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Archive-name: judaism/FAQ/10-Reform
Soc-culture-jewish-archive-name: faq.10-Reform
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Frequently Asked Questions on Reform/Progressive Judaism
[Last Change: $Date: 1995/10/19 15:24:31 $ $Revision: 1.6 $]
[Last Post: Fri Feb 6 11:07:21 US/Pacific 2004]
The FAQ is a collection of documents that is an attempt to answer
questions that are continually asked on the soc.culture.jewish family
of newsgroups. It was written by cooperating laypeople from the
various Judaic movements. You should not make any assumption as to
accuracy and/or authoritativeness of the answers provided herein. In
all cases, it is always best to consult a competent authority--your
local rabbi is a good place to start.
[2][Got Questions?] Hopefully, the FAQ will provide the answer to your
questions. If it doesn't, please drop Email to
[3]questions@scjfaq.org. The FAQ maintainer will endeavor to direct
your query to an appropriate individual that can answer it. If you
would like to be part of the group to which the maintainer directs
questions, please drop a note to the FAQ maintainer at
[4]maintainer@scjfaq.org.
The deceased sages described within are of blessed memory, (assume a
Z"L or ZT"L after their names) and the sages alive today should live
to see long and good days (assume SHLITA). May Hashem grant complete
recovery to the ill. Individual honorifics are omitted.
The FAQ was produced by a committee and is a cooperative work. The
contributors never standardized on transliteration scheme from Hebrew,
Aramaic, Yiddish, or Ladino to English. As a result, the same original
word might appear with a variety of spellings. This is complicated by
the fact that there are regional variations in the pronunciation of
Hebrew. In some places, the common spelling variations are mentioned;
in others--not. We hope that this is not too confusing.
In general, throughout this FAQ, North American (US/Canada) terms are
used to refer to the movements of Judaism. Outside of North American,
Reform is Progressive or Liberal Judaism; Conservative is Masorti or
Neolog, and Orthodoxy is often just "Judaism". Even with this, there
are differences in practice, position, and ritual between US/Canada
Reform and other progressive/liberal movements (such as UK
Progressive/ Liberal), and between US/Canada Conservative and the
conservative/Masorti movement elsewhere. Where appropriate, these
differences will be highlighted.
The goal of the FAQ is to present a balanced view of Judaism; where a
response is applicable to a particular movement only, this will be
noted. Unless otherwise noted or implied by the text, all responses
reflect the traditional viewpoint.
This list should be used in conjunction with the Soc.Culture.Jewish
[5]reading lists. Similar questions can be found in the books
referenced in those lists.
There are also numerous other Jewish FAQs available on the Internet
that are not part of the SCJ FAQ/RL suite. An index to these may be
found at [6]www.scjfaq.org/otherfaqs.html
This FAQ is a volunteer effort. If you wish to support the maintenance
of the FAQ, please see [7]Section 20, Question 99 for more
information.
Special Introduction to the Reform/Progressive Portion of the FAQ
This portion of the FAQ is drawn primarily from published positions of
the [2]Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) and the [3]Central Conference of
American Rabbis (CCAR) -- the primary organizations for Reform Judaism
in North American. As such, the positions represented here are
collectively those of [4]the Reform movement, as canonized by its
leadership. Individuals in the movement have personal positions that
differ, some more traditional, some more liberal. Note: In November
2003, the Union of American Hebrew Congregations (UAHC) voted to
change its name to the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ): Serving Reform
Judaism in North America. You will like be seeing references to UAHC
for a long time; mentally translate them to URJ.
The positions in this part of the FAQ primarily reflect those of North
American Reform Jewry. Where appropriate and when it differs,
clarifications about Reform/Progressive practice outside of North
America is provided. Additional clarifications of this sort are always
welcome.
Again, as with any group, there are individuals who do not follow the
recommendations of the movement, and yet associate themselves with the
movement. This occurs in all aspects of Judaism. Remember to
distinguish the individual from the movement, and strive to encourage
those living with a less-than-serious commitment to their movement to
strengthen that commitment. Throughout the remainder of this posting,
unless otherwise qualified, the phrase "Reform Jew" refers to an
individual committed to Reform Judaism and acting in accordance with
the recommendations of Reform Judaism.
This list should be used in conjunction with the Soc.Culture.Jewish
[5]Reform Reading List. Similar questions can be found in the books
referenced in those lists.
Reproduction of this posting for commercial use is subject to
restriction. See Part 1 for more details.
Subject: ORGANIZATION
This portion of the FAQ contains answers to the following questions:
Section 18. Reform/Progressive Judaism
* [8]Introduction to the Reform/Progressive FAQ
1. General Questions
1. [9]What is Reform Judaism?
2. [10]What, if any, are the fundamental principles of Reform?
3. [11]Is a Jew affiliated with Reform Judaism less "religious"
than one affiliated with another movement?
4. [12]How is Reform Judaism structured in the North America?
5. [13]How is Reform Judaism structured in the rest of the
world?
6. [14]How big is Reform Judaism?
2. History
1. [15]How did Reform Judaism start?
2. [16]Why did Reform Judaism start?
3. [17]I've heard reference to "Classic German Reform". What is
it?
4. [18]What is Reform Judaism today?
3. What is Reform Judaism's position on...
1. [19]The authority of Torah?
2. [20]The authority of Talmud?
3. [21]What is acceptable practice?
4. [22]What is unacceptable practice?
5. [23]The necessity of belief in G-d?
6. [24]The role of Israel?
7. [25]Other Jewish movements?
8. [26]Homosexuality
9. [27]Intermarriage
10. [28]Abortion
11. [29]Mixed (Interfaith) Marriages
12. [30]The role of women
13. [31]Outreach
14. [32]How an individual's Jewish status is determined
15. [33]The Messiah
4. Stereotypes: The fallacy verses reality
1. [34]Fallacy: Reform Jews choose practice based solely on
convenience
2. [35]Fallacy: Either patrilineal or matrilineal descent is
accepted
3. [36]Fallacy: Reform Conversions take no study, and are for
convenience only
4. [37]Fallacy: Reform Judaism encourages intermarriage
5. [38]Fallacy: Intermarried couples have exactly the same
rights as non-intermarried couples in Reform Congregations
6. [39]Fallacy: Reform Judaism has Rabbis and congregations that
don't believe in G-d
7. [40]Fallacy: There are no 3rd or 4th generation Reform Jews.
8. [41]Fallacy: An atheist could be considered a "good" Reform
Jew
9. [42]Fallacy: Reform Jews don't have Bar Mitzvahs
10. [43]Fallacy: Reform totally ignores "Jewish" divorce (i.e.,
gets)
11. [44]Fallacy: All Reform Congregations Are Rich
12. [45]Fallacy: Reform Rabbis do not study Halacha
13. [46]Fallacy: Reform Jews don't care about Jewish ideals and
principles.
14. [47]Fallacy: Reform Jews don't need to attend synagogue.
15. [48]Fallacy: Reform Jews don't believe in Zionism and don't
support Israel.
16. [49]Fallacy: Reform Jews have no concept of the Messiah.
17. [50]Fallacy: Reform Jews do not observe Shabbat
18. [51]Fallacy: Reform Jews ignore the laws of Kashrut
19. [52]Fallacy: Reform rejects most of Maimonides 13 Principles
of Faith
5. Differences from Traditional Judaism
1. [53]Why does Reform liturgy say "m'chayey hakol" [who gives
life to all] instead of m'chayey meytim" [who gives life to
the dead] ?
2. [54]What other changes to liturgy reflect Reform ideals?
3. [55]Why does Reform generally celebrate Rosh Hashanah for one
day?
4. [56]How does a Reform conversion differ from an Orthodox
conversion?
6. The Rabbinate
1. [57]How does one become a Reform Rabbi?
2. [58]What is the course of study for the Rabbinate?
3. [59]How does one become a Reform Cantor?
4. [60]What is the course of study for cantors?
5. [61]What other courses of study are available?
6. [62]Can Reform Rabbis be sanctioned for their beliefs
7. For Further Information
1. [63]How do I contact the main organizations in Reform
Judaism?
2. [64]How do I find a Reform congregation?
3. [65]Are there any Reform Rabbis on the network who will
answer questions?
4. [66]How do I start the conversion process?
5. [67]I'd like to do some further reading. Where do I start?
* [68]Special Credits for the Reform/Progressive FAQ
Subject: Question 18.1.1: What is Reform Judaism?
Answer:
Reform is the most liberal of the major movements within Judaism
today. It started in the 1800s in Germany during the emancipation, and
encouraged examination of religion with an eye towards rationality and
egalitarianism.
Reform differs from the other major movements in that it views both
the Oral and Written laws as a product of human hands (specifically,
it views the Torah as Divinely inspired, but written in the language
of the time in which it was given). The laws reflect their times, but
contain many timeless truths. The Reform movement stresses retention
of the key principles of Judaism (as it sees them; for details,
consult the [5]Reform Reading List). As for practice, it strongly
recommends individual study of the traditional practices; however, the
adherent is free to follow only those practices that increase the
sanctity of their relationship to G-d. Reform also stresses equality
between the sexes.
Reform Judaism shares the universal Jewish emphasis on learning, duty,
and obligation rather than creed as the primary expression of a
religious life. Reform stresses that ethical responsibilities,
personal and social, are enjoined by G-d. Reform also believes that
our ethical obligations are but a beginning; they extend to many other
aspects of Jewish living, including: creating a Jewish home centered
on family devotion; life-long study; private prayer and public
worship; daily religious observance; keeping the Sabbath and the holy
days; celebrating the major events of life; involvement with the
synagogue and community; and other activities that promote the
survival of the Jewish people and enhance its existence. Within each
aspect of observance Reform Judaism demands Jews confront the claims
of Jewish tradition, however differently perceived, and to exercise
their individual autonomy--based, as the Sh'ma says, upon reason,
heart, and strength--choosing and creating their holiness as people
and as community. The requirement for commitment and knowledge is
repeatedly emphasized. A Reform Jew who determines their practice
based on convenience alone is not acting in accordance with the
recommended position of Reform Judaism. Reform also rejects the faith
tenets of other religions as a matter of first principles.
It should be noted that many of the paths taken by the Reform movement
differ from those of traditional Judaism. These differences result in
many of the discussions you will see on S.C.J.
Here are some references to some other statements about "What is
Reform Judaism?":
* "What is Reform Judaism": [6]http://rj.org/rj.html. Statement on
the UAHC Web Page
* "A Statement of Principles for Reform Judaism":
[7]http://ccarnet.org/platforms/principles.html. Statement adopted
by the CCAR in 1999
* "Why Be Reform?": [8]http://uahc.org/yoffie/whyref.html. A
statement by UAHC President Eric H. Yoffie
* A New Era For Reform: [9]http://rj.org/uahc/rjmag/397dr.html. A
letter that appeared in Reform Judaism magazine
In terms of size, the [10]UAHC 1993-1994 annual report notes that
there were a total of 853 UAHC-affiliated congregations, with a total
reported congregational membership of 302,193 member units (families,
singles, etc.). This can be contrasted with the 1983-1984 period,
where there were 773 congregations with a total of 269,406 member
units. Congregations range in size from a 2-member-unit congregation
in Port Gibson, Mississippi, to "mega"-shuls such as Wilshire Blvd
Temple in Los Angeles (2,123 member units), Anshe Chesed in Cleveland
Ohio (2,151), Holy Blossom Temple in Toronto Ontario (2,043), Temple
Israel in Minneapolis Minnesota (2,075), Washington Hebrew
Congregation in Washington DC (2,783), Congregation Emanu-El in New
York City (2,650), Temple Israel in W. Bloomfield Michigan (2,659),
Temple Emanu-El in Dallas Texas (2,526), and Cong. Beth Israel in
Houston Texas (2,011).
Subject: Question 18.1.2: What, if any, are the fundamental principles of
Reform?
Answer:
The fundamental principles of today's Reform movement are captured in
the [5]Statement of Principles
([6]http://www.ccarnet.org/platforms/principles.html) adopted by the
CCAR in May 1999. The following are some excepts from that statement,
modified slightly for FAQ presentation (e.g., "We" was changed to
"Reform Jews", etc.). Note that the principles of Reform have changed
over time, from the 1855 [7]Pittsburgh Platform
([8]http://www.ccarnet.org/platforms/pittsburgh.html) to the 1937
[9]Columbus Platform
([10]http://www.ccarnet.org/platforms/columbus.html), to the 1976
[11]Centenary Perspective
([12]http://www.ccarnet.org/platforms/centenary.html), to the 1999
Statement of Principles.
G-d
* Reform Jews affirm the reality and oneness of G-d, even as we may
differ in our understanding of the Divine presence.
* Reform Jews affirm that the Jewish people is bound to G-d by an
eternal b'rit, covenant, as reflected in our varied understandings
of Creation, Revelation and Redemption.
* Reform Jews affirm that every human being is created b'tzelem
Elohim, in the image of G-d, and that therefore every human life
is sacred.
* Reform Jews regard with reverence all of G-d's creation and
recognize our human responsibility for its preservation and
protection.
* Reform Jews encounter G-d's presence in moments of awe and wonder,
in acts of justice and compassion, in loving relationships and in
the experiences of everyday life.
* Reform Jews respond to G-d daily: through public and private
prayer, through study and through the performance of other
mitzvot, sacred obligations -- bein adam la Makom, to G-d, and
bein adam la-chaveiro, to other human beings.
* Reform Jews strive for a faith that fortifies us through the
vicissitudes of our lives -- illness and healing, transgression
and repentance, bereavement and consolation, despair and hope.
* Reform Jews continue to have faith that, in spite of the
unspeakable evils committed against our people and the sufferings
endured by others, the partnership of G-d and humanity will
ultimately prevail.
* Reform Jews trust in our tradition's promise that, although G-d
created us as finite beings, the spirit within us is eternal.
Torah
* Reform Jews affirm that Torah is the foundation of Jewish life.
* Reform Jews cherish the truths revealed in Torah, G-d's ongoing
revelation to our people and the record of our people's ongoing
relationship with G-d.
* Reform Jews affirm that Torah is a manifestation of ahavat olam,
G-d's eternal love for the Jewish people and for all humanity.
* Reform Jews affirm the importance of studying Hebrew, the language
of Torah and Jewish liturgy, that we may draw closer to our
people's sacred texts.
* Reform Jews are called by Torah to lifelong study in the home, in
the synagogue and in every place where Jews gather to learn and
teach. Through Torah study Reform Jews are called to mitzvot, the
means by which we make our lives holy.
* Reform Jews are committed to the ongoing study of the whole array
of mitzvot and to the fulfillment of those that address us as
individuals and as a community. Some of these mitzvot, sacred
obligations, have long been observed by Reform Jews; others, both
ancient and modern, demand renewed attention as the result of the
unique context of our own times.
* Reform Jews bring Torah into the world when we seek to sanctify
the times and places of our lives through regular home and
congregational observance. Shabbat calls us to bring the highest
moral values to our daily labor and to culminate the workweek with
kedushah, holiness, menuchah, rest and oneg, joy. The High Holy
Days call us to account for our deeds. The Festivals enable us to
celebrate with joy our people's religious journey in the context
of the changing seasons. The days of remembrance remind us of the
tragedies and the triumphs that have shaped our people's
historical experience both in ancient and modern times. And we
mark the milestones of our personal journeys with traditional and
creative rites that reveal the holiness in each stage of life.
* Reform Jews bring Torah into the world when we strive to fulfill
the highest ethical mandates in our relationships with others and
with all of G-d's creation. Partners with G-d in tikkun olam,
repairing the world, we are called to help bring nearer the
messianic age. We seek dialogue and joint action with people of
other faiths in the hope that together we can bring peace, freedom
and justice to our world. We are obligated to pursue tzedek,
justice and righteousness, and to narrow the gap between the
affluent and the poor, to act against discrimination and
oppression, to pursue peace, to welcome the stranger, to protect
the earth's biodiversity and natural resources, and to redeem
those in physical, economic and spiritual bondage. In so doing, we
reaffirm social action and social justice as a central prophetic
focus of traditional Reform Jewish belief and practice. We affirm
the mitzvah of tzedakah, setting aside portions of our earnings
and our time to provide for those in need. These acts bring us
closer to fulfilling the prophetic call to translate the words of
Torah into the works of our hands.
Israel
* Reform Jews are Israel, a people aspiring to holiness, singled out
through our ancient covenant and our unique history among the
nations to be witnesses to G-d's presence. We are linked by that
covenant and that history to all Jews in every age and place.
* Reform Jews are committed to the mitzvah of ahavat Yisrael, love
for the Jewish people, and to k'lal Yisrael, the entirety of the
community of Israel. Recognizing that kol Yisrael arevim zeh
ba-zeh, all Jews are responsible for one another, we reach out to
all Jews across ideological and geographical boundaries.
* Reform Jews embrace religious and cultural pluralism as an
expression of the vitality of Jewish communal life in Israel and
the Diaspora.
* Reform Jews pledge to fulfill Reform Judaism's historic commitment
to the complete equality of women and men in Jewish life.
* Reform Jews are an inclusive community, opening doors to Jewish
life to people of all ages, to varied kinds of families, to all
regardless of their sexual orientation, to gerim, those who have
converted to Judaism, and to all individuals and families,
including the intermarried, who strive to create a Jewish home.
* Reform Jews believe that we must not only open doors for those
ready to enter our faith, but also to actively encourage those who
are seeking a spiritual home to find it in Judaism.
