Shalom All,
This past month, Brian Cohen, Nancy Margulis, and I attended the Union for Reform Judaism’s Biennial convention in Washington, DC. This year we were celebrating the 150th Anniversary of our Union (originally the Union of American Hebrew Congregations), and much of the weekend was dedicated to looking at who we were when we started, how far we’ve come, and how different we are today.
At our core, Reform Judaism has always stood for an ethical, rational approach to religion. Our founders were just as taken with the Age of Enlightenment as our non-Jewish neighbors, and thought that science, education, and assimilation were the answers to peace and prosperity for all. Additionally, our American Reform leaders truly believed that North American was as good as, if not better than, “The Promised Land,” and so early Reform Jewish thought downplayed the need or even the desire to return to Israel.
We are a very different group today. We still value Jewish ethics, and have put them into practice as Social Justice warriors, Civil Rights champions, and Pursuers of Peace. We have been at the forefront of every righteous cause, and our Religious Action Center in DC has brought about real change in our society. We were the first to ordain women, the first to reach out to the inter-marrieds, the first to accept same-sex marriage, the first to ordain gays and lesbians and transgenders. Even our stance on Israel and our connection to world Jewry has changed, significantly. But so did the world. By the 1930s our movement was as vocal for support of a Jewish homeland as everyone else was. And following Israel’s founding we have given time, energy, and talent to help our people achieve their dreams.
The other area we have grown significantly is in worship. The early Reformers removed a lot from the Traditional service and prayerbook. They took out Hebrew, and repetitions, and seemingly meaningless rituals (like kashrut, kippot, a Bar Mitzvah). Today, much of this has found it’s way back. Our services are full of Hebrew and Tradition. Nearly all of our students prepare for a B’nai Mitzvah, and many of us wear kippot and tallit regularly.
Finally, at the end of the weekend, there was a special tribute for one our Movement’s greatest teacher and mentor, Rabbi Larry Hoffman. His students put together a special book in his honor, bringing together 34 of today’s best theologians and leaders to reflect on Rabbi Hoffman’s legacy and direction we are heading for the 21st Century. It’s a wonderful book that I’d like to use for Adult Ed this spring. I’d like to meet every other Tuesday, again, starting on January 23rd (in-person and over Zoom). The book is Communities of Meaning: Conversations on Modern Jewish Life Inspired by Rabbi Larry Hoffman, edited by Grushcow and Skloot. It’s available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and everywhere else.
Happy New Year everyone.
See you in 2024
Shalom,
Rabbi Todd