
5. Engage the Community
Step 5.1: Share the prototype with a Jewish audience (e.g., synagogue groups, study sessions, or cultural festivals).
Step 5.2: Gather feedback on the emotional, spiritual, and practical impact of the design:
- Does it resonate with Jewish values?
- Is it inclusive of diverse Jewish perspectives?
Step 5.3: Facilitate discussions about the speculative idea’s implications for Jewish identity and practice.
6. Reflect and Refine
Step 6.1: Evaluate how well the prototype aligns with Jewish values and addresses the challenge.
Step 6.2: Revisit Jewish texts and traditions to refine or expand the speculative idea.
Step 6.3: Incorporate feedback to adjust the design for better cultural and ethical relevance.
7. Share and Inspire
Step 7.1: Present the final design at Jewish cultural events, art exhibitions, or conferences.
Step 7.2: Document the process (e.g., create a guide or video) to share the Jewish Futurist methodology with broader audiences.
Step 7.3: Use the design to spark dialogue about the future of Judaism, technology, and society, encouraging others to engage in Jewish Futurist thinking within Jewish identity.
Detail of “Babel”. Digital Illustration, Mike Wirth 2022
The Potential of Jewish Futurism
Jewish Futurism dreams of building a future that is inclusive, equitable, and full of possibility, using the transformative power of art and design to spark invention and inspire innovation. By blending the speculative with the sacred, it offers a space to question traditional religious beliefs, imagine new rituals, and foster spiritual exploration. It opens possibilities for a metamodern Jewish identity that bridges past, present, and future.
Building Community Connections
Jewish Futurism also provides an opportunity to forge new community connections both within the Jewish world and beyond. By incorporating universal design principles and empathy-led innovation, it creates shared spaces for collective growth, interfaith collaboration, and cultural exchange. These connections allow Jewish Futurism to contribute to larger societal discussions on resilience, adaptation, and ethical innovation.
Aligning with Global Futurist Movements
Jewish Futurism aligns with other contemporary futurist movements like Afrofuturism, Solarpunk, and Indigenous Futurism by addressing themes of resilience, identity, and sustainability. Like these movements, it uses speculative storytelling, art, and design to explore the intersections of culture, technology, and ethics. Through this alignment, Jewish Futurism builds bridges between diverse futurist visions while maintaining its distinct focus on Jewish history, spirituality, and ethics.
Envisioning a Future of Illumination
As the Jewish people continue to navigate the rapid changes of technology and society, Jewish Futurism provides a framework for envisioning what comes next. By combining the creativity of art and design with the depth of Jewish spirituality and ethics, it inspires us to imagine futures where tradition and modernity illuminate one another.
Mike’s Jewish Futurist Projects:
Frequently Asked Questions – FAQs
Jewish futurism is a creative and intellectual practice that uses Jewish texts, symbols, history, and lived experience to imagine and design Jewish futures.
It shows up in art, ritual, education, and community-building. It is not only about “tomorrow.” It is about continuity, responsibility, and how we choose to carry Jewish meaning forward.
Judeo-futurism is a closely related term that often refers to Jewish futurist thought and culture in dialogue with other futurisms. Some people use it to name a specific scene, discourse, or genre.
Others use it interchangeably with Jewish futurism. In practice, both terms point to the same core move: treating Jewish tradition as a living source for future-making, not only preservation.
It can be either, and it often lives in the overlap. Jewish futurism might be rooted in religious practice and Torah learning.
Or it might be rooted in cultural memory, identity, and creative expression without religious observance. Many projects are both, mixing ritual, story, music, design, and communal practice in ways that feel spiritually resonant even when they are not formally “religious.”
They share a family resemblance: both are future-facing movements that remix history, myth, and cultural memory to reclaim agency and imagine new worlds. But they come from different histories, different experiences of diaspora and oppression, and different cultural languages.
Afrofuturism is deeply tied to the Black Atlantic, slavery, and ongoing racialized modernity. Jewish futurism emerges from Jewish historical experience, diaspora, survival, text culture, ritual systems, and ethical traditions. The respectful approach is not to treat one as a template for the other, but to learn from the shared logic of future-making while honoring what is distinct.