* Reform Jews are committed to strengthening the people Israel by
supporting individuals and families in the creation of homes rich
in Jewish learning and observance.
* Reform Jews are committed to strengthening the people Israel by
making the synagogue central to Jewish communal life, so that it
may elevate the spiritual, intellectual and cultural quality of
our lives.
* Reform Jews are committed to Medinat Yisrael, the State of Israel,
and rejoice in its accomplishments. We affirm the unique qualities
of living in Eretz Yisrael, the land of Israel, and encourage
aliyah, immigration to Israel.
* Reform Jews are committed to a vision of the State of Israel that
promotes full civil, human and religious rights for all its
inhabitants and that strives for a lasting peace between Israel
and its neighbors.
* Reform Jews are committed to promoting and strengthening
Progressive Judaism in Israel, which will enrich the spiritual
life of the Jewish state and its people.
* Reform Jews affirm that both Israeli and Diaspora Jewry should
remain vibrant and interdependent communities. As we urge Jews who
reside outside Israel to learn Hebrew as a living language and to
make periodic visits to Israel in order to study and to deepen
their relationship to the Land and its people, so do we affirm
that Israeli Jews have much to learn from the religious life of
Diaspora Jewish communities.
* Reform Jews are committed to furthering Progressive Judaism
throughout the world as a meaningful religious way of life for the
Jewish people.
Subject: Question 18.1.3: Is a Jew affiliated with Reform Judaism less
"religious" than one affiliated with another movement?
Answer:
Religion is a personal matter of belief, and just as there is a wide
spectrum of underlying belief (regardless of outward practice) in
other movements, there is in Reform Judaism.
Practice is a different question. Although Reform permits a wide
variety of practice--indeed, fully traditional practice could be
accomodated in Reform if it was the result of honest study--the
normative practice of American Reform Jewish is less ritualistic than,
for example, Orthodox practice. This is a logical consequence of
Reform's emphasis upon kevanah or devotion as an essential part of
Jewish ritual and practice. The notion is that rituals and practices
mean more if one is committed to their reason and significance,
emotional, rational, and spiritual.
Subject: Question 18.1.4: How is Reform Judaism structured in the North
America?
Answer:
In North America, the principal organization for Reform Jewry is the
[5]Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) ([6]http://www.urj.org). URJ was
founded in 1873 as the Union of American Hebrew Congregations (UAHC)
by Rabbi Isaac Meyer Wise, and serves as the umbrella organization for
Reform Synagogues throughout North America. It was renamed Union for
Reform Judaism in November 2003.
URJ funds a seminary system for Reform Judaism: the [7]Hebrew Union
College--Jewish Institute for Religion ([8]http://huc.edu). HUC was
founded in 1875, and it now has [9]campuses in Cincinnati, Ohio (+1
513 221 1875); New York City, New York (+1 212 674 5300); Los Angeles,
California (+1 213 749 3424); and Jerusalem ISRAEL (+972 2 232 444).
See [10]http://www.huc.edu/campuses.html for specifics.
URJ works with a number of professional organizations:
* CCAR. The CCAR or [11]Central Conference of American Rabbis
(founded in 1889) [[12]http://ccarnet.org]. Its members are the
body of rabbis who consider themselves and are considered to be
the organized rabbinate of Reform Judaism. Its members consist of
Reform Rabbis ordained at the [13]Hebrew Union College (HUC), as
well as Reform Rabbis ordained at liberal seminaries in Europe,
and some rabbis who joined the Reform movement sometime subsequent
to ordination (most of these were ordained either at Conservative
Judaism's [14]Jewish Theological Seminary or [15]University of
Judaism, or at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College). Note
that not all HUC graduates are CCAR members; some leave for
ideological reasons or because they have joined a different
movement. The CCAR publishes a quarterly rabbinic journal called
[16]CCAR Journal.
* ACOC. [17]American Conference of Cantors ([18]http://rj.org/acc/).
The ACC is the professional organization of over two hundred fifty
invested and/or certified cantors. Responsible for raising the
professional standards of synagogue musicians, the ACC offers
continuing education programs in conjunction with HUC-JIR School
of Sacred Music and professional development opportunities for its
members. Members of the ACC have special expertise in the music of
the Jewish people and serve synagogues and communities in
pastoral, worship, programming, and educational roles. The ACC
sponsors an annual convention and publishes Koleinu, a monthly
newsletter. It also offers placement services to its members and
UAHC congregations through the Joint Cantorial Placement
Commission.
* NATA. [19]National Association of Temple Administrators
([20]http://rj.org/nata/). The National Association of Temple
Administrators is the professional organization founded in 1941
for those who serve Reform Synagogues as executives,
administrators, or managers. The title does not reflect the
international make up of the organization, currently there are
more than 400 members from the United States, Australia, Canada
and Great Britain.
* NATE. [21]National Association of Temple Educators
([22]http://rj.org/nate/). NATE. is the professional organization
of Educators serving congregations of the Reform Movement as
Directors of Education, Principals, Department Heads, Preschool
Directors and Family Educators. Many NATE. members also serve on
the professional staff of Bureaus and Central Agencies of Jewish
Education. A growing number of NATE. Educators direct Reform or
Community Jewish Day Schools.
URJ works with a number of special-interest groups:
* WRJ. [23]Women of Reform Judaism (formerly National Federation of
Temple Sisterhoods) [[24]http://www.rj.org/wrj/]. Women of Reform
Judaism, The Federation of Temple Sisterhoods, representing
100,000 women in 600 local Sisterhoods throughout the United
States, Canada, and thirteen other countries, is the women's
agency of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations, the central
body of Reform Judaism in North America.
* NFTB. [25]National Federation of Temple Brotherhoods
([26]http://www.rj.org/nftb). NFTB is a coalition of over 250
affiliated brotherhoods with 30,000 members across North America,
dedicated to tikkun olam, 'repairing the world', through the
practice of Brotherhood. NFTB members are actively involved in
youth education, adult education, social action, and fellowship
activities which contribute to the enrichment of their synagogue
community.
* [27]PARDeS. The Progressive Organization of Reform Day Schools
([28]http://www.rj.org/pardes). PARDeS brings together days
schools and professional and lay leaders committed to advancing
the cause of full-time Reform Jewish Education. PARDeS fosters
Jewish identity, literacy and continuity through Jewish education
in Reform Day Schools...Promotes a life-long covenant with the
heritage of Judaism...And, advocates for excellence in education,
(secular and Jewish).
* ARZA/World Union. Association of Reform Zionists of America/World
Union ([29]http://www.rj.org/arzawuna) The mission of ARZA/WORLD
UNION, North America is to further the development of Progressive
Judaism in Israel and throughout the world. ARZA/WORLD UNION,
North America strives to strengthen Jewish communities by
encouraging Jewish solidarity, promoting religious pluralism and
furthering Zionism. ARZA/WORLD UNION, North America is working to
strengthen the relationship of North American Reform Jews with
Progressive Jewish communities in Israel and throughout the world
and to educate and inform our constituency on relevant matters of
Jewish importance. ARZA/WORLD UNION, North America is the
representative of the World Union for Progressive Judaism and an
affiliate of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations.
* NFTY. [30]North American Federation of Temple Youth
([31]http://www.rj.org/nfty/). NFTY is the youth arm of the Union
of American Hebrew Congregations, and is comprised of over 450
Temple Youth Groups (TYGs) throughout the United States and
Canada. The overall purposes of NFTY are to instill Jewish
identity, foster commitment to the ideals and values of Reform
Judaism, and increase synagogue participation in high school
youth, pursued in a framework that emphasizes the development of
personal and leadership skills in a wholesome, social, Jewish
environment.
* [32]KESHER. Reform Jewish Student Organization
([33]http://www.keshernet.com). KESHER is the college movement of
North American Reform Judaism, an affiliate of the Union for
Reform Judaism that connects college-aged Reform Jews, Reform
college groups, and college campuses to each other and to the
Reform movement, in order to promote continuous involvement in
Reform Judaism.
* Berit Mila Board ([34]http://www.rj.org/beritmila/). A joint
project of HUC, CCAR, and URJ. An organization of Reform Judaism
whose goal is to train mohelim.
At the political level, Reform Judaism in the US is respresented by:
* RAC. [35]Religious Action Center ([36]http://rj.org/rac/). The
Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism (RAC) has been the hub
of Jewish social justice and legislative activity in the nation's
capital for over 35 years. It has educated and mobilized the
American Jewish community on legislative and social concerns as an
advocate in the Congress of the United States on issues ranging
from Israel and Soviet Jewry to economic justice and civil rights,
to international peace and religious liberty. The RAC is the
Washington office of the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) and the
Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR), representing 1.5
million Reform Jews and 1,800 Reform rabbis in 870 congregations
throughout North America.
In Canada, Reform Congregations are members of the Canadian Council
for Reform Judaism ([37]http://www.uahcweb.org/regs/cc/). CCRJ
represents approximately 9000 households in 24 affiliated
congregations from Montreal to Calgary. The CCRJ is the Canadian
region of the Union for Reform Judaism.
The CCRJs mandates are:
1. To promote the aims and objectives of member congregations
2. To promote and assist in the formation of new liberal
congregations in Canada
3. To represent the Union of American Hebrew Congregations in Canada
4. To promote and represent liberal Judaism in Canada
At the International Level, Reform Judaism is represented by the
following:
* WUPJ. World Union for Progressive Judaism
([38]http://www.rj.org/wupj). The World Union for Progressive
Judaism was founded in London in 1926 as the international
organization to promote and sustain liberal Judaism, its practices
and ideas. Over 1.5 million Reform, Liberal, Progressive, and
Reconstructionist congregations are affiliated with the movement
in over 35 countries and on six continents. From its central
office in Jerusalem, the World Union brings back Judaism to
countries where former Nazi and communist tyrannies sought to
stamp out Jews and Judaism forever. It also introduces disaffected
Jews in many parts of the world to an open and questioning
expression of Judaism to which they can relate.
* ARZENU. International Federation of Reform and Progressive
Religious Zionists ([39]http://www.irac.org/arzenu/).
* IRAC. The Israel Religious Action Center
([40]http://www.irac.org/)
Subject: Question 18.1.5: How is Reform Judaism structured in the rest of the
world?
Answer:
The world organization for Reform Judaism is the [5]World Union for
Progressive Judaism ([6]http://www.rj.org/wupj/), which is
headquartered in Jerusalem. Outside of North America, Reform is also
known as "Progressive" or "Liberal" Judaism. A list of all the
affiliates of the WUPJ may be found at
[7]http://uahc.org/cgi-bin/wupjaffil.pl; this list includes members
from Australia, New Zealand, China, Hong Kong, India, Singapore,
Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Netherlands, Spain,
Switzerland, UK, Former Soviet Union, Belarus, Georgia, Estonia,
Ukraine, Russia, Israel, Argentina, Aruba, Bahamas, Brazil, Chile,
Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatamala, Honduras, Jamaica, Panama, Puerto
Rico, Dominican Republic, Saint Maarten, St. Thomas, USA, Canada, and
South Africa.
The confusion about the terms "Reform" or "Liberal" comes from a split
in England's Reform movement. In 1842 the English Reform movement
split into two factions, one of which was more traditional, while the
other was more liberal. The more traditional Reform Judaism faction
called themselves simply 'Reform'. Their prayer services are much more
traditional than the faction that split off, and their laity is in
general more observant than the other faction. Thus their prayer
services are much like American Conservative shuls and English Masorti
shuls, but they still are what we Americans call Reform (i.e.
Classical halakha is not considered binding by its rabbinate or
laity.) The more liberal Reform Judasim faction seceded, and renamed
their movement as "Liberal Judaism". They are are more in the mode of
Classic German Reform. They generally have less Hebrew in their
services, and are less observant.
Progressive Jewish congregations are to be found throughout the Jewish
world, from Europe to Asia, from South America to India and from
Africa to Australasia. In Israel, in addition to urban congregations,
there are also two Progressive kibbutzim and a Progressive village
settlement.
Where appropriate there are regional umbrella organizations such as
the [8]Australian and New Zealand Union for Progressive Judaism
([9]http://www.anzupj.com.au); the Union of Progressive Jews in
Germany, Austria and Switzerland; Union of Liberal Jewish
Congregations in the Netherlands ([10]http://www.xs4all.nl/~ljg), etc.
The following are some specific regional notes:
* United Kingdom. In the United Kingdom, Progressive/Reform Judaism
is represented by the Union of Liberal and Progressive Synagogues
([11]http://www.ulps.org/), known generally as the Liberal
movement. As part of a process of becoming part of the Progressive
movement, some Liberal Synagogues changed their name from Liberal
to Progressive some years back. Yet the distinctions are difficult
to draw.
Members of reform congregations in the UK are likely to see
themselves closer in beliefs to the US Reform movement and not to
the Conservative. In halachic terms, little now separates the UK
Reform and Liberal movements, and *both* are affiliated to WUPJ.
Indeed proposals to merge the two movements arise from time to
time. The Leo Baeck College is sponsored by both movements, and
its graduates officiate in both Liberal and Reform synagogues.
The differences between the two are largely historical. The Reform
movement developed in the UK independent of the classical German
liberal trend. The West London Synagogue was established in the
early 1800's as a breakaway from the Sephardi Bevis Marks
synagogue in the City of London, so that wealthy jews who had
moved to the affluent West End district of London had a convenient
place of worship. Its liturgy adapted to cope with the desire for
a degree of assimilation and less harsh observence of this class
of English jewry! A number of congregations throughout the UK over
time adopted the West London prayerbook. With the outbreak of the
Second World War, these congregations got together to deal with
issues of jewish education in the context of children being
evacuated to the countryside. The [12]Reform Synagogues of Great
Britain ([13]http://www.refsyn.org.uk) (the umbrella organisation
for the Reform movement) dates from this time. Leo Baeck College
was founded by RSGB (who were later joined by ULPS) in order to
re-build the European rabbinate following the shoa - and the
destruction of progressive seminaries in continental Europe. Leo
Baeck College may be reached at:
The Sternberg Centre For Judaism
80 East End Road
London N3 2SY
Tel: +44-181-349-4525
Fax: +44-181-343-0901
The Liberal movement (and the Liberal Jewish Synagogue) was
founded in the early part of this century by Lily Montague as an
adjunct to the then Reform synagogues - with the intention that
the use of more English in services, etc would prevent some on the
margins of British jewry assimilating completley and being totally
lost. The Liberal movement owes more to classical German liberal
jewry. Reform practices tend to be somewhat more Orthadox than the
Liberal - (e.g. wearing of tallit, the form of some prayers), but
when you get down to fundamentals, there is not much in it - as
the sharing of a rabinnical seminary shows.
The Masorti movement corresponds more closely to US conservative
practice in its interpretation of halacha and the from of its
services.
The UK CCAR equivalent is The [14]Reform Synagogues of Great
Britain ([15]http://www.refsyn.org.uk).
The International Youth Movement, Netzer Olami, has active
branches of Netzer (acronym: No'ar Tzioni Reformi - Reform Zionist
Youth) throughout the world. In the UK, contact ULPSNYC-Netzer,
<[16]R.L.Reese@sheffield.ac.uk> or
<[17]Beccy@brij000.demon.co.uk>. There is also a growing Dayschool
movement in a number of countries.
The WUPJ is a constitutent of the World Zionist Organization, and the
political Zionist arm of Progressive Judaism--ARTZENU--has active
constituents in most contries.
Subject: Question 18.1.6: How big is Reform Judaism?
Answer:
According to the 1993-1994 yearbook of the Union for Reform Judaism,
there are 853 member congregations, with a total "member unit"
membership of 302,193 member units. The term "member units" refers to
the unit that joins a synagogue: a family, a single individual, a gay
couple. There are also numerous congregations that are Reform but are
not affiliated with URJ. Some of these are quite large (such as Steven
S. Wise Congregation in Los Angeles, with over 2,000 member units).
The breakdown, according to the yearbook, is as follows:
Region Congregations Members
Canada 22 8,252
Great Lakes 57 22,785
Mid Atlantic 62 20,289
Midwest 65 23,401
New Jersey/W. Hudson 58 20,829
New York 94 36,122
Northeast 78 26,605
Northeast Lakes 69 23,660
Northern California 40 15,137
Pacific Northwest 18 5,002
Pacific Southwest 73 32,257
Pennsylvania 55 19,721
Southeast 85 28,397
Southwest 77 19,736
TOTAL 853 302,193
To give an idea of trends, in 1982-1983, the congregational membership
was 269,406--that's 12% growth over ten years. There were 773 member
congregations in 1982-1983, giving 10% growth in the number of Reform
congregations.
Subject: Question 18.2.1: History: How did Reform Judaism start?
Answer:
The roots of Reform/Liberal/Progressive Judaism lie in Germany, where,
between 1810 and 1820, congregations in Seesen, Hamburg, and Berlin
instituted fundamental changes in traditional Jewish practices and
beliefs, such as mixed seating, the use of German in services,
single-day observance of festivals, and use of a cantor/choir.
American Reform Judaism began as these German "reformers" immigrated
to American in the mid-1800s. Reform rapidly became the dominant
belief systems of American Jews of the time. It was a national
phenomenon. The first "Reform" group was formed by a number of
individuals that split from Cong. Beth Elohim in Charleston SC.
