Virtual New Jerusalem Game Proposed to Google

Virtual New Jerusalem Game Proposed to Google by staff, Jan 11, 2009

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Dr. Yitzhaq (Isaac) Hayut-Man, Jewish scholar, rabbi and cyber-architext has proposed that a virtual New Jerusalem global multi-user computer game system be built to fulfill the redemptive visions of the prophets of Israel.

Hayut-Man's proposal might receive soon receive new life, as Google celebrates its tenth birthday. Google announced a world-wide competition for finding ideas that can help humankind and allocated 10 million dollars to realize up to five of the winning ideas. More than 150,000 people have sent proposals, and a team of 3,000 is now examining the proposals in order to nominate 100 for a free world-wide vote.

The Virtual New Jerusalem, Hayut-Man claims, would allow a new generation to relate to the third Temple without removing a single stone on the Haram a-Sharif (Temple Mount) or harming the Dome of the Rock or al-Aqsa Mosque. Instead, Virtual New Jerusalem games would be an interfaith interface and inter-cultural temple (in the model of the Twelve Tribes) for forming understandings.

Hayut-Man has been solving urban and world problems via computer games since working with Buckminster Fuller and studying in U.C. Berkeley in the turbulent 1960's. Much like a builder adding a brick over brick in accordance with a plan, Hayut-Man and his associates have defined the different modules that should be integrated into the games system - war games and reconciliation/peace games, training procedures for leadership and for spiritual ascent.

The game would draw upon the stormy history of Jerusalem as basis for interaction through which participants will be able to conduct all the wars over Jerusalem - of the past, present, and future (as substitute for their real performance) - but also to change roles and identities, and consider the future of Jerusalem as an international city of peace.

With the assistance of the Google programmers and with a budget of two million dollars it is entirely practical to build an attractive initial games system with the right mix of action and of spiritual development that would attract millions of participant players and would also attract investment for its extensions into a system that delivers interest and inspiration for scores of millions of users.

Hayut-Man claims, "when a global audience becomes aware of the positive possibilities, the cloud of doom hovering over the Temple Mount would evaporate and there would appear over the Temple Mount a holographic Temple of Light that would display the results of the progress of the Jerusalem Games and the drawing-near of cultures in the form of magnificent light patterns display."

The Jerusalem Virtual Game proposals have already gained attention. Wired magazine published an article the Holographic Temple proposal. Hayut-Man has also written an extensive biblical piece, entitled "From Tel Aviv to the Temple" to show that the vision of the prophet Ezekiel is about an electric-virtual Temple. His writings can be found at the Academy of Jerusalem site.

Hayut-Man hopes his proposal will be selected in January among the 100 proposals for voting. When that happens, a call will go out to people to vote on the holographic Temple proposal, and perhaps realize the visions of the Prophets of Israel. Click to watch a brief youtube.com on the Virtual Jerusalem Temple Redemptive Games.