Lithuanian Rabbi’s Life Story Inspires 1980s Jewish Educational Computer Games

In the early 1980s, as personal computers began entering homes and schools, the Jewish educational organization "Gesher," founded in 1969 by Rabbi Daniel Trooper, sought innovative ways to teach Jewish identity and history through new media. Initially focused on board games, the organization shifted toward computer games after mathematician and computer scientist Samuel Spero proposed adapting their ideas into interactive software.

With the recruitment of Yaakov Kirshen, a Jerusalem Post cartoonist experienced in animation and electronic media, Gesher developed four Apple II computer games between 1982 and 1984. These included "Alphabet Catchers," a Hebrew letter recognition game inspired by the arcade classic Space Invaders; "Nash Kush," a kosher-themed Pac-Man variant incorporating Jewish dietary laws; "Borders," an action game teaching Jewish history through levels representing different periods of persecution; and the ambitious narrative-driven "The Versions of Georgia," which followed Boris Goldberg, a Jewish boy in late 19th-century Eastern Europe making life choices that ultimately lead to immigration to Atlanta, Georgia.

"The Versions of Georgia" was created in collaboration with the Jewish Federation of Atlanta to commemorate 250 years of Jewish settlement in Georgia. The game allowed players to experience Jewish history interactively, making decisions about study, work, marriage, and coping with pogroms, thus immersing them in the historical context rather than passively observing it.

The narrative drew inspiration from the life of Rabbi Tuvia Gefen, born in 1870 in Kaunas, Lithuania, who emigrated to the United States after the Kishinev pogroms and became a prominent rabbi in Atlanta. Rabbi Gefen was notably involved in certifying Coca-Cola as kosher, a fact highlighted by his grandson Dr. David Gefen, who contributed historical research and images to the game project.

These educational games were considered lost for decades until 2020, when researcher Josh Reno recovered old diskettes linked to Kirshen’s collection. After preservation and emulation, Reno published his findings in 2022, reintroducing these pioneering Jewish educational computer games to the public and highlighting their innovative approach to combining heritage education with interactive technology.