According to an article in the Spring 1994 [5]CCAR Journal, the
following are early American Jewish congregations, and the dates they
became Reform congregations:
Congregation City Date Became Reform
Beth Elohim Charleston SC 1825
Har Sinai Baltimore MD 1842
Emanu-El New York NY 1845
Beth El/Anshe Emeth Albany NY 1850
Bene Yeshurun (I.M. Wise) Cincinnati OH 1854
Adath Israel (The Temple) Louisville KY 1855
Bene Israel (Rockdale) Cincinnati OH 1855
Keneseth Israel Philadelphia PA 1856
Sinai Chicago IL 1858
Reform in American benefitted from the lack of a central religious
authority. It also was molded by Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise. Rabbi I.M.
Wise came to the US in 1846 from Bohemia, spent eight years in Albany
NY, and then moved to Cincinnati on the edge of the frontier. He then
proceeded to...
1. Write the first siddur edited for American worshippers, Minhag
American (1857)
2. Found the Union of American Hebrew Congregations in 1873
3. Found [6]Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati in 1875
4. Found the [7]Central Conference of American Rabbis in 1889
Early Reform, led by Rabbis such as David Einhorn of Baltimore, Samuel
Holdheim, Bernard Felsenthal, and Kaufmann Kohler, took an
increasingly radical stance. Many rituals and customs were dropped,
some congregations held "Shabbat" on Sunday. This early radicalism was
mentioned in the [8]1855 Pittsburgh Platform
([9]http://www.ccarnet.org/platforms/pittsburgh.html).
By 1880, over 90% of American Synagogues were Reform. This was the
time of the major Eastern European immigration, which was heavily
Orthodox and non-German, as contrasted with the strongly German Reform
movement. Many Reform congregations of this time were difficult to
distinguish from neighboring Protestant churches, with preachers in
robes, pews with mixed seating, choirs, organs, and hymnals. Yet by
1935, Reform had started on the path of return to a more traditional
approach to Judaism--distinctly Jewish and distinctly American, but
also distinctively non-Christian.
Reform pioneered a number of Jewish organizations, such as the
Educational Alliance on the Lower East Side of New York, the Young
Men's Hebrew Association, the American Jewish Committee, and the ADL
of B'nai Brith.
Although early Reform dropped quite a bit of traditional prayers and
rituals, there was still a "bottom line". In 1909, the CCAR formally
declared its opposition to intermarriage. And, although decried as
"archaic" and "barbarian", the practice of circumcision remained a
central rite.
Early Reform was also anti-Zionist, believing the Diaspora was
necessary for Jews to be "light unto the nations". Yet with this, a
number of Reform Rabbis were pioneers in establishing Zionism in
American, such as Gustav and Richard Gottheil, Rabbi Steven S Wise
(founder of the American Jewish Congress), and Justice Louis Brandeis.
Following the Balfour Declaration, Reform began to support Jewish
settlements in Palestine, as well as institutions such as Hadassah
Hospital, and the Hebrew University. In 1937, the [10]Columbus
Platform ([11]http://www.ccarnet.org/platforms/columbus.html) affirmed
"the obligation of all Jewry to aid in building a Jewish homeland...".
Since 1937, Reform has remained active on the social action front. It
has also been moving back to tradition. This is described in more
detail elsewhere in the FAQ.
Reform has become a large force in America. Did it succeed in Germany,
where it started? The short answer is that Reform in Germany succeeded
to the extent that it legitimized the tinkering around the edges of
religious tradition. For example, a mixed choir and the introduction
of "modern" music in worship by way of the organ were some of the
early reforms that were introduced in the first decades of the 19th
century. By the 1830s and 40's some rabbis were beginning to test the
limits of these changes in several conferences--Breslau being very
important. But the European system was that the "official" leadership
of a religious community was sanctioned and controlled by the secular
government. And the secular governments, in order to maintain the
status quo, recognized the conventional Jewish rabbinic leadership and
these were, as they had always been, the Orthodox. Appointments to
head up individual synagogues were at the discretion of the
community-heads almost always Orthodox. That is why fertile ground for
real change could not occur until German Reform came to America with a
strong tradition of the "seperation of church and state." In the
Jewish community, very few rabbis would even come to the America until
after the 1840s. Here, then, each congregation was autonomous and led
by lay leaders. When more liberal-minded rabbis did begin to come,
they were free to innovate and change. They were free both from the
hidebound system of Europe and the power was vested, not in a closed
rabbinate, but in freer thinking lay leaders. So to answer the
question, Reform in Germany succeeded in opening up the possibilities
of change, but real change required the more fertile ground of America
in which to take root and to grow.
In Australia, Reform began here in 1929, and now has congregations in
all the major cities in Australia, New Zealand and even in Southeast
Asia and China. In Australia, about one third of the Jews describe
themselves as "Progressive" (international-speak for Reform), one
third " Orthodox" and one third would be secular.
[Much of this adapted from "The Jewish Almanac", Richard Siegel and
Carl Rheins]
Subject: Question 18.2.2: History: Why did Reform Judaism start?
Answer:
To answer this question, one must look at the environment in which
Reform was born. This was the time of the French Revolution, a time
when European Jews were (for the first time), recognized as citizens
of the countries in which they lived. Ghettos were being abolished,
special badges were no more, people could settle where they pleased,
dress as they liked, and follow the occupations that they wanted.
Many Jews settled outside of Jewish districts, and began to live like
their neighbors and speak the language of the land. They went to
public schools and univeristies, and began to neglect Jewish studies
and to disregard the Shulchan Aruch.
In 1815, after Napolean's defeat, Jews lost the rights of citizenship
in many countries. Many Jews became Christian in order to retain those
rights. Many thoughtful Jews were concerned about this. They relized
that many of these changes took place not because of a dislike of
Judaism, but in order to obtain better treatment. Many rabbis believed
that the way to address this was to force Jews to keep away from
Christians and give up public schools and universities. This didn't
work.
Leopold Zunz proposed something else. He suggested that Jews study
their history, and learn of the great achievements of the past. At the
same time as Zunz was implementing his ideas, a movement began to make
religious services better understood, by incorporating music and the
local language. However, these changes had to battle the local Rabbis,
who urged the government to close the test synagogue.
Shortly after the closing, Rabbi Abraham Geiger suggested that
observance might also be changed to appeal to modern people. Geiger, a
skilled scholar in both Tanach and German studies, investigated Jewish
history. He discovered that Jewish life had continually changed. Every
now and then, old practices were changed and new ones introduced,
resulting in a Jewish life that was quite different than that lived
4000 or even 2000 years before. He noticed that these changes often
made it easier for Jews to live in accordance with Judaism.
Geiger concluded that this process of change needed to continue in
order to make Judaism attractive to all Jews. He met with other Rabbis
in Germany, and changes began as described in [5]Section 18.2.1.
Subject: Question 18.2.3: History: I've heard reference to "Classic German
Reform". What is it?
Answer:
When Reform started, many of its leaders took a very "rejectionist"
view of practice. Many traditional practices were decried as
"barbaric", and many other practices were discarded. This "early form"
of Reform had some of the following characteristics:
* Circumcision was not practiced, and was decried as barbaric.
* The Hebrew language was removed from the liturgy and replaced with
German.
* The hope for a restoration of the Jews in Israel was officially
renounced, and it was officially stated that Germany was to be the
new Zion.
* The ceremony in which a child celebrated becoming Bar Mitzvah was
removed, and replaced with a "confirmation" ceremony.
* The laws of Kashrut and family purity were officially declared
"repugnant" to modern thinking people, and were not observed.
* Shabbat was observed on Sunday.
* Traditional restrictions on Shabbat behavior were not followed.
(Note that almost all of the items in the above list are not
reflective of Reform thought today.)
In 1885 the Reform movement held its Pittsburg Conference, which
produced the original platform of Reform Judaism. This platform,
called the [5]1855 Pittsburgh Platform
([6]http://www.ccarnet.org/platforms/pittsburgh.html), is still
followed by a few congregations today. This platform dismisses "such
Mosaic and rabbinical laws as regulate diet, priestly purity and
dress" as anachronisms that only obstruct spirituality in the modern
age, and stressed that Reform Jews must only be accepting of laws that
they feel "elevate and sanctify our lives" and must reject those
customs and laws that "not adapted to the views and habits of modern
civilization." In the decades following these events, a reevaluation
took place in which many members of the Reform movement began to
question the "reforms" that were made. This is indicative how the
movement operates, and why it is called "Reform" and not
"Reformed"--because the process of reform is a continual one. Starting
with the [7]Columbus Platform
([8]http://www.ccarnet.org/platforms/columbus.html), many of the
discarded practices were reincorporated into Reform, and consistute
what is now called "Modern" Reform Judaism, or more succinctly, Reform
Judaism.
Subject: Question 18.2.4: History: What is Reform Judaism today?
Answer:
[Adapted from Rabbi Eugene Borowitz's [5]Liberal Judaism...]
As described elsewhere in this FAQ, Reform Jews believe that human
beings are responsible for both the Written and the Oral Torah. The
sacred texts and contemprorary sages have much to teach us, but do not
legislate for us. Reform Jews insist on the freedom to determine for
themselves the aspects of faith they will continue to observe, and
what in their belief requires the creation of new forms.
This freedom can be broken into two periods. The first period,
sometimes called "Classic Reform", runs from the start of Reform
Judaism until around the 1960s. It can be characterized by the notion
of what Rabbi Borowitz calls "negative freedom". In other words,
Reform Jews of this time defined themselves by their right *not to do*
what traditional Jews considered mandatory.
Beginning in the 1960s (although there were elements as far back as
1920) and continuing to the present day is the period of what is
called Modern Reform, and Rabbi Borowitz characterizes as "positive
freedom". In other words, today's Reform Jews use religious
self-determination to add to their religious observance. Previously
rejected or neglected traditions are readopted, and new ones are
created to express growing Jewish sensibilities. This is reflected in
the 1999 [6]Statement of Principles
([7]http://www.ccarnet.org/platforms/principles.html).
Subject: Question 18.3.1: Reform's Position On...The authority of Torah?
Answer:
The [5]1937 Columbus Platform of Reform Jewry
([6]http://www.ccarnet.org/platforms/columbus.html) expressed the
position that Torah results from the relationship between G-d and the
Jewish people. The records of our earliest confrontations are uniquely
important to us. Lawgivers and prophets, historians and poets gave us
a heritage whose study is a religious imperative and whose practice is
our chief means to holiness. Rabbis and teachers, philosophers and
mystics, gifted Jews in every age amplified the Torah tradition. For
millennia, the creation of the Torah has not ceased and Jewish
creativity in our time is adding to the chain of tradition.
The platform went on to say that G-d is revealed not only in the
majesty, beauty and orderliness of nature, but also in the vision and
moral striving of the human spirit. Revelation is a continuous
process, confined to no one group and to no one age. Yet, the people
of Israel, through its prophets and sages, achieved unique insight in
the realm of religious truth. The Torah, both written and oral,
enshrines Israel's ever-growing consciousness of G-d and of the moral
law. It preserves the historical precedents, sanctions and norms of
Jewish life, and seeks to mold it in the patterns of goodness and of
holiness. Being products of historical processes, certain of its laws
have lost their binding force with the passing of the conditions that
called them forth. But as a repository of permanent spiritual ideals,
the Torah remains the dynamic source of life of Israel. Each age has
the obligation to adapt the teachings of the Torah to its basic needs
in consonance with the genius of Judaism
This position is echoed again in the current (1999) [7]statement of
principles ([8]http://www.ccarnet.org/platforms/principles.html),
which says:
* We affirm that Torah is the foundation of Jewish life.
* We cherish the truths revealed in Torah, G-d's ongoing revelation
to our people and the record of our people's ongoing relationship
with G-d.
* We affirm that Torah is a manifestation of (ahavat olam), G-d's
eternal love for the Jewish people and for all humanity.
* We affirm the importance of studying Hebrew, the language of Torah
and Jewish liturgy, that we may draw closer to our people's sacred
texts.
* We are called by Torah to lifelong study in the home, in the
synagogue and in every place where Jews gather to learn and teach.
Through Torah study we are called to (mitzvot), the means by which
we make our lives holy.
Subject: Question 18.3.2: Reform's Position On...The authority of Talmud?
Answer:
[Based on material in [5]Contemporary American Reform Responsa by
Rabbi Walter Jacob, publ. by CCAR]:
Reform Judaism views the rabbinic past as a historical development.
The "Oral Law" is not seen as divinely given at Sinai, but rather as a
reflection of Judaism's historic development and encounter with G-d in
each succeeding generation. In this, Reform follows Zunz, Geiger,
Frankel, Graetz, and others in viewing G-d working through human
agents. Reform believes that each generation has produced capable and
religiously inspired teachers (this means that Reform rejects the
often expressed view that assigns greater holiness to those who lived
in the past). Some individuals of our generation may equal or exceed
those of the past.
Historical and sociological studies of the rabbinic literature during
the last two centuries have illuminated it. Reform Judaism view this
vast literature as the product of human reaction to varying needs
motivated by religious thought and the divine impulse. Reform Judaism
feels no necessity to justify each segment of the literature in terms
of every other portion as done through hidushim and pilpul. Reform
sees the differences among Talmudic and later authorities as
reflections of particular points of view, different understandings of
the divine mandate, as well as the needs of specific groups within
their Jewish communities.
When Reform Judaism analyzes each period of history, it discovers
different strands in the halakhah. These appear both in the decisions
and underlying philosophy. Traditional Judaism has chosen a single
path and rejected the others, but we recall the existence of the other
paths and the fact that they were suggested and followed by loyal Jews
in the past. Reform Judaism feels that diversity has always been the
hallmark of our literature and our people. Thus, when Reform finds
itself facing new situations, it turns both to the mainstream of
rabbinic thought as well as its divergent paths for halakhic guidance.
In Reform's view, the halakhah is a vast repository whose old debates
are often relevant to new situations.
Sometimes the solutions of Reform Judaism may parallel those of past
generations. On other occasions, Reform diverges from them. Through
this effort, Reform Judaism seeks solutions for generations living in
lands distant and distinct from those of the ancient Near East or
medieval Europe.
Reform Judaism recognizes that not every question can be resolved by
reviewing the rabbinic literature; in some instances, totally new
legislation is appropriate. That may be buttressed by rabbinic
precedent.
Subject: Question 18.3.3: Reform's Position On...What is acceptable practice?
Answer:
Reform Judaism maintains the principle of individual freedom; each Jew
must make a personal decision about the Judaism which has come down
through the ages. Nevertheless, all Jews who acknowledge themselves to
be members of their people and its tradition thereby limit their
freedom to some extent. [From [5]Gates of Mitzvot]
This sounds general. It is. As the [6]1976 Centenary Statement
([7]http://www.ccarnet.org/platforms/centenary.html) says, Reform Jews
are subject to both ethical responsibilities (both personal and
social), as well as obligations in many other aspects of Jewish living
(creating a Jewish home; life-long study; private prayer and public
worship; observance of holidays, etc.) Within each area of Jewish
observance Reform Jews must confront and study Jewish tradition, and
exercise their individual autonomy.
Subject: Question 18.3.4: Reform's Position On...What is unacceptable
practice?
Answer:
As one might imagine, the emphasis on freedom and autonomy in Reform
Judaism could lead one to an "anything goes" position. However,
anything doesn't go. The Reform Responsa literature is full of
examples of unacceptable practice/practices; here are a few:
* "Current medical fashions are irrelevant in this matter as we
consider circumcision to be a religious rite, not a health
measure. Unless ill health or serious medical problems prevent the
circumcision of a male infant on the eighth day, he should be
circumcised on that day. If such a child is not circumcised, he
would nevertheless be considered a Jew [but] it would be incumbant
upon such an individual to be circumcised later in life."
[[5]American Reform Responsa #54]
* "For us in the Jewish community anyone who claims that Jesus is
their savior is no longer a Jew and is an apostate... Such
individuals should not be accorded membership in the congregation
or treated in any way which makes them appear as if they were
affiliated with the Jewish community..." [[6]Contemporary American
Reform Responsa, #68]
* When asked if a Jewish lady could be a bridesmaid at a Christian
wedding, the answer as "The young lady may attend as a bridesmaid
but she may not kneel or do anything whicy may be considered as
participation in a Christian worship service." [[7]Contemporary
American Reform Responsa, #168]
* [8]Contemporary American Reform Responsa, #118 implies that
headstones in a Jewish cemetary must not have Christian symbols.
* "Mind altering drugs... may not be used by Jews to induce a
``heightened sense of religious awareness'' or to seek a mystical
experience." [[9]Contemporary American Reform Responsa, #74]
However, just because an individual does something unacceptable or
holds a belief different than the movement's recommendation does not,
a priori, make them no longer a Reform Jew. As Rabbi Plaut wrote
"Persons of varying shadings of belief or unbelief, practice or
non-practice, may belong to UAHC congregations as individuals."
Subject: Question 18.3.5: Reform's Position On...The necessity of belief in
G-d?
Answer:
[Adapted from Rabbi Eugene Borowitz's [5]Liberal Judaism]
Belief in G-d is not a problem to some people. They simply know that
G-d exists and nothing shakes their faith. Most of us are not like
that. We'd like to believe in G-d, and sometimes think that we do,
only to find ourselves questioning again. It is clear that in Judaism,
belief in G-d has not usually meant complete and unwavering certainty.
This is demonstrated throughout Torah. In Judaism, faith in G-d is
dynamic; it is not an all-or-nothing, static state of being.