Sometimes Afrofuturism and Jewish futurism can overlap in a collaboration or when people share both identities.
Examples can include:
-Torah stories rendered through sci-fi or speculative imagery
-Golem narratives used to explore technology, power, and responsibility
-Futuristic visions of Jerusalem, diaspora life, or post-trauma rebuilding
-Ritual objects reimagined as contemporary design artifacts
-Posters, zines, installations, or digital experiences that treat -Jewish life as an evolving system
Jewish futurism can look mystical, technological, playful, haunting, or deeply tender. The common thread is using Jewish material to explore what Jewish life could become.
A strong teaching approach is to treat it like a studio practice:
1. Ground in a text, image, or historic moment
2. Ask a future-facing “what if” question
3. Introduce one futures tool (like backcasting or world-building)
4. Make something, even a rough prototype
5. Share and reflect as a group
6. Connect the work back to values, community needs, and real life practice
This keeps it from becoming only theory. Students learn Jewish futurism by doing it.
Yes. It works especially well in synagogues, schools, JCCs, camps, and adult learning settings because it invites participation. People do not have to be artists to engage it.
You can use simple prompts, collaborative making, design exercises, storytelling, or reflection cards. It can support:
-Torah learning that feels alive and personally meaningful
-Teen engagement and leadership
-Intergenerational programming
-Ritual renewal and creative community building
-Thoughtful conversations about technology and ethics
Jewish futurism is new as a term, but old as an instinct. The label has emerged in recent years as writers, artists, and educators began naming this work directly.
But the underlying practice is ancient: Judaism has long been future-facing through covenant across generations, prophetic imagination, exile and return narratives, and the ongoing work of rebuilding.
For example: Now we might ask “How can we celebrate Shabbat in space?”, our ancestors asked, “How can we celebrate Shabbat outside of our land?”.
No single person invented Jewish futurism. It’s an emerging field shaped by an ecosystem of artists, thinkers, and teachers who are naming a shared pattern and building on it together.
Jewish futurism means using Jewish texts, symbols, history, and lived experience to imagine and design Jewish futures. It shows up in art, ritual, education, and community practice.
All three, depending on context. The most useful way to understand it is as a method: a repeatable practice for turning Jewish memory into future-facing work.
Continuity, repair, exile and return, ethics, memory, adaptation, and responsibility across generations. It often asks what Jewish life should become, not only what it was.
Jewish mysticism focuses on hidden spiritual structure and inner transformation. Jewish futurism uses that spiritual and cultural material to imagine what Jewish life could become in changing conditions.
Jewish futurism is a creative framework for imagining Jewish futures in many contexts. Zionism is a political movement with specific historical and national aims. They can intersect, but they are not the same thing.
Yes. Diaspora life is one of its engines: adaptation, translation, hybridity, and portable sacred practice. Jewish futurism does not require one geographic center.
t can look mystical, technological, or both. You might see dreamlike biblical scenes, cosmic space imagery, symbolic geometry, retro-future design, or ritual objects treated like sci-fi artifacts.
Yes. It can become a theme, a discussion prompt, a collaborative art activity, or a ritual add-on. The goal is to deepen meaning, not to make it gimmicky.
Jewish tradition offers language for power and responsibility. The golem story is often used as a warning and a mirror: what we create can exceed our control if we do not set ethical boundaries.
It treats AI as a cultural force that reshapes learning, authorship, labor, and meaning. It asks how to use new tools without losing human dignity, accountability, and moral clarity.
Read my article about Jewish AI here.
The golem is a Jewish legend about a created being animated by human intention and sacred language. It shows up in tech conversations because it captures the risks of making powerful tools without wisdom.
Yes. Jewish ethic systems like Mussar emphasizes responsibility, limits, dignity, and the impact of actions on others. The question is not only what we can do, but what we should do.
Mussar is the inner engine of Jewish futurist ethics. It focuses on middot, the character traits that shape how we use power, technology, and creativity. Jewish futurism asks what kind of future we are building, and Mussar asks what kind of people we must become to build it well.