RJ Blog

by Lawrence J. Epstein I