So, does Reform require belief in G-d? There are no ideological tests
administered; each person's belief is private. Yet in terms of the
movement, Reform believes in G-d. This belief has been demonstrated
from the earliest days of the movement; specifically, the
[6]Pittsburgh Platform
([7]http://www.ccarnet.org/platforms/pittsburgh.html) in 1885 said "We
hold that Judaism presents the highest concept of the G-d-idea as
taught in our holy Scriptures." It was reaffirmed in 1937 in the
[8]Columbus Platform
([9]http://www.ccarnet.org/platforms/columbus.html): "The heard of
Judaism and its chief contribution to religion is the doctrine of the
One, living G-d, who rules the world through law and love.". It was
reaffirmed yet again in [10]1976
([11]http://www.ccarnet.org/platforms/centenary.html): "The
affirmation of G-d has always been essential to our people's will to
survive.".
The strength of this conviction at the level of the congregation was
confirmed again recently. In 1990, a congregation in Cincinatti Ohio
applied for membership in UAHC. This congregation practices "Judaism
with a humanistic perspective". It had been briefly involved with the
Society for Humanistic Judaism, but had found them to be too
atheistic. The congregation sees itself as a Jewish group, but its
liturgy deletes any and all mention of G-d, either in the Hebrew or in
English. This liturgy doesn't include Kiddish or Kaddish, Barechu,
Shema, Ve'ahavta, Amidah, or Aleinu. Their philosophy doesn't admit of
either Covenant or commandments (as demonstrated by their haggadah,
which in Echad Mi Yode'a, replaces the traditional "Two tables of the
Covenant" with "two people in the Garden of Eden". The responsa
committee, in response to this application, denied (although not
unanimously) that this congregation was a Reform congregation. Rabbi
Gunther Plaut, chair of the committee at the time, wrote:
"Persons of varying shadings of belief or unbelief, practice or
non-practice, may belong to UAHC congregations as individuals, and
we respect their rights. But it is different when they come as a
congregation whose declared principles are at fundamental variance
with the historic G-d-orientation of Reform Judaism. ... But should
we not open the gates wide enough to admit even such concepts into
our fold? Are not diversity and inclusiveness a hallmark fo Reform?
To this we would reply: yesh gevul, there are limits. Reform
Judaism cannot be everything, or it will be nothing. The argument
that we ourselves are excluded by the Orthodox and therefore should
not keep others out who wish to join us has an attractive sound to
it. Taken to its inevitable conclusion, however, we would end up
with a Reform Judaism in which "Reform" determines what "Judaism"
is and not the other way around."
This position was reaffirmed at the UAHC Board of Trustees meeting in
1994, which voted 115-13-4 to reject the application for membership.
Note that in neither case was the rejection unanamous. Interested
parties issued in the details of both sides of the argument should
read the articles in the Winter 1994, Volume 23 Number 2, issue of
"[12]Reform Judaism" ([13]http://www.uahcweb.org/rjmag/) published by
UAHC.
Subject: Question 18.3.6: Reform's Position On...The role of Israel?
Answer:
The position of Reform on the state of Israel is made clear in the
[5]1999 Statement of Principles
([6]http://www.ccarnet.org/platforms/principles.html):
* We are committed to (Medinat Yisrael), the State of Israel, and
rejoice in its accomplishments.
* We affirm the unique qualities of living in (Eretz Yisrael), the
land of Israel, and encourage (aliyah), immigration to Israel.
* We are committed to a vision of the State of Israel that promotes
full civil, human and religious rights for all its inhabitants and
that strives for a lasting peace between Israel and its neighbors.
* We are committed to promoting and strengthening Progressive
Judaism in Israel, which will enrich the spiritual life of the
Jewish state and its people.
* We affirm that both Israeli and Diaspora Jewry should remain
vibrant and interdependent communities. As we urge Jews who reside
outside Israel to learn Hebrew as a living language and to make
periodic visits to Israel in order to study and to deepen their
relationship to the Land and its people, so do we affirm that
Israeli Jews have much to learn from the religious life of
Diaspora Jewish communities.
Subject: Question 18.3.7: Reform's Position On...Other Jewish movements?
Answer:
As can be seen by Reform's philosophy, as long as the participants in
other Jewish movements feel their practice and beliefs bring them
closer to G-d, there are no conflicts with Reform considering them
Jewish movements.
Subject: Question 18.3.8: Reform's Position On...Homosexuality
Answer:
The position of North American Reform Jewry with respect to
homosexuals, homosexuality, and the acknowledgement of homosexual
relationships can be seen in the statements of the two key bodies of
North American Reform Jewry, the CCAR and UAHC. These statements also
show how the positions have both changed (in some aspects) and stayed
the same (in some aspects) over time.
In 1977, the CCAR (the organization of Reform Rabbis) adopted a
[5]resolution
([6]http://www.ccarnet.org/cgi-bin/resodisp.pl?file=rights&year=1977)
calling for legislation decriminalizing homosexual acts between
consenting adults, and calling for an end to discrimination against
gays and lesbians. The resolution called on Reform Jewish
organizations to develop programs to implement this stand. The same
year, UAHC (the organization of Reform Congregations) issued a
resolution that supported homosexuals, but did not encourage the
lifestyle:
... resolved that homosexual persons are entitled to equal
protection under the law. We oppose discrimination against
homosexuals in areas of opportunity, including employment and
housing. We call upon our society to see that such protection is
provided in actuality.
... resolved that we affirm our belief that private sexual act
between consenting adults are not the proper province of government
and law enforcement agencies.
... resolved that we urge congregations to conduct appropriate
educational programming for youth and adults so as to provide
greater understanding of relation of Jewish values to the range of
human sexuality.
In response to this, in 1987, UAHC resolved that it would:
1. Urge its congregations and affiliates to:
a. Encourage lesbian and gay Jews to share and participate in
worship, leadership, and general congregational life of all
synagogues.
b. Continue to develop educational programs in the synagogue and
community which promote understanding and respect for
lesbians and gays.
c. Employ people without regard to sexual orientation.
2. Urge the Commission on Social Action to bring its recommendations
to the next General Assembly after considering the report of the
CCAR committee and any action of the CCAR pursuant to it.
3. Urge the Committee on Liturgy to formulate liturgically inclusive
language.
Then, in 1989, UAHC resolved to:
1. Reaffirm its 1987 resolution and call upon all departments of the
UAHC and our member congregations to fully implement its
provisions.
2. Embark upon a movement-wide program of heightened awareness and
education to achieve the fuller acceptance of gay and lesbian Jews
in our midst.
3. Urge our member congregations to welcome gay and lesbian Jews to
membership, as singles, couples, and families.
4. Commend the CCAR for its sensitive and thorough efforts to raise
the consciousness of the rabbinate regarding homosexuality. We
urge the CCAR to pursue its own mandate with vigor and complete
its tasks as soon as possible in order to respond to the communal
and spiritual aspirations of gay and lesbian Jews.
In 1990, the CCAR endorsed the report of the Ad Hoc Committee on
Homosexuality and the Rabbinate. This position paper urged that "all
rabbis, regardless of sexual orientation, be accorded the opportunity
to fulfill the sacred vocation that they have chosen." The committee
endorsed the view that "all Jews are religiously equal regardless of
their sexual orientation." The committee expressed its agreement with
changes in the admissions policies of the Hebrew Union College-Jewish
Institute of Religion, which stated that the "sexual orientation of an
applicant [be considered] only within the context of a candidate's
overall suitability for the rabbinate," and reaffirmed that all
rabbinic graduates of the HUC-JIR would be admitted into CCAR
membership upon application. The report described differing views
within the committee as to the nature of kiddushin, and deferred the
matter of rabbinic officiation.
A 1996 resolution resolved that the CCAR "support the right of gay and
lesbian couples to share fully and equally in the rights of civil
marriage," and voiced opposition to governmental efforts to ban gay
and lesbian marriages. The resolution also said:
Judaism places great emphasis on family, children, and the future,
which is assured by a family. However we may understand
homosexuality, whether as an illness, as a genetically based
dysfunction or as a sexual preference and lifestyle - we cannot
accommodate the relationship of two homosexuals as a "marriage"
within the context of Judaism, for none of the elements of
qiddushin (sanctification) normally associated with marriage can be
invoked for this relationship.
In addition to these resolutions, two CCAR committees have addressed
the question of same-gender officiation. The CCAR Committee on
Responsa addressed the question of whether homosexual relationships
can qualify as kiddushin (which it defined as "Jewish marriage"). By a
committee majority of 7 to 2, the committee concluded that "homosexual
relationships, however exclusive and committed they may be, do not fit
within this legal category; they cannot be called kiddushin. We do not
understand Jewish marriage apart from the concept of kiddushin." The
committee acknowledged its lack of consensus on this question.
In 1998, The Ad Hoc Committee on Human Sexuality issued a report that
included its conclusion, by a committee majority of 11 with 1
abstention, that "kedushah may be present in committed same gender
relationships between two Jews and that these relationships can serve
as the foundation of stable Jewish families, thus adding strength to
the Jewish community." The report called upon the CCAR to support all
colleagues in their choices in this matter, and to develop educational
programs. Note this change of position, from "cannot be" to "may be
present". However, the report implied it is not present in all.
More recently (March 2000), CCAR issued a new resolution addressing
officiation of same-sex committment ceremonies. This resolution says:
WHEREAS justice and human dignity are cherished Jewish values, and
WHEREAS, in March of 1999 the Women's Rabbinic Network passed a
resolution urging the Central Conference of American Rabbis to
bring the issue of honoring ceremonies between two Jews of the same
gender to the floor of the convention plenum, and
WHEREAS, the institutions of Reform Judaism have a long history of
support for civil and equal rights for gays and lesbians, and
WHEREAS, North American organizations of the Reform Movement have
passed resolutions in support of civil marriage for gays and
lesbians, therefore
WE DO HEREBY RESOLVE, that the relationship of a Jewish, same
gender couple is worthy of affirmation through appropriate Jewish
ritual, and
FURTHER RESOLVED, that we recognize the diversity of opinions
within our ranks on this issue. We support the decision of those
who choose to officiate at rituals of union for same-gender
couples, and we support the decision of those who do not, and
FURTHER RESOLVED, that we call upon the CCAR to support all
colleagues in their choices in this matter, and
FURTHER RESOLVED, that we also call upon the CCAR to develop both
educational and liturgical resources in this area.
Rabbi Eric Yoffee of UAHC, on March 29, 2000, released the following
statement in response to the March 2000 resolution:
This afternoon the Central Conference of American Rabbis, meeting
in Greensboro, NC, adopted a resolution by an overwhelming vote
stating, in part, that "the relationship of a Jewish, same gender
couple is worthy of affirmation through appropriate Jewish ritual."
It is important to note what the resolution on same gender unions
does and does not say. It does not compel any rabbi to officiate at
such a ritual, and indeed supports the right of a rabbi not to
officiate. It does not specify what ritual is appropriate for such
a ceremony. It does not say that the ceremony performed should be
called a "marriage."
Nonetheless, the historical and religious significance of this
resolution is indisputable. For the first time in history, a major
rabbinical body has affirmed the Jewish validity of committed, same
gender relationships.
What do the members of UAHC congregations think about this
resolution? It is impossible to know for certain. Some have told me
of their strong support, while others have indicated their
opposition. Still others have said that they are sympathetic to the
ideas expressed but felt no resolution was necessary at this time.
Over the last quarter century, the UAHC Biennial Assembly has
spoken out strongly in support of human and civil rights for gays
and lesbians. We have admitted to membership a number of
congregations that offer special outreach to gay and lesbian Jews,
and called upon Reform synagogues to welcome gay and lesbian Jews
as singles, couples, and families, and not to discriminate on the
basis of sexual orientation in matters related to employment and
volunteer leadership. And the UAHC has initiated vigorous education
programs to heighten awareness of discrimination and to achieve
fuller acceptance of gay and lesbian Jews in our midst.
The Union, however, has always refrained from addressing the issue
of rabbinic participation in same gender weddings or commitment
ceremonies. As a congregational body, it is our task to provide
guidance on issues of congregational policy that are normally
decided by synagogue boards. But performance or non-performance of
a same gender commitment ceremony is a rabbinical matter, to be
determined by each rabbi according to his or her conscience and
understanding of Jewish tradition. Therefore, while our synagogue
members have felt free to present their views to their own rabbis,
and many have done so vigorously, the Union as an organization has
appropriately remained silent on the CCAR resolution, and took no
part in the many months of debate prior to the convention.
But I too am a rabbi, of course, and I was present at Greensboro.
And I would like you to know that, voting as an individual, I cast
my ballot in favor the resolution. I did so because of my belief
that our gay and lesbian children, relatives, and friends are in
great need of spiritual support; that the Torah's prohibition of
homosexuality can reasonably be understood as a general
condemnation of ancient cultic practice; that loving, permanent
homosexual relationships, once difficult to conceive, are now
recognized as an indisputable reality; and that in these
relationships, whether or not we see them as "marriages" it is
surely true that G-d and holiness can be present.
I know that many disagree. But whatever one thinks on the
commitment ceremony question, I assume that we will respect those
who believe otherwise, and remember what unites us in this debate:
our responsibility to welcome gays and lesbians into our
synagogues. Because this I know: if there is anything at all that
Reform Jews do, it is to create an inclusive spiritual home for all
those who seek the solace of our sanctuaries. And if this Movement
does not extend support to all who have been victims of
discrimination, including gays and lesbians, then we have no right
to call ourselves Reform Jews.
Subject: Question 18.3.9: Reform's Position On...Intermarriage
Answer:
In 1909 the CCAR held that intermarriage (interfaith marriage) is
``contrary to the traditions of the Jewish religion.'' The same
position was restated in 1947, and amplified in 1973, when a
substantial majority at the CCAR Convention in Atlanta ... declared
its opposition to participation by its members ``in any ceremony which
solemnizes a mixed marriage.''
Outgoing UAHC president Alexander Schindler supports the stance
because of the threat he believes intermarriage poses to the future of
Judaism."
Most rabbis justify their refusal to officiate at interfaith weddings
by arguing that the Jewish conception of marriage is that of a
covenant between two Jews. However, in the United States, there are a
number of Reform rabbis (one estimate is about one-third) that do
perform such ceremonies, under the belief that it is better to not
create an atmosphere of rejection, which can only serve to turn away
and alienate the Jewish partner. If the Judaism of the Jewish partner
is strong, the non-Jewish partner is often turned towards Judaism and
the children are raised Jewish.
Note even if a Reform Rabbi does not perform an intermarriage, they
will usually accept the marriage as valid, and regard the children of
those marriages as Jewish as long as they are raised as Jews.
It should be noted that few, if any, Reform/Progressive rabbis will
perform an intermarriage in either Canada or the United Kingdom.
Subject: Question 18.3.10: Reform's Position On...Abortion
Answer:
[Based on material in [5]Contemporary American Reform Responsa by
Rabbi Walter Jacob, publ. by CCAR]:
The Reform Movement has had a long history of liberalism on many
social and family matters. Reform feels that the pattern of tradition,
until the most recent generation, has demonstrated a liberal approach
to abortion and has definitely permitted it in case of any danger to
the life of the mother. That danger may be physical or psychological.
When this occurs at any time during the pregnancy, Reform Judaism
would not hesitate to permit an abortion. This would also include
cases of incest and rape if the mother wishes to have an abortion.
Twentieth century medicine has brought a greater understanding of the
fetus, and it is now possible to discover major problems in the fetus
quite early in the pregnancy. Some genetic defects can be discovered
shortly after conception and more research will make such techniques
widely available. It is, of course, equally true that modern medicine
has presented ways of keeping babies with very serious problems alive,
frequently in a vegetative state, which brings great misery to the
family involved. Such problems, as those caused by Tay Sachs and other
degenerative or permanent conditions which seriously endanger the life
of the child and potentially the mental health of the mother, are
indications for permitting an abortion.
Reform Judaism agrees with the traditional authorities that abortions
should be approached cautiously throughout the life of the fetus. Most
authorities would be least hesitant during the first forty days of the
fetus' life (Yeb. 69b; Nid. 30b; M. Ker. 1.1; Shulhan Arukah Hoshen
Mishpat 210.2; Solomon Skola, Bet Shelomo, Hoshen Mishpat 132; Joseph
Trani, Responsa Maharit 1.99, Noam 9 pp 213ff, etc.). Even the strict
Rabbi Unterman permits non-Jews to perform abortions within the forty
day periods (Rabbi Unterman, op. cit., pp 8ff).
From forty days until twenty-seven weeks, the fetus possesses some
status, but its future remains doubtful (goses biydei adam; San. 78a;
Nid 44b and commentaries) as we are not sure of this viability. Reform
Judaism must, therefore, be more certain of the grounds for abortion,
but would still permit it.
It is clear from all of this that the traditional authorities would be
most lenient with abortions within the first forty days. After that
time, there is a difference of opinion. Those who are within the
broadest range of permissibility permit abortion at any time before
birth, if there is serious danger to the health of the mother or
child. Reform Judaism is in agreement with that liberal stance. Reform
Judaism does not encourage abortion, nor favor it for trivial reasons,
or sanction it "on demand".
Subject: Question 18.3.11: Reform's Position On...Mixed (Interfaith)
Marriages
Answer:
[Adapted from [5]American Reform Responsa, #146]
Reform Judaism and the Central Conference of American Rabbis has
opposed mixed marriages. Reform Judaism recognizes the problem as
significant in every period of Jewish history. It has become more
severe in 20th-century American, and therefore, Reform Judaism has
made provisions for families of mixed marriages and their children.
Such families are welcomed in Reform congregations, and Reform Judaism
continues to urge them to convert to Judaism. The conference
resolution of 1973 succinctly summarizes the position of Reform
Judaism:
The Central Conference of American Rabbis, recalling its stand
adopted in 1909 that "mixed marriage is contrary to the Jewish
tradition and should be discouraged," now declares its opposition
to participation by its members in any ceremony which solemnizes a
mixed marriage.
