An e-map to worship

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An e-map to worship -- Jewish men log on to find prayer gatherings By THÉODEN K. JANES, STAFF WRITER Date: 03-13-2003, Thursday Section: LOCAL Edtion: Two Star B. ALSO IN. Two Star P. One Star B Series: BERGEN COUNTY PEOPLE Biographical: JOSEPH FISHKIN

BERGENFIELD -- Not long ago, Yosi "Joseph" Fishkin was using his Palm Pilot to monitor when and where Orthodox Jewish prayer groups would gather in his Queens neighborhood.

But the list was growing and becoming more difficult to manage.

Then Fishkin, an ophthalmologist, had a vision.

He set up a Web site to list local places where worshipers gather for a minyan, a quorum of 10 adult Jewish males necessary for certain daily prayers.

"I realized ... this would be something that would benefit the wider community," said Fishkin, who now lives in Bergenfield. "So I put it online."

Since its May 2001 launch, GoDaven.com has grown by word of mouth and now allows users worldwide to find one of more than 2,080 minyanim by simply typing in a city, state, ZIP code, or country. The largest concentration is in New Jersey, but GoDaven (which means "go pray'') includes listings in more than 40 countries, from Argentina to Ukraine.

The site is a resource for a traveler who needs to know, for instance, when a minyan is meeting in Hamilton, Ontario (7:25 a.m. on Cline Avenue South) or in Des Moines, Iowa (The Judaic Resource Center on Cummins Parkway). For someone in especially good spirits, there are four "happy minyan'' options - two in California and two in Israel.

Even for someone who doesn't travel, the site can be useful, because many Orthodox men gather for prayer three times a day. For instance, a Teaneck resident who is too late for his usual afternoon gathering can click on to learn about 16 other minyans in the township.

The site has a loyal and wide following.

"We posted our davening times primarily for those living outside of the area who might be in need of a minyan while visiting family or engaged in business locally," wrote Eli Eisenberg of Agoura Hills, Calif., in a recent e-mail to The Record.

"It's a great service," Russell Grossman, of Edgware, England, said via e-mail.

Fishkin, who once worked as a wireless and technology consultant for dot-coms and now practices medicine in Ridgewood, said he previously had developed programs for Palm Pilots, but had to learn how to manage databases online before launching the site.

Every night, after his 8-year-old son, 5-year-old daughter, and 3-month-old son go to sleep, Fishkin devotes time to the database. He said he receives about 15 e-mails daily, from people submitting updates or removing minyanim that are no longer active.

And he has worked hard to spread the word: On many of his outgoing e-mails - even those not involving GoDaven.com business - Fishkin provides a link beneath his electronic signature.

That's how Shmuel Shayowitz, who has done work for Fishkin as vice president of Approved Funding in Teaneck, found out about the site six months ago. Since then, the licensed mortgage bank at 1013 Teaneck Road has hosted a minyan Monday through Thursday in its conference room.

"I didn't even know to the extent of how useful it was until I signed up," said Shayowitz, 28, explaining that on several occasions, Orthodox Jews just "passing through" have stopped by. "This has definitely automated the whole process."

Paul Greenberg, 33, who works for a Los Angeles commercial production company, also is among those who have found the Web site helpful.

Recently, he said, a man called to say he'd be working near Man Made Productions' downtown office and would drop in to say a mourner's prayer for his father.

"Otherwise he would have missed it altogether," Greenberg said.

Greenberg once used the site before a trip to Las Vegas, and had a friend log on prior to a business trip in San Francisco.

GoDaven.com is, in a word, utilitarian. The home page has a pale-gray stucco background, is virtually devoid of graphic elements, and essentially features one header - "Find a Minyan" - followed by links to the search engines.

Even people who aren't Jewish, but are paid to know a good Web site from a bad one, are impressed by Fishkin's pet project.

"I thought it was pretty cool," said Sean Carton, an executive with the Baltimore media company Carton Donofrio Partners Inc. and author of "The Dot.Bomb Survival Guide."

"I think it exactly does what the Internet is supposed to do, which is provide information and connect people together. ... From a design standpoint, it's not anything to write home about - but it does its job."

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Théoden K. Janes' e-mail address is janes@northjersey.com

Illustrations/Photos: 1 - COLOR PHOTO - DANIELLE P. RICHARDS / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER - Chaim Frazer, right, praying during a weekday minyan in the conference room of Approved Funding in Teaneck. Keywords: JUDAISM, INTERNET