(JNS.org) Tel Aviv and California’s Silicon Valley will simultaneously hold the first Jewish-themed “hackathon,” called Friday Night Hack, from July 19-20. More than 120 hackers will participate in the 24-hour event, meant to show how open data can be used collaboratively and transparently. In the event, developers, designers, programmers, coders, and other software-development experts will work together to build applications for public use intended to strengthen Jewish communities in Israel and around the world. “It is an amazing opportunity to bring together the innovation capitals of Tel Aviv and the greater Silicon Valley to hack for a good cause and to open up a flow of ideas between the innovation sector and the power, drive and creativity surfacing in the Jewish world,” said Seth Cohen, director of network initiatives for the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation, which is part of the Schusterman Philanthropic Network, one of the event sponsors.