The Central Conference of American Rabbis recognizes that
historically its members have held and continue to hold divergent
interpretations of Jewish tradition. In order to keep open every
channel to Judaism and K'lal Yisrael for those who ahve already
entered into mixed marriage, the CCAR calls upon its members:
1. To assist fully in educating children of such mixed marriages as
Jews
2. To provide the opportunity for conversion of the non-Jewish
spouse; and
3. To encourage a creative and consistent cultivation of involvement
in the Jewish community and the synagogue.
Most Reform Rabbis will not preform mixed marriages. There are some
that do, based on the notion that to reject the non-Jewish partner can
only serve to take the Jewish partner away from Judaism. However, if
they perform the marriage, the both partners receive a positive
impression of Judaism, and the option remains of educating the
non-Jewish partner as to the meaning of Judaism (so that they choose
to convert on their own). Further, couples with positive feelings
towards Judaism often raise the children as Jews.
Subject: Question 18.3.12: Reform's Position On...The role of women
Answer:
The position of Reform on this issue is best characterized in Rabbi
Alexander Schindler's letter in the UAHC 1993-1994 Yearbook, in which
he says:
Our long-standing commitment to openness and diversity is based on
our tradition. When Moses gathered the elders to help him govern,
two who were not included nonetheless received G-d's inspiration
and "spoke in ecstasy." Although Joshua asked Moses to jail them,
Moses replied: "Would that all G-d's people were prophets."
As Reform Jews, we say:
* All G-d's people--including women.
* All G-d's people--including families in all their new
constellations
* All G-d's people--including lesbian and gay Jews
* All G-d's people--including the intermarried and the unaffiliated
* All G-d's people--including the hearing impaired and the
wheelchair bound, and the disabled in body and spirit.
Subject: Question 18.3.13: Reform's Position On...Outreach
Answer:
Reform Jewish Outreach is a program that aims to:
* Welcome those who seek to investigate Judaism.
* Integrate Jews-by-Choice fully into the Jewish community.
* Encourage intermarried couples to affiliate with a congregation
and to meet the needs of those already in the congregation.
Outreach seeks to enable intermarried couples to explore, study,
and understand Judaism, thereby providing an atmosphere of support
in which a comfortable relationship with Judaism can be fostered.
* Educate and sensitize the Jewish community to be receiptive to new
Jews-by-Choice and intermarried couples.
* Encourage people to make Jewish choice in their lives through
special discussion groups, community support, adult education and
availablity of Jewish resources.
* Assist young people in strengthening their Jewish identify and in
examining the implications of interdating and intermarriage for
themselves.
For those conemplating conversion to Judaism (as well as those
interested in learning more about Judaism), Outreach offers the
following:
* Introduction to Judaism classes on both the community and
congregational levels. The class focuses on basic Judaism,
including holidays, life-cycle events, history, theology, and
Hebrew. Students learn what is means to live a Jewish life and how
to begin to practice Judaism. The program may include a
psycho-social component that deals with the personal implications
of choosing Judaism.
* Post-introduction programs and various workshops and discussion
groups.
For intermarried couples and couples contemplating intermarriage,
Outreach offers the following:
* An 8-week discussion group designed to clarify the Jewish
partner's feelings about Judaism and to provide the non-Jewish
partner with a greater understanding of Judaism and the Jewish
community. Relevant personal issues discussed include: religious
involvement while growing up, the religious and cultural
differences each partner confronts in the relationship with each
other and with extended family, holiday celebrations, and each
couple's concerns about the religious upbringing and identity of
their children.
Although the program is from a Jewish perspective, there is no
attempt to convert the non-Jewish partner. The program helps
participants to articulate the differences between Judaism and
Christianity.
For Jewish parents of intermarried couples, Outreach offers discussion
groups to provide parents with a non-judgmental supportive setting
where they can talk with others with similar concerns. This provides
the opportunity to discuss the impact of the relationship on the
family, and to develop constructive responses.
For Jewish youth, Outreach has a number of programs that assist young
people in examining the implications of interdating and intermarriage
for themselves as well as for the future of the Jewish people.
Outreach encourages youth to explore and strengthen their Jewish
identity so that they will be advocates for Judaism in all their
relationships.
The ultimate goal of Outreach is to strengthen Judaism by helping
individuals build their personal connectedness to Reform Judaism.
If you want to find more information about the Outreach program, visit
[5]Reform Jewish Outreach at [6]http://www.uahcweb.org/outreach/.
Subject: Question 18.3.14: Reform's Position On...How an individual's Jewish
status is determined
Answer:
Reform's position is that the same requirements must be applied to
establish the status of the child of a mixed (interfaith) marriage,
regardless of whether the mother or the father is Jewish. Therefore,
in 1983, the CCAR issued the following resolution:
The Central Conference of American Rabbis declares that the child
of one Jewish parent is under the presumption of Jewish descent.
This presumption of the Jewish status of the offspring of any mixed
marriage is to be established through appropriate and timely public
and formal acts of identification with the Jewish faith and people.
The performance of these mitzvot serves to commit those who
participate in them, both parent and child, to Jewish life.
Depending on circumstances(1), mitzvot leading toward a positive
and exclusive Jewish identity will include entry into the covenant,
acquisition of a Hebrew name, Torah study, bar/bat mitzvah, and
Kabbalat Torah (Confirmation)(2). For those beyond childhood
claiming Jewish identity, other public acts or declarations may be
added or substituted after consultation with their rabbi.
(1) According to the age or setting, parents should consult a rabbi
to determine the specific mitzvot which are necessary.
(2) A full description of these and other mitzvot can be found in
Shaarei Mitzvah (Gates of Mitzvah), A Guide to the Jewish Life
Cycle, CCAR, New York, 1979. ISBN 0-916694-37-2.
Note that this decision is sometimes called the "Patrilineal Descent"
decision, although it does not say that Patrilineal Descent, as
opposed to the more traditional Matrilineal Descent, is used. Rather,
it says that a child of an interfaith couple must be raised with a
continuing and positive association with Judaism to be Jewish.
Subject: Question 18.3.15: Reform's Position On...The Messiah
Answer:
Although Reform does not believe in the concept of a personal messiah,
it does believe in the concept of a messianic age.
Subject: Question 18.4.1: Fallacy: Reform Jews (RJs) choose practice based
solely on convenience
Answer:
The [5]1976 Centenary Statement
([6]http://www.ccarnet.org/platforms/centenary.html), adopted in 1976
stated:
"Judaism emphasizes action rather than creed as the primary
expression of a religious life, the means by which we strive to
achieve universal justice and peace. Reform Judaism shares this
emphasis on duty and obligation. Our founders stressed that the
Jew's ethical responsibilities, personal and social, are enjoined
by G-d. The past century has taught us that the claims made upon us
may begin with our ethical obligations but they extend to many
other aspects of Jewish living, including: creating a Jewish home
centered on family devotion; life-long study; private prayer and
public worship; daily religious observance; keeping the Sabbath and
the holy days; celebrating the major events of life; involvement
with the synagogue and community; and other activities which
promote the survival of the Jewish people and enhance its
existence. Within each area of Jewish observance Reform Jews are
called upon to confront the claims of Jewish tradition, however,
differently perceived, and to exercise their individual autonomy,
choosing and creating on the basis of commitment and knowledge."
The [7]1999 Statement of Principles
([8]http://www.ccarnet.org/platforms/principles.html) says:
We are committed to the ongoing study of the whole array of
(mitzvot) and to the fulfillment of those that address us as
individuals and as a community [Emph. added by editor]. Some of
these (mitzvot), sacred obligations, have long been observed by
Reform Jews; others, both ancient and modern, demand renewed
attention as the result of the unique context of our own times.
Subject: Question 18.4.2: Fallacy: Either patrilineal or matrilineal descent
is accepted
Answer:
If you examine the [5]Report of the Committee on Patrilineal Descent
on the Status of Children of Mixed Marriages
([6]http://www.ccarnet.org/cgi-bin/resodisp.pl?file=mm&year=1983), you
will see that, for the child of an interfaith marriage, merely having
a Jewish parent is insufficient to make the child Jewish. Rather, the
decision states that having only one Jewish parent gives the child a
"presumption" of Jewish descent. The Jewish status, however, must be
established through "appropriate and timely public and formal acts of
identification with the Jewish faith and people."
Subject: Question 18.4.3: Fallacy: Reform Conversions take no study, and are
for convenience only
Answer:
Reform Judaism welcomes all sincere converts without regard to racial
or national origin or to their former religious faith. In Reform
Judaism, it is sufficient for the prospective convert (ger) to
declare, orally and in writing, in the presence of a rabbi and no less
than two lay leaders of the congregation and community, acceptance of
the Jewish faith and the intention to live in accordance with its
mitzvot. This declaration takes place after a preparatory period of
study. The length of the period of preparation is determined by the
rabbi, taking into consideration the time needed by the candidate for
conversion to obtain the necessary understanding and appreciation of
Judaism in order to make a free-will decision with respect to his/her
acceptance of the Jewish faith and identification with the Jewish
people.
Reform recommends that the period of study be reinforced by requiring
and assisting the prospective convert's active participation in the
various celebrations, observances, and worship services of Judaism and
the Jewish people. It recommends that regular attendance at synagogue
worship, as well as evidence of concern for Jewish values and causes
in the home and community, should be required. The intent of this is
to enable the rabbi and his/her associates to satisfy themselves not
only that the candidate has a sufficient knowledge of Judaism, but of
even greater importance, that the candidate is a person of sincere and
responsible character, who is genuinely desirous of making a
wholehearted commitment to synagogue affiliation and to the Jewish
faith and people.
Note that the above items (study, attendance at services) are only
recommendations. While the authors of the Reform teshuva affirm that
such items should theoretically be considered a necessity, this is not
necessary in practice if one claims to already have been living a
Jewish life. The Reform rabbinate may presume that if such a claim is
made, then the person doesn't need such a course.
Reform does not require male converts to undergo b'rit milah
(circumcision) or hatafat dam b'rit (the drawing of blood); nor does
it require converts to have tevilah (ritual immersion). However, it
recognizes that there are social, psychological, and religious values
associated with these rituals, and it recommends that the rabbi
acquaint prospective gerim with the halachic background and rationale
for b'rit milah, hatafat dam b'rit, and tevilah, and offer them the
opportunity, if they so desire, to observe these additional rites. In
the UK, the ULPS requires circumcision for male converts, but does
accept a pre-existing medical circumcision.
Reform does not require kabbalaot al mitvot (accepting Jewish law as
normative), especially as "Jewish law" is interpreted by the
traditional communities. Reform does require an understanding of the
ten commandments, the ethical mitvot, and a general understanding of
other Jewish religious obligations.
Note that, outside of the US, procedures may be even stricter. For
example, in Vancouver CANADA, students study for a year before being
considered for conversion. Converts undergo the mikvah, in the
presence of three (3) rabbis. Men are required to to be circumsized,
and are also required to undergo the ritual circumcision (letting of
the blood).
Subject: Question 18.4.4: Fallacy: Reform Judaism encourages intermarriage
Answer:
Reform Judaism and the Central Conference of American Rabbis has
repeatedly opposed mixed (interfaith) marriages. However, it does not
feel that once the marriage has occurred, the couple should be
shunned, for this serves only to drive them further away from Judaism.
This is best illustrated by a [5]resolution
([6]http://www.ccarnet.org/cgi-bin/resodisp.pl?file=mm&year=1973)
issued in 1973 by the CCAR:
The Central Conference of American Rabbis, recalling its stand
adopted in 1909 that mixed marriage is contrary to the Jewish
tradition and should be discouraged, now declared its opposition to
participation by its members in any ceremony which solemnizes a
mixed marriage.
The Central Conference of American Rabbis recognizes that
historically its members have held and continue to hold divergent
interpretations of Jewish tradition.
In order to keep open every channel to Judaism and K'lal Yisrael
for those who have already entered into mixed marriage, the CCAR
calls upon its members:
1. to assist fully in educating children of such mixed marriage as
Jews;
2. to provide the opportunity for conversion of the non-Jewish
spouse, and
3. to encourage a creative and consistent cultivation of involvement
in the Jewish community and the synagogue.
Subject: Question 18.4.5: Fallacy: Intermarried couples have exactly the same
rights as non-intermarried couples in Reform Congregations
Answer:
Although congregational policies may differ by congregation, there are
a number of Reform responses that address this question:
* In [5]American Reform Responsa #10 (1982)
[[6]http://www.ccarnet.org/cgi-bin/respdisp.pl?file=10&year=arr],
it is asked if congregational membership can be extended to the
non-Jewish member of an interfaith marriage. The conclusion of
that responsa is that it should not; only the Jewish member should
be considered a member for purposes of being a congregational
leader, for it is inappropriate for non-Jews to lead the
congregation.
Some Reform congregations include non-Jewish spouses in family
memberships (i.e., the non-Jewish spouse may be a member if the
Jewish spouse is a member). Some congregations, as part of the
overall autonomy of Reform, do permit the non-Jewish spouse to
participate in some rituals. Most congregations reserve some
religious roles for only Jewish members, and most congregations
reserve the leadership roles, such as election to the board of
trustees, or the holding of other offices for the member who is
Jewish.
* A [7]1979 Responsa
([8]http://www.ccarnet.org/cgi-bin/respdisp.pl?file=6&year=arr)
says:
From Babylonian times onward, public prayers for rulers of the
country, parallel to those for scholars and students in the
academies, were included in the liturgy and have remained there
ever since. These rulers, of course, were pagans, Moslems, or
Christians. We, in modern times, have gone a number of steps
further than this. For example, we regularly recite the names of
non-Jewish dead in the lists of deceased read before the Kaddish.
In most cases, these are relatives of converts; although the
convert is not duty-bound to mourn for his parents, he should be
encouraged to do so out of respect (Yad, Hil. Evel 2.3; Radbaz to
Yad; Sh.A., Y.D. 374.5; and many subsequent authorities). We have,
however, also added the names of notable Christians from time to
time. In addition, we have participated frequently in interfaith
services, which have generally been associated with national
holidays or events; these have usually been non-liturgical in
character, i.e., consisted of Biblical readings and various prayers
without following the strict order of the service. Furthermore, we
have invited non-Jews, including ministers and priests, to address
our congregations during our public services. This practice has
been widespread in the Reform and Conservative movements. Thus,
there is no doubt that we have included priests, ministers, and
non-Jewish participants in our services in a manner not known
heretofore. In addition, nowadays, because of intermarriage we find
the non-Jewish parent involved in a Bar/Bat Mitzvah. It would be
appropriate to have that parent participate in some way in the
service, but not in the same way as a Jewish parent. For example,
he or she should not recite the traditional blessing over the Torah
which includes the words "asher bachar banu." It would be well if
he/she recite a special blessing, perhaps akin to the words
suggested by Solomon B. Freehof: "Praised be Thou, Lord our G-d,
King of the Universe, Who has given His sacred law unto all His
children that we may learn, observe, and serve Him in
righteousness" (Current Reform Responsa, p. 91).
We have, therefore, gone much further than any generation before
our time by permitting non-Jews a larger role in our public
services; this is part of a more open and friendly interreligious
attitude which the Reform Movement has encouraged and led. Yet,
these steps have remained within definite limits. We have not
included non-Jews, no matter how friendly, in the essential
elements of the service. If we follow the line of reasoning which
divides between the essential service and supplemental prayers and
statements, we may conclude that Christians, Moslems, and other
non-Jews who fall into the category of Benei Noach may participate
in a public service in any of the following ways: (1) through
anything which does not require specific statement from them, i.e.,
by standing and silently witnessing whatever is taking place (e.g.,
as a member of a wedding party or as a pallbearer); (2) through the
recitation of special prayers added to the service at
non-liturgical community wide services, commemorations, and
celebrations (Thanksgiving, etc.); (3) through the recitation of
prayers for special family occasions (Bar/Bat Mitzvah of children
raised as Jews, at a wedding or funeral, etc.). All such prayers
and statements should reflect the mood of the service and be
non-Christological in nature.
In many Reform congregations, intermarried couples now have more or
less the same rights as non-intermarried couples in terms of
congregational membership. The key element is "couples"; membership is
based on the family unit, not the individual. Often, the non-Jewish
partner serves on temple committees, but usually those committees do
not include those related to religious practice and ritual (for
example, a finance or employment practices committee). A survery
conducted by the Commission on Reform Jewish Outreach shows that 88%
of Reform Temples allow gentiles to count as Reform Jews by being
synagogue members if they are married to Reform Jews; 87% of Reform
Temples allow gentiles to serve on synagogue committees, but only 22%
of Reform Temples allow gentiles to have an aliyah to the Torah.
Subject: Question 18.4.6: Fallacy: Reform Judaism has Rabbis and
congregations that don't believe in G-d
Answer:
Individual beliefs of Rabbis and congregations are personal, and not
subject to scrutiny by the movement. However, there has been a case
where a congregation was refused membership in UAHC because they
removed all references to G-d from their liturgy, and refused to allow
prayers mentioning G-d to be said in their santuary.
Note that there are rabbis and laypeople in all of the Jewish
denominations who go through a crisis of faith, have uncertainties
about the nature of G-d, or who are agnostic or atheist. Faith can not
be forced. An atheist or agnostic is not someone who thinks "There
really is a G-d, but I shall not admit it". Rather an atheist or
agnostic is someone who thinks "I see no evidence for G-d's existence,
and am certain (or fairly sure) that G-d does not exist." By
definition, one can never force someone to change their beliefs; that
can only come about from something internal to that person.
Does Judaism demand that such a person be considered as if they are in
contempt of Judaism? No. They are only held accountable for their
actions, for while beliefs are not a matter of choice, actions are.
The Talmud of the Land of Israel (Talmud Yerushalmi) posits that G-d
says about them "Would they were to forsake Me, providing that they
keep My law, for as a result of occupying themselves with it, its
light will bring them back to the right path" (Tractate Hagigah 1:7,
76c).
Subject: Question 18.4.7: Fallacy: There are no 3rd or 4th generation Reform
Jews
Answer:
Certainly, assimilation has been a problem for Judaism. Reform Judaism
is especially subject to that problem because many assimilated
Americans who want to identify as Jews, choose a Reform synagogue, not
because they are Reform Jews, but because the Reform temple is the
least judgmental of their assimilated practices (or in some cases,
non-practices).
Many of the children of these families do not remain Jewish, but in
fact assimilation was already a generation old.
To actually be a 3rd or 4th generation Reform Jew would require that
one's ancestors, living in the 1800s, be Reform Jews. The major growth
of Reform Judaism has been in the 20th century. So while it is true
there are few 3rd or 4th generation Reform Jews numerically, they are
not a large number primarily due to the heavy immegration in the early
1900s. The majority of today's Reform Jews have ancestors who were O
or C, but primarily because there was a limited pool of R on whom to
draw. Yet there are 3rd, 4th, and even 5th generation Reform Jews
(just look at the FAQ Maintainer's daughter).
There is a different question, however: For those that were Reform in
the 1800s, how many of their children are still Jewish, and still
Reform, today. Anecdotal evidence suggests that number is large.
Note that Reform has invented and reinvented itself (and will
undoubtedly continue to do so) in response to a changing world. By the
1930s, it became clear that "classical Reform" wasn't speaking to the
majority of RJs. As a result, the evolutionary changes that began in
the 20s were formalized with the "[5]Columbus Platform"
([6]http://ccarnet.org/platforms/columbus.html) of the 30's that led
to Traditional (or Modern) Reform.
Subject: Question 18.4.8: Fallacy: An atheist could be considered a "good"
Reform Jew
Answer:
A person's individual beliefs with respect to G-d are personal, and
are not inspected by Reform. Even in traditional Judaism, there have
been times when the greatest Jewish thinkers have questioned the
existance of G-d. Judaism, in general, does not question one's belief;
rather, it looks at one's adherance to the yoke of Mitzvah, as
interpreted by the appropriate movement.
However, the position of Reform with respect to Atheism is shown in
its policy relating to accepting atheists for conversion. A
[5]responsa in Jewish Year 5754
([6]http://www.ccarnet.org/cgi-bin/respdisp.pl?file=15&year=5754)
stated:
The important qualifying phrase is commitment to this religion.
Reform Judaism is a religious movement, a community of faith
dedicated to G-d. A ger must show a readiness to accept that faith
in order to join our community. [...]
[...]for Reform Judaism, a prospective convert had both to embrace
the Jewish people and make a solemn declaration of faith in G-d,
the G-d of our ancestors, as the one and only G-d. While many
rabbis then and now insist on certain rituals and other obligations
as incumbent upon the prospective convert (e.g. immersion,
circumcision, a course of study, examinations, etc.), the sine qua
non of conversion for Reform Judaism, as it is for all branches of
Judaism, has always been faith in G-d. The centrality of G-d in the
Reform conversion ceremony is verified by examination of the
succession of rabbinic manuals published by the CCAR.
[...]
Some contend that since we find among the members of Reform
congregations certain Jews who are avowed atheists or agnostics, we
should not hesitate to accept a convert who falls into either
category. It is true that some Jews experience crises of faith. We
acknowledge the reality of the spiritual journey and struggle our
brothers and sisters endure, and they remain part of us as long as
they do not abandon our people or join another religion. However,
that flexibility is reserved for those who are already "citizens,"
who already belong. It is the nature of the conversion process that
the convert must meet standards which, in practice, are not
demanded of the already-Jewish: a program of Jewish study, required
synagogue attendance, participation in synagogue and communal
activities, and the like.
[...]
Reform Judaism is a religious movement of Jews dedicated to the
covenant between G-d and the Jewish people. If we do not insist
that the ger meet this fundamental standard and find herself ready
to affirm the reality of G-d in Jewish religious life and
experience, it would be a legitimate question whether we have any
standards at all.
Subject: Question 18.4.9: Fallacy: Reform Jews don't have Bar Mitzvahs
Answer:
They don't? Tell that to the person trying to schedule the social
hall. Although Bar/Bat Mitzvah was originally rejected by the Reform
movement, it has returned with a vengeance, with many congreagations
having three or more Bar/Bat Mitzvah's per Shabbat.
Subject: Question 18.4.10: Fallacy: Reform totally ignores "Jewish" divorce
(i.e., gets)
Answer:
The Central Conference of American Rabbis makes no provision for a
religious divorce, and civil divorce is recognized as dissolving a
marriage by most Reform Rabbis. Note that even if Reform were to
introduce its own get, it would likely not be recognized by
traditional Judaism as valid. However, many Reform Rabbis, if asked,
would advise the couple regarding obtaining a get, and would likely
direct them to the appropriate community organizations that could help
them.
Subject: Question 18.4.11: Fallacy: All Reform Congregations Are Rich
Answer:
Reform congregations vary in size from a two member congregation in
Port Gibson MS and a 3 member congregation in Laredo TX, to
congregations with almost 2,000 members. Some have grandiose
buildings; some meet in houses or rent space from organizations. Some
have volunteer rabbis and volunteer staff, others have generous staff
and rabbinic salaries. There is no universal characterization
possible.
Subject: Question 18.4.12: Fallacy: Reform Rabbis do not study Halacha
Answer:
If you look at the course of study for the Reform Rabbinate, it does
include Torah, Talmud, and other aspects of halacha. Of course, the
depth of this study is not to the level of traditional Judaism,
although some Reform Rabbis out of personal interest do intensive
halachic studies.
Subject: Question 18.4.13: Fallacy: Reform Jews don't care about Jewish
ideals & principles
Answer:
As was noted in the [5]Centenary Perspective
([6]http://www.ccarnet.org/platforms/centenary.html) in 1976, "the
claims made upon [Reform Jews] may begin with our ethical obligations
but they extend to many other aspects of Jewish living, including:
creating a Jewish home centered on family devotion; life-long study;
private prayer and public worship; daily religious observance; keeping
the Sabbath and the holy days; celebrating the major events of life;
involvement with the synagogue and community; and other activities
which promote the survival of the Jewish people and enhance its
existence."
This is echoed in the [7]1999 Statement of Principles
([8]http://www.ccarnet.org/platforms/principles.html), which says:
* We are called by Torah to lifelong study in the home, in the
synagogue and in every place where Jews gather to learn and teach.
Through Torah study we are called to (mitzvot), the means by which
we make our lives holy.
* We are committed to the ongoing study of the whole array of
(mitzvot) and to the fulfillment of those that address us as
individuals and as a community. Some of these (mitzvot), sacred
obligations, have long been observed by Reform Jews; others, both
ancient and modern, demand renewed attention as the result of the
unique context of our own times.
* We bring Torah into the world when we seek to sanctify the times
and places of our lives through regular home and congregational
observance. Shabbat calls us to bring the highest moral values to
our daily labor and to culminate the workweek with (kedushah),
holiness, (menuchah), rest and (oneg), joy. The High Holy Days
call us to account for our deeds. The Festivals enable us to
celebrate with joy our people's religious journey in the context
of the changing seasons. The days of remembrance remind us of the
tragedies and the triumphs that have shaped our people's
historical experience both in ancient and modern times. And we
mark the milestones of our personal journeys with traditional and
creative rites that reveal the holiness in each stage of life.
Subject: Question 18.4.14: Fallacy: Reform Jews don't need to attend
synagogue
Answer:
As was noted in the [5]Centenary Perspective
([6]http://www.ccarnet.org/platforms/centenary.html) in 1976, the
obligations of Reform Jews include "public worship; ...; involvement
with the synagogue and community..."
Subject: Question 18.4.15: Fallacy: Reform Jews don't believe in Zionism and
don't support Israel
Answer:
This couldn't be further from the truth. Reform Judaism has its own
Zionist organization, [5]ARZA/World Union, and is working strongly to
support religious pluralism for all Jewish movements in Israel.
Although Classical Reform was opposed to Zionism, modern Reform is
very strong in its support of the State of Israel. This is made clear
in the [6]1999 Statement of Principles
([7]http://www.ccarnet.org/platforms/principles.html), which says:
* We are committed to (Medinat Yisrael), the State of Israel, and
rejoice in its accomplishments. We affirm the unique qualities of
living in (Eretz Yisrael), the land of Israel, and encourage
(aliyah), immigration to Israel.
* We are committed to a vision of the State of Israel that promotes
full civil, human and religious rights for all its inhabitants and
that strives for a lasting peace between Israel and its neighbors.
* We are committed to promoting and strengthening Progressive
Judaism in Israel, which will enrich the spiritual life of the
Jewish state and its people.
Subject: Question 18.4.16: Fallacy: Reform Jews have no concept of the
Messiah
Answer:
Although Reform does not hold with the concept of a personal messiah,
it does hold with the concept of a messianic age.
Subject: Question 18.4.17: Fallacy: Reform Jews do not observe Shabbat
Answer:
Gates of the Seasons, the American Reform Movement's guide to the
Jewish Year, views Shabbat as a unique Jewish contribution to
civilization, and a central activity to surviving the forces of
assimilation and corruption. As such, it calls out the following
mitzvot for Reform Jews:
A-1
The Mitzvah of Shabbat Observance
It is a mitzvah for every Jew, single or married, young or old,
to observe Shabbat. The unique status of Shabbat is
demonstrated by its being the only one of the holy days to be
mentioned in the Ten Commandments. ... Shabbat observance
involves both positive and negative mitzvot, i.e., doing and
refraining from doing.
A-2
The Mitzvah of Joy
IT is a mitzvah to take delight in Shabbat observance, as
Isaiah said, "You shall call Shabbat a deligh". Oneg implies
celebration and relaxation, sharing time with loved ones,
enjoying the beauty of nature, eating a leisurely meal made
special with conviviality and song, visiting with friends and
relatives, taking a leisurely stroll, reading, and listening to
music.
A-3
The Mitzvah of Sanctification
It is a mitzvah to hallow Shabbat by setting it apart from the
other days of the week. ... Shabbat must be distinguished from
the other days of the week so that those who observe it may be
transformed by its holiness.
A-4
The Mitzvah of Rest
It is a mitzvah to rest on Shabbat. However, Shabbat rest
(menuchah) implies much more than refraining from work. The
concept of Shabbat rest includes both physical relaxation and
tranquility of mind and spirit. On Shabbat, one deliverately
turns away from weekday pressures and activities.
A-5
The Mitzvah of refraining from work
It is a mitzvah to refrain from work on Shabbat...Abstinence
from work is a major expression of Shabbat observance; however,
it is no simple matter to define work today. Certain activities
that some do to earn a living, others do for relaxation or to
express their creativity. Clearly, though, one should avoid
one's normal occupation or profession on Shabbat whenever
possible and engage only in those types of activities that
enhance the joy, rest, and holiness of the day.
See Gates of the Seasons for additional details. Note support for
Shabbat is also in the [5]1999 Statement of Principles
([6]http://www.ccarnet.org/platforms/principles.html), which says:
We bring Torah into the world when we seek to sanctify the times
and places of our lives through regular home and congregational
observance. Shabbat calls us to bring the highest moral values to
our daily labor and to culminate the workweek with (kedushah),
holiness, (menuchah), rest and (oneg), joy.
Subject: Question 18.4.18: Fallacy: Reform Jews ignore the laws of Kashrut
Answer:
[The following is based on Kashrut: A Reform Point of View in Gates of
Mitzvah]
Gates of Mitzvah, a guide to mitzvot in a Reform context, states
regarding Kashrut:
Many Reform Jews observe certain traditional disciplines as part of
their attempt to establish a Jewish home and life style. For some,
traditional Kashrut will enhance the sanctity of the home and be
observed as a mitzvah; for some, a degreee of kashrut (e.g., the
avoidance of pork products and/or shellfish) may be meaningful; and
sill others may find nothing of value in kashrut. However, the fact
that kashrut was an essential feature of Jewish life for som any
centuries should motivate the Jewish family to study it and to
consider whether or not it may enhance the sanctity of their home.
The basic Reform philosophy is that it is a Reform Jew's
responsibility to study and consider kashrut so as to develop a valid
personal position. For although "classic" Reform Judaism did reject
kashrut (as noted in the [5]Pittsburgh Platform of 1885,
[6]http://www.ccarnet.org/platforms/pittsburgh.html), it did not
prevent Reform Jews and Reform congregations from adopting and
observing the dietary laws. The reasons for observing the laws by
Reform Jews varied, from a desire to allow a wide variety of Jews to
share in celebrations, to deeper meanings.
In attempting to evolve a position on Kashrut, a Reform Jew has
several options, for example, abstention from pork/shellfish products,
not mixing meat and milk, etc. They might observe the laws at home,
but not when eating out, or they might observe them all the time. They
might eat only Kosher meat, or might become vegetarians in consonance
with the principle of tzaar baalei chayim--prevention of pain or
cruelty to animals. The range of options is from full observance to
total nonobservance.
The Torah commands Jews to observe the dietary laws as a means of
making it kadosh--holy. Holiness has the dual sense of inner hallowing
and outer separateness. There are many reasons that Reform Jews adopt
some form of Kashrut:
1. Identification and solidarity with worldwide Judaism
2. The ethical discipline of avoiding certain foods or limiting one's
appetite because of the growing scarcity of food in parts of the
world.
3. The avoidance of certain foods traditionally obnoxious to Jews,
providing a sense of identification with past generations and
their struggle to remain Jews.
4. The authority of ancient biblical and rabbinic injunctions.
5. The desire to have a home in which any Jew can eat.
One or more of these reasons (or perhaps another reason) might lead a
Reform Jew to adopt some form of Kashrut. Others might still choose to
not observe Kashrut. But given the central nature of Kashrut to
traditional practice, Reform Jews are encouraged to study it and
consider carefully whether it would add kedushah, sanctity, to their
home and their lives.
Subject: Question 18.4.19: Fallacy: Reform rejects most of Maimonides 13
Principles of Faith
Answer:
A common claim is the Reform rejects most of Maimonides 13 Principles
of Faith. The real answer is: "It depends how you look at it". In some
interpretations, Reform accepts many of the articles. In other
interpretations, Reform does not. Part of this is due to the freedom
of belief and practice that characterizes Reform Judaism.
In examining this question, it is worth exploring why the question is
relevant at all. According to "The Jewish Encylopedia", Judaism cannot
be said to possess "Articles of Faith", as is found in Christianity or
Islam. The encylopedia notes that: Many attempts have indeed been made
at systematizing and reducing to a fixed phraseology and sequence the
contents of the Jewish religion. But these have always lacked the one
essential element: authoritative sanction on the part of a supreme
ecclesiastical body. And for this reason they have not been recognized
as final or regarded as of universally binding force. Though to a
certain extent incorporated in the liturgy and utilized for purposes
of instruction, these formulations of the cardinal tenets of Judaism
carried no greater weight than that imparted to them by the fame and
scholarship of their respective authors.
Acceptance of Maimonides's Thirteen Principles of Faith is not
required by halakha, and in fact prominent Jewish authorities both
before and after Maimonides have offered a number of different
formulations of the principles of Jewish faith. The successors of
Maimonides, from the thirteenth to the fifteeneth century--Nahmanides
, Abba Mari ben Moses, Simon ben Zemah, Du ran, Isaac Arama, and
Joseph Jaabez--reduced his thirteen articles to three: Belief in G-d;
Creation (or revelation); and in providence/retribution.
Others, like Crescas and David ben Samuel Estella, spoke of seven
fundmental articles, laying stress on free-will. David ben Yom-Tob ibn
Bilia, in his "Yesodot ha- Maskil" (Fundamentals of the Thinking Man),
adds to the thirteen of Maimonides thirteen of his own. Yedaiah
Penini, in the last chapter of his "Behinat ha-Dat," enumerated no
less than thirty-five cardinal principles.
In the fourteenth century Asher ben Jehiel of Toledo raised his voice
against the Maimonidean Articles of Faith, declaring them to be only
temporary, and suggested that another be added to recognize that the
Exile is a punishment for the sins of Israel. Isaac Abravanel, his
"Rosh Amanah," took the same attitude towards Maimonides' creed. While
defending Maimonides against Hasdai and Albo, he refused to accept
dogmatic articles for Judaism, holding, with all the cabalists, that
the 613 commandments of the Law are all tantamount to Articles of
Faith.
However, note that while no one formulation of a creed is accepted by
all, certain elements of faith are accepted by all traditional sources
and considered binding by traditional movements: the existence of one
G-d, divine revelation of Torah on Sinai and others.
That said, here is one interpretation of how Reform addresses the
"Articles of Faith":
1. G-d exists and the existance transcends time.
Reform agrees with this. The 1999 Statement of Principles says:
"We affirm the reality and oneness of G-d, even as we may differ
in our understanding of the Divine presence."
2. G-d is one and there is nothing like G-d.
Reform agrees with this. As the previous quote from the statement
of principles said: "We affirm the ...oneness of G-d".
3. G-d has no semblance and is bodiless.
Reform does not dictate a form for G-d, noting (as in the previous
quote from the Statement of Principles): "[We] may differ in our
understanding of the Divine presence." For almost all Reform Jews,
G-d is treated as without semblance or body.
4. The existance of G-d preceeded creation.
Reform doctrine does not contradict this statement.
5. G-d is eternal and prayer should be directed to G-d
Reform agrees with this. The fact that prayer should be directed
to G-d is captured in the 1999 Statement of Principles in the line
"We respond to G-d daily: through public and private prayer...".
The statement makes no statements, but does not contradict, the
eternal nature of G-d. It does state: "We trust in our tradition's
promise that, although G-d created us as finite beings, the spirit
within us is eternal."
6. G-d communicated with prophets
Reform agrees with this, as it holds with divine inspiration.
7. The prophecy of Moses was true, and that he was the chief of all
prophets, both those before him and those after him.
Reform agrees (in some sense) with the first clause, but has
replaced the second clause ("chief of all the prophets") with the
theory of Progressive Revelation. For Reform Jews, the prophecy of
Moses was not the highest degree of prophecy; rather his was the
first in a long chain of progressive revelations in which mankind
gradually began to understand the will of G-d better and better.
As such, the laws of Moses are held as strongly binding as they
are in traditional movements, and it is today's generation that
must assess what G-d wants of them. This view has been affirmed
from classic Reform to the present (Gunther Plaut, Eugene
Borowitz, Walter Jacobs, etc.)
8. The entire Torah now in our hands is the same one that was given
to Moses.
Whereas traditional Jews view the Written Torah as the same that
Moses taught, for practical purposes, plus or minus scribal
errors, Reform (as well as Conservative and Reconstructionist
Jews) take a different approach. These liberal movements accept
the results of biblical scholarship, and archeological and
linguistic research. They accept that the core of the Torah may
indeed have come from Moses, but that the document that we have to
today has been edited together from several documents, and assumed
the final form that we know in the time of Ezra (about 440 BCE).
9. G-d will never change Torah.
Reform actually agrees with this. However, Reform believes that
what was written was expressed in the language/context of its
time, and must be reinterpretated for the language/context of
today. Hence, Torah doesn't change, but our interpretation and
understanding of it does. This is captured in the 1999 Statement
of Principles in the line: "We cherish the truths revealed in
Torah, G-d's ongoing revelation to our people and the record of
our people's ongoing relationship with G-d."
10. G-d knows humanity's thoughts and deeds
Reform's High Holy Day liturgies retain these concepts. In the
past, Reform has removed from the liturgy those concepts that are
incompatible with Reform (such as the nature of the Messiah).
Hence, this concept remains compatible with Reform.
11. G-d rewards and punishes
Reform's High Holy Day liturgies retain these concepts, leading to
the conclusion that this concept remains compatible with Reform.
12. G-d will send a messiah.
Reform holds with a concept of a messianic age, as opposed to an
individual. The traditional messianic notion is not part of
Reform.
13. G-d will revive the dead.
In the literalist interpretation, this is not a Reform belief.
However, Reform does hold with alternate approaches to fulfilling
the underlying prophesies.
Subject: Question 18.5.1: Traditional Judaism Differences: Why does Reform
liturgy say "m'chayey hakol" [who gives life to all] instead of
m'chayey meytim" [who gives life to the dead] ?
Answer:
There are individual Reform Jews who believe in resurrection "m'chayey
meytim". However, the Reform movement does not have any creed which
would require such a belief. By changing m'chayey meytim to the more
generic m'chayey ha-kol, the prayer becomes equivocal. This allows the
believer in resurrection to understand the prayer as resurrection
while allowing those with the more conventional Reform belief to
relate to the prayer with intellectual integrity.
Note that, in the United Kingdom, the Union of Liberal and Progressive
Synagogues has produced a new prayerbook, Siddur Lev Chadash. This
prayerbook has reverted to Mechayeh hamaytim. Rabbi Andrew Goldstein,
who was on the editorial committee, tried to explain it as a new
understanding of the Amidah prayer as covering all life, including
death, and the reintroduction as a way of reverting to a tradition,
having spent many years disassociating it from its traditional
feelings of a prayer for the dead.
Subject: Question 18.5.2: Traditional Judaism Differences: What other changes
to liturgy reflect Reform ideals?
Answer:
The Reform Movement has repeatedly revised the traditional liturgy, in
order to shorten the service by dispensing with some of the
repetitions (for example, there is only one reader's Kaddish), and to
bring the doctrinal content of the liturgy into accord with Reform
thought by omitting or recasting passages expressive of beliefs that
are not part of Reform (e.g., a personal Messiah as distinct from a
messianic age, ressurection of the dead, restoration of the
sacrificial cult, and the existance of angels).
As an example of this, consider the Shema and Tefillah. Traditionally,
the Shema consists of three Scriptural passages: Deut. 6.4-9, Deut.
11.13-21, and Num. 15:37-41. In Reform siddurs, the second paragraph
is often omitted because of the doctrine of retribution, and the third
because of the commandment regarding fringes. Reform does include Num.
15.40f. With respect to the Tefillah, there are more significant
changes. The Tefillah traditionally consists of 18 benedictions, to
which, perhaps in the 2nd or 3rd century CE, a 19th was added. It can
be broken into three parts: the first three benedictions, an
intermediate thirteen benedictions, and a final three benedictions.
These are traditionally said three times daily, and appear (in a
modified form) in the weekday service in the Reform siddur (although
most Reform congregations do not hold weekday services, there are
congregations and study groups that do, and hence, a service is
provided for them). On Shabbat and on festivals, only the first three
and the last three are said; the intermediate benedictions are
replaced by ones peculiar to the appropriate day.
First Grouping:
1.
The first benediction, Ancestors/Avot, is retained mostly
unchanged, except for referring to our fathers and our mothers.
Most Reform siddurs change the text to read "redemption"
instead of "a redeemer.". A recent trend has been to include
Sarah, Leah, Rachel, and Rebecca in addition to Abraham, Isaac,
and Jacob. This goes with the egalitarian nature of Reform.
2.
The second benediction, Powers/Gevurot, is amended to affirm
that God is the source of all life, and that God has implanted
within us eternal life. Traditionally, the main theme of this
benediction was resurrection of the dead, a doctrine not
accepted by Reform Judaism. These words were expressed in the
traditional siddur as "...and revivest the dead with great
mercy..". In the Reform prayerbook, this is changed to "...with
great compassion give life to all."
3.
The third benediction, Holiness of God/Kedushat Hashem, has
also been changed slightly. The Hebrew that might more
literally be rendered as "holy beings" (angels) has been
changed to "those who strive to be holy".
Intermediate Benedictions:
1-4.
The first (Understanding/Binah), second (Repentence/Teshuvah),
third (Forgiveness/Selichah), and fourth (Redemption/Ge-u-lah)
of the thirteen intermediate benedictions are retained,
although they are rendered in a gender-neutral language (that
is, God is referred to as a Soverign or a Ruler, as contrasted
to a Father or a King).
5.
The fifth intermediate benediction, Healing/Refuah, is changed
slightly. The traditional "who heals the sick of His people
Israel" is changed to "Healer of the sick", a potentially older
version found in J. Ber. 2.4 and Sifrei to Deut. 33.2. The
change was made because the older version is more
comprehensive.
6.
The sixth intermediate benediction, Blessing of the Years
(Abundance)/Birkat Hashanim, is also changed slightly: one
phrase ("Bless our year like other years") is omitted.
7.
The seventh intermediate benediction, Ingathering of the
Exiles/Kibbuts Galuyot, is rewritten. The Reform version begins
the same way as the traditional text, but in place of the
petition for the ingathering of the exiles goes on to emphasize
the hope for universal freedom. Thus, "...bring our exiles
together and assemble us from the four courners of the
earth..." becomes "...inspire us to strive for the liberation
of the oppressed, and let the song of liberty be heard in the
four corners of the earth..."
8.
The eight intermediate benediction, Justice/Birkat Mishpat, is
also rewritten. The first half, which traditionally voices the
hope for the restoration of Israel's judges, is reworded to
express the hope for universal justice (based on passages such
as Isa 40.23; Ps. 148.11; Joel 3.1; Zech 12.10, and so on). The
second half is almost identical with the traditional.
9.
The ninth intermediate benediction, a malediction against
slanderers or informers (originally heretics), is omitted.
10.
The tenth (traditional, ninth in Reform) intermediate
benediction, Blessing for the Righteous/Birkat Hatsadikim, is
abridged (i.e., "...upon the righteous and faithful of all
peoples, and upon all of us.")
11.
The eleventh (traditional, tenth in Reform) intermediate
benediction, Builder of Jerusalem/Bonei Yerushalayim, is
rewritten. Traditionally, this benediction beseeches God to
rebuild Jerusalem and to reestablish the Davidic monarchy.
Partly for doctrinal reasons, and partly because the
traditional theme is repeated by the subsequent benediction,
the Reform version is altered to be a prayer for the present
and continuing welfare of the land and people of Israel. The
Reform version also contains an allusion to the connection
between Zion and the messianic hope, expressed by a reference
to Zion and Jerusalem as the source of enlightenment to all
humanity.
12.
The twelfth (traditional, eleventh in Reform) intermediate
benediction, Blessing concerning David, Birkat David, is also
rewritten. In the Reform version, the hope for restoration of
the Davidic commonwealth is broadened into a concept of a
Messianic Age.
13.
The thirteenth (traditional, twelfth in Reform) intermediate
benediction, Who Harkens to Prayer/Shomei-a Tefillah, is
abridged.
Final three benedictions:
1.
The first of the last three benedictions, Worship/Avodah, is
modified. The traditional references to sacrificial worship are
omitted; instead, a throught on the theme of God's nearness to
all who seek God with sincerity is used.
2.
The second of the last three benedictions,
Thanksgiving/Hoda-ah, uses the complete text, but is rendered
in a gender-neutral fashion.
3.
The last of the three benedictions, the Priestly
Benediction/Birkat Kohanim, is retained relatively unchanged
from the traditional version, although some of the translations
are more freely done.
Subject: Question 18.5.3: Traditional Judaism Differences: Why does Reform
generally celebrate Rosh Hashanah for one day?
Answer:
In North America, some Reform congregations do observe two days; but
the general trend is to only observe one. Two days was the custom in
the diaspora, where it was difficult to determine with accuracy the
first day. Given current time determination techniques, most
congregations today observe only one day. A detailed explanation may
be found in Gates of Understanding II, page 26.
In Israel, the Progressive Movement observes two days, based on the
fact that the holiday is referred to as yamim nora'im, the days of
awe.
Subject: Question 18.5.4: Traditional Judaism Differences: How does a Reform
conversion differ from an Orthodox conversion?
Answer:
The biggest difference is implicit. Both conversions require
acceptance of the "yoke of the mitzvot"; that is, an agreement to live
as Jews in accordance with Torah (whether or not the specific phrase
is used). However, the interpretation of that phrase differs
substantially from Orthodoxy (where it implies acceptance of the
authority of Rabbinic law as well as all 613 commandments as written)
to Reform (where it is autonomy and choice based on study). The book
Conversion According to Reform Halakhah, published in 1990, says "[The
phrase] 'According to halakhah' means according to our Reform Jewish
tradition. Over the last two centuries we have developed a
considerable body of halakhah of our own. Some of it in the form of
books of guidance (S. B. Freehof Reform Jewish Practice; P. Knobel
Gates of Mitzvah among others); through statements made at synods and
conferences (W. G. Plaut The Rise of Reform Judaism; M. Meyer Response
to Modernity), and through more than a thousand responsa written by
Solomon B. Freehof and [others]. There is therefore a Reform tradition
which has been expressed in an expanding halakhah."
Other than that, Reform has different requirements for witnesses.
Reform in the United States does not require ritual immersion, and
does not mandate b'rit mila for males (although it is strongly
recommended); Reform outside of the United States requires both
milah/hatafah and tevilah, and tends to be more traditional in
general.
Subject: Question 18.6.1: The Rabbinate: How does one become a Reform Rabbi?
Answer:
While there are several small seminaries whose rabbis claim to be
Reform, the following applies only to becoming a part of the Central
Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR).
Study for the Reform Rabbinate is typically done at the [5]Hebrew
Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR)
([6]http://huc.edu), although one could also become a Conservative or
Reconstructionist Rabbi and then petition to join the Reform
Rabbinate. There are also foreign Reform Seminaries, such as Leo
Baeck, whose ordinations are acceptable to the CCAR.
HUC-JIR was founded in 1875 in Cincinnati Ohio, and is the oldest
rabbinical seminary in the United States ordaining rabbis to serve the
Reform movement and the Jewish community. It was founded by Rabbi
Isaac M. Wise, who also established UAHC (1873) and CCAR (1889). In
1922, Rabbi Stephen S Wise founded the Jewish Institute of Religion in
New York, which merged with HUC in 1950. The Los Angeles campus
(located next to USC) was opened in 1954, and the Jerusalem ISRAEL
branch was established in 1963. The Jerusalem branch serves as the
center for study of Biblical Archaeology. Thus, there are now [7]four
campuses (see [8]http://huc.edu/campuses.html for specific addresses).
HUC-JIR's Rabbinic School has a five-year program of full-time
graduate study leading to the degree of Master of Arts in Hebrew
Letters (MAHL) and ordination. The sequence is as follows:
1. Have an accredited bachelor's degree from a quality school, with a
B to B+ average and high GRE scores. Apply to HUC-JIR; 34 to 45
students over all 3 US campuses are admitted annually. The
admissions process also includes interviews and psychological
evaluation. All candidates seeking admission to the
College-Institute's Rabbinic School, School of Sacred Music and
Rhea Hirsch School of Education, will be expected to have
successfully completed a minimum of one academic year of
college-level Hebrew or its equivalent.
2. If accepted at HUC-JIR, the path to ordination is as follows:
1. One year in Israel in which one attends the Jerusalem campus.
Study includes Biblical Hebrew, Modern Hebrew, archeology,
and immersion in Israeli culture. [This year is occasionally
waived for those who can demonstrate fluency in the language
and texts.]
2. Four years at one of the USA campuses in NYC, LA, or
Cincinnati. Note: LA does not ordain. Those attending the LA
campus must transfer after two years either to NYC or
Cincinnati. [Occasionally, the 4 years can be compressed to 3
years if the person can exempt enough courses.] This course
of study includes Bible, Midrash, Talmud, Codes, Homiletics,
History, Education, Liturgy, Philosophy, Human Relations,
Hebrew, and Aramaic.
3. Internship: Serve a congregation (usually small solo pulpits
that can't afford full-time rabbis) for at least one year.
3. Degree awarded: Master of Hebrew Letters (usually after the 4th
year) and ordination after the 5th year.
For more information, you can write directly to HUC-JIR at one of the
following addresses:
National Office of Admission Office of Admissions
HUC-JIR HUC-JIR, Brookdale Center
3101 Clifton Avenue One West 4th Street
Cincinnati OH 45220 New York NY 10012
USA USA
Office of Admissions Office of Admissions
HUC-JIR HUC-JIR
3077 University Avenue 13 King David Street
Los Angeles CA 90007 Jerusalem
USA ISRAEL
Subject: Question 18.6.2: The Rabbinate: What is the course of study for the
Rabbinate?
Answer:
Biblical Hebrew, Modern Hebrew, archeology, Israeli culture, Bible,
Midrash, Talmud, Codes, Homiletics, History, Education, Liturgy,
Philosophy, Human Relations, Hebrew, Aramaic.
There are also courses in professional development: working in a
professional setting, education principles and techniques, the
principles of counseling, making hospital calls, helping people with
crisis.
Specific information on the rabbinic program and admissions can be
found at [5]http://www.huc.edu/catalog/rab.html,
Subject: Question 18.6.3: The Rabbinate: How does one become a Reform Cantor?
Answer:
Cantors in the Reform Movement are trained by [5]HUC-JIR's School of
Sacred Music (SSM), established in New York in 1948. SSM's campus is
adjacent to NYU, and offers the degree of Master of Sacred Music (MSM)
to students who, upon graduation, receive formal investiture as Cantor
and are eligible for membership in the [6]American Conference of
Cantors.
In order to be accepted to the SSM, applicants must demonstrate:
Musical Competence:
A trained singing voice, an undergraduate degree (preferrably a
BA with a major in music), competency in sight reading, ear
training, keyboard harmony, and music theory.
Hebrew Competence.
All cantorial students are expected to have completed at least
one year of college Hebrew. All candidates participate in the
first-year Hebrew immersion program at the HUC-JIR campus in
Jerusalem.
Personal characteristics.
Candidates for admission are expected to be committted Jews and
to possses the necessary character and personality traits. They
should enjoy public performance, engaging others in the act of
worship, teaching adults and children, and dedicated to a life
of learning and discovery.
To apply, applicants require a autobiographical perspective on their
life and the reasons for selecting the cantorate in addition to the
usual transcripts, references, and medical forms. The process also
includes an audition and a formal interview, as well as a
psychological assessment. Information on the program can be found at
[7]http://www.huc.edu/catalog/smny.html
Subject: Question 18.6.4: The Rabbinate: What is the course of study for
cantors?
Answer:
The course of study is four years. The first year is in Jerusalem, and
involves 18 hours per week of Hebrew instruction. There are also
classes that introduce classical texts. Students also study
cantillation, the Jewish Choral literature, and the liturgical modes
on which traditional Nusach is based.
In years two through four, there is indepth study of the year and life
cycle musical liturgy, as well as the history, structure, and theology
of the liturgy. The Reform musical heritage is studied, as well as
study of art music in Ladino, Yiddish, and Hebrew; the art and content
of Jewish concert programming; music for all ages in the religious
school. There is also study of Judaica: the traditional Jewish texts
in light of the scientific investigation of modern times. There is
study of theology: Buber, Kaplan, Heschel, Rosenzweig, and others.
There is study of history: talmudic, medieval, or modernity. There are
also coures in professional development: working in a professional
setting, education principles and techniques, teaching and integration
of music, organizing and directing volunteer choirs, the principles of
counseling, making hospital calls, helping people with crisis. In the
second and third years, students also have fieldwork opportunities.
For more information, write:
HUC-JIR Brookdale Center
School of Sacred Music
Office of the Director
One West 4th Street
New York NY 10012
USA
Information on the program may be found on the web at
[5]http://www.huc.edu/catalog/smny.html.
Subject: Question 18.6.5: The Rabbinate: What other courses of study are
available?
Answer:
In Los Angeles, the HUC-JIR Irwin Daniels School of Jewish Communal
Service offers the following programs:
1. DOUBLE MASTERS
+ Master of Arts in Jewish Communal Service and Master of
Social Work (24 months, 90 credits). Joint with USC or
Washington Univ, St. Louis)
+ Master of Arts in Jewish Communal Service and Master of
Public Admin. (24 months, 82 credits)
+ Master of Arts in Jewish Communal Service and Master of
Science in Gerontology (24 months, 86 credits)
+ Master of Arts in Jewish Communal Service and Communications
Management (24 months, 82 credits)
2. SINGLE MASTERS
+ Master of Arts in Jewish Communal Service (54 credits). A
concentration in synagogue management is also available.
3. JOINT MASTERS
+ Master of Arts in Jewish Communal Service and Master of Arts
in Jewish Education (24 months, 110 credits)
+ Master of Arts in Jewish Communal Service and Master of Arts
in Judaic Studies (24 months, 110 credits)
The two programs above also require a year's residency in Israel.
Courses in these programs include the Jewish Family and Jewish
Community; Jewish Communal Institutes; Biblical and Rabbinic Sources;
Jewish History; Fund Raising and Financial Resource Development;
Trends in Modern Judaism; Contemporary Jewish Isuses; the Development
of the American Synagogue; Management Information Systems; Organizing
and Facilitating Support Groups; Understanding Communal Themes Through
Traditional Sources; Leadership and Organizational Management;
Planning, Allocating, and Decision Making in the Jewish Community;
Fiscal Management; Jewish Components of Community Practics; Jewish
Social and Political Policy; Boundaries of Normative Jewish Behavior;
and other similar courses.
Graduates of these programs work in federations, centers, Jewish
family services, camps, Bureaus of Jewish education, congragations,
etc.
For those interested in education, the HUC-JIR Rhea Hirsch School of
Education offers a course of study designed for those interested in
careers in Jewish education.
For information on either of these programs, write to:
HUC-JIR
3077 University Avenue
Los Angeles CA 90007-3796
In addition, the Cincinatti branch of HUC-JIR is home for the School
of Graduate Stuides, which is a leading center for study and research
in the areas of the Bible, ancient Near Eastern languages, Hellenistic
studies, Jewish religious thought, philosophy and history. For more
information, write:
HUC-JIR
3101 Clifton Avenue
Cincinnati OH 45220
USA
Information on all of HUCs programs can be found at
[5]http://www.huc.edu/catalog/progs.html
Subject: Question 18.6.6: The Rabbinate: Can Reform Rabbis be sanctioned for
their beliefs?
Answer:
No. There is no ideological sanction process in the CCAR, although
some in the CCAR would like to institute one for rabbis who
co-officiate with Christian clergy at weddings. Of course, there is
always the community. Rabbis usually have beliefs in congruence with
the congregation or community that continues to pay their contract. In
congregations, belief differences often lead to heated temple board
meetings, and potentially, the Rabbi moving to a different community.
Subject: Question 18.7.1: For Further Information: How do I contact the main
organizations in Reform Judaism?
Answer:
In North America:
[5]Union of American Hebrew Congregations
[6]Central Conference of American Rabbis
838 Fifth Street
New York NY 10021-7064
+1 212 249 0100
A list of regional offices may be found at
[7]http://uahc.org/offices.html.
[8]World Union for Progressive Judaism
838 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10021
phone: (212)650-4090
fax: (212)650-4099
[9]Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion
HUC-JIR HUC-JIR, Brookdale Center
3101 Clifton Avenue One West 4th Street
Cincinnati OH 45220 New York NY 10012
USA USA
+1 513 221-1875 +1 212 674 5300
HUC-JIR HUC-JIR
3077 University Avenue 13 King David Street
Los Angeles CA 90007 94101 Jerusalem
USA ISRAEL
+1 213 749 3424 +972 2 232 444
In the United Kingdom:
[10]Union of Liberal and Progressive Synagogues (ULPS)
The Montague Centre
21 Maple Street
London, W1P 6DS
ENGLAND
+1 0171-580-1663 (Voice)
+1 0171-436-4184 (FAX)
[11]http://www.ulps.org/
[12]Reform Synagogues of Great Britain ([13]http://www.refsyn.org.uk)
In Australia and New Zealand: The [14]Australian and New Zealand Union
for Progressive Judaism ([15]http://www.anzupj.com.au).
Subject: Question 18.7.2: For Further Information: How do I find a Reform
congregation?
Answer:
If you are in Northern America and have web access, visit the UAHC web
page, where you will find a [5]congregation list at
[6]http://www.uahcweb.org/conglist.html. Otherwise, contact your local
[7]regional council ([8]http://www.uahcweb.org/offices.html).
Outside of North America, contact the [9]World Union for Progressive
Judaism ([10]http://rj.org/wupj). They will be happy to provide the
names and addresses of synagogues anywhere in the world in response to
inquiries. In those places where there may be no liberal synagogue,
they will be happy to send whatever information they have, from other
sources. Please contact their office, preferably by mail, fax or
e-mail, at:
World Union for Progressive Judaism
838 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10021
phone: (212)650-4090
fax: (212)650-4099
Subject: Question 18.7.3: For Further Information: Are there any Reform
Rabbis on the network who will answer questions?
Answer:
Yes. First, the Union of American Hebrew Congregations operates a
service called "Ask the Rabbi". It invites visitors to the [5]UAHC
website to pose questions about Judaism and Jewish life to be answered
by a rabbi, or cantor or Jewish educator. It was initiated by the
UAHC-CCAR Joint Commission on Synagogue Affiliation, and its
realization was coordinated by Jonah Pesner, and is administered by
Larry Raphael of the UAHC Department of Adult Jewish Growth.
Additionally, here is a list of Rabbis willing to answer questions:
Rabbi Herbert Brockman <[6]Ravtzvi@aol.com>
Congregation Mishkan Israel, Hamden CT, USA
Rabbi Michael Feshbach <[7]RABBIF@Aol.Com>
Temple Shalom, Chevy Chase, MD, USA
Rabbi Mark Glickman <[8]mglickman@foxinternet.net>
Temple Israel, Dayton, Ohio, USA
Rabbi Mark Aaron Kline <[9]RabbiMarc@aol.com>
Beth Israel Congregation, Florence, South Carolina, USA
Rabbi Howard Jaffe <[10]HLJaffe@Aol.Com>
Mtn. Jewish Comm. Ctr., Warren, New Jersey, USA
Rabbi Arthur Nemitoff <[11]rabbi@templeisrael.org>
Temple Israel of Columbus, Columbus, Ohio, USA
Rabbi Kerry Olitzky <[12]olitzky@huc.edu>
[13]Hebrew Union College
Rabbi Harry Rosenfeld <[14]JSHLR@Acad1.Alaska.Edu>
Cong. Beth Shalom, Anchorage, Alaska, USA
Rabbi John Sherwood <[15]rabjms@earthlink.net>
Rabbi Emeritus, Temple Emet, Woodland Hills, California, USA
Rabbi Don Weber <[16]75065.263@Compuserve.Com>
Temple Rodeph Torah, West Monmouth, New Jersey, USA
Rabbi Stephen Weisman <[17]sweisman@s850.mwc.edu>
Fredricksburg, Virginia, USA
Rabb Jim Egolf <[18]RavJim@aol.com>
Congregation Beth Shalom of the Woodlands, Texas, USA
Reform rabbis who want to be added to this list should contact the FAQ
maintainer at [19]maintainer@scjfaq.org.
Subject: Question 18.7.4: For Further Information: How do I start the
conversion process?
Answer:
This varies from place to place and rabbi to rabbi. Most larger cities
have a community class. Smaller cities rely on the rabbi. In any case,
contact the rabbi at your congregation or a local congregation. If
there is no rabbi contact the local congregation and they will put you
in touch with someone.
If you need help, or are unsure about walking into the synagogue,
there are some rabbis on the net who will be glad to talk to you about
this important step. You can contact any of the rabbis listed in
[5]18.7.3 above; in particular, you might want to contact Rabbi Arthur
Nemitoff <[6]apn@shore.net>. Rabbi Nemitoff is the immediate past
chair of the CCAR Committee on Conversion and a member of the
UAHC/CCAR Commission on Reform Jewish Outreach. He can also be reached
at:
Temple Ohabei Shalom
1187 Beacon Street
Brookline, Massachusetts, 02146 USA
617-277-6610 Voice-synagogue
617-277-7881 FAX
Another rabbi who has expressed interested in talking to individuals
interested in conversion is Rabbi John Sherwood
<[7]rabjms@earthlink.net>. Rabbi Sherwood is Past President of the San
Fernando Valley Interfaith Council, and has been an adjunct professor
at St. John's Roman Catholic Seminary teaching a graduate course on
Judaism to men studying for the priesthood. He is also the author of a
curriculum for Introduction to Judaism. Another resource is Rabbi Don
Weber <[8]75065.263@compuserve.com>, +1 908 972-2595. Rabbi Weber is
on the UAHC Regional Outreach Committee, and has spoken on conversion
at HUC and at meetings of the Reform Rabbinate. He is a member of the
NJARR beit din, and says that he follows quite traditional practices
regarding conversion.
Subject: Question 18.7.5: For Further Information: I'd like to do some
further reading. Where do I start?
Answer:
The best place to start is with the [5]Reform Reading List, available
at [6]http://www.scjfaq.org/rl/jlu-index.html
Subject: How do I obtain copies of the FAQ?
Answer:
There are a number of different ways to obtain copies of the FAQ:
* WWW. If you are reading this on Usenet, and would like to see an
online, hyperlinked version, go visit [2]http://www.scjfaq.org/.
This is the "web" version of the FAQ; the version posted to Usenet
is generated from the web version. Note that the www.scjfaq.org
version is a copy of the actual master version; if you want to
access the master, visit [3]http://master.scjfaq.org/.
* Email. Scjfaq.org also provides an autoretriever that allows one
to obtain a copy of the FAQ by return Email. To use the
autoretriever, you send a retrieval request to
[4]archives@scjfaq.org with the request in the body of the
message. A more reliable way to retrieve these files is through
the [5]FAQ autoretriever
([6]http://www.mljewish.org/bin/autoresp.cgi). For the FAQ, the
request has the form:
send faq partname
For the reading list, the request has the form:
send rl partname
"Partname" is replaced by the name of the part, as shown in the
general index. The following is a short summary of the mapping to
partnames for the FAQ:
+ [7]01-FAQ-intro: Section [8]1: Network and Newsgroup
Information.
+ [9]02-Who-We-Are: Section [10]2: Who We Are
+ [11]03-Torah-Halacha: Sections [12]3, [13]4: Torah; Halachic
Authority
+ [14]04-Observance: Sections [15]5, [16]6, [17]7, [18]8:
Jewish Holidays; Jewish Dietary Law and Kashrut; Sabbath and
Holiday Observance; Woman and Marriage
+ [19]05-Worship: Sections [20]9, [21]10, [22]11: Jewish
Worship; Conversion, Intermarriage, and "Who is a Jew?";
Miscellaneous Practice Questions
+ [23]06-Jewish-Thought: Section [24]12: Jewish Thought
+ [25]07-Jews-As-Nation: Section [26]13: Jews as a Nation
+ [27]08-Israel: Section [28]14: Jews and Israel
+ [29]09-Antisemitism: Sections [30]15, [31]16, [32]17: Churban
Europa (The Holocaust); Antisemitism and Rumors about Jews;
Countering Missionaries
+ [33]10-Reform: Section [34]18: Reform/Progressive Judaism
+ [35]11-Miscellaneous: Sections [36]19, [37]20: Miscellaneous;
References and Getting Connected
+ [38]12-Kids: Section [39]21: Jewish Childrearing Related
Questions
+ [40]mail-order: Mail Order Judaica
The following is a short summary of the mapping of partnames for
the Reading Lists:
+ [41]general: Introduction and General. Includes book sources,
starting points for beginners, starting points for non-Jewish
readers, General Judaism, General Jewish Thought, General
Jewish History, Contemporary Judaism, Noachide Laws, Torah
and Torah Commentary, Talmud and Talmudic Commentary,
Mishnah, Midrash, Halachic Codes, Becoming An Observant Jew,
Women and Judaism, and Science and Judaism.
+ [42]traditional: Traditional Liturgy, Practice, Lifestyle,
Holidays. Includes Traditional Liturgy; Traditional
Philosophy and Ethics; Prayer; Traditional Practice; The
Household; Life, Death, and In-Between; and The Cycle Of
Holidays.
+ [43]mysticism: Kabbalah, Mysticism, and Messianism. Includes
Academic and Religious treatments of Kabbalah, Sprituality,
and the Jewish notion of the Messiah.
+ [44]reform: Reform/Progressive Judaism
+ [45]conservative: Conservative Judaism
+ [46]reconstructionist: Reconstructionist Judaism
+ [47]humanistic: Humanistic Judaism (Society for Humanistic
Judaism)
+ [48]chasidism: Chassidism. Includes general information on
historical chassidism, as well as specific information on
Lubavitch (Chabad), Satmar, Breslaw (Breslov), and other
approaches.
+ [49]zionism: Zionism. Includes Zionism and The Development Of
Israel, The Founders, Zionistic Movements, and Judaism in
Israel.
+ [50]antisemitism: Antisemitism. Includes sections on
Antisemitism, What Led to The Holocaust, Medieval Oppression,
Antisemitism Today (Including Dealing with Hate Groups),
Judaism and Christianity, and Judaism, Freemasonry and other
rumors.
+ [51]intermarriage: Intermarriage. Includes sections on "So
You're Considering Intermarriage?", The Traditional
Viewpoint, Conversion, and Coping With Life As An
Intermarried.
+ [52]childrens: Books for Jewish Children. Includes sections
on Birth and Naming, Raising a Child, Family Guidebooks,
Upsheren, Bar/Bat Mitzvah, Confirmation, Holiday Books for
Children, Liturgy for Children, Bible and Torah for Children,
Jewish History for Children, Jewish Theology for Children,
Israel, Learning Hebrew, and Jewish Stories.
Alternatively, you may send a message to
[53]mail-server@rtfm.mit.edu with the following line in the body
of the message:
send usenet/news.answers/judaism/(portionname)
Where (portionname) is replaced by the appropriate subdirectory
and filenames; for example, to get the first part of the reading
list, one would say:
send usenet/news.answers/judaism/reading-lists/general
* Anonymous FTP: All portions of the FAQ and of the reading lists
are archived on [54]rtfm.mit.edu and are available for anonymous
FTP from the pub/usenet/news.answers/judaism/FAQ directory (URL
[55]ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.answers/judaism/FAQ/).
Similarly, the parts of the reading lists are stored in the
pub/usenet/news.answers/judaism/reading-lists directory (URL:
[56]ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.answers/judaism/reading-lis
ts). Note that the archived versions of the FAQ and reading lists
are the posted versions; that is, they are each one large ASCII
file.
Subject: Credits for the Reform/Progressive FAQ
The Reform FAQ portion of the S.C.J FAQ was developed and is
maintained by Daniel Faigin ([2]maintainer@scjfaq.org). Other
contributors include Nicholas Aleksander, J. T. Galkowski, Ruth
Heiges, Chris Newport, Tony Reese, Rabbi Harry Rosenfeld, Rabbi Ian
Morris, Rabbi Josh Segal, and Rabbi John Sherwood. This posting is
dedicated to Rabbi Mordecai Soloff ZT"L and Rabbi Alfred Wolf: two men
responsible for my committment to serious Reform Jewish.
Comments and corrections are welcome. Please send them to the
maintainer, [3]maintainer@scjfaq.org or [4]faigin@acm.org; do not post
them. Unlike other portions of the S.C.J FAQ, this posting does not
reflect the traditional viewpoint; it specifically reflects the
viewpoint of the Reform Movement of Judaism. However, to the best of
the maintainer's knowledge, the posting does not contain any "bashing"
of other Jewish movements.
A special thank you... Special thanks for her patience and
understanding go to my wife, Karen, who put up with me hiding at the
computer for the two months it took to complete the July/August 2000
remodel of the entire soc.culture.jewish FAQ and Reading Lists. If you
think the effort was worth it, drop her a note c/o
[5]maintainer@scjfaq.org.
------------------------------------------------------------
--
Please mail additions or corrections to me at faigin@pacificnet.net.
End of SCJ FAQ Part 10 (Reform) Digest
**************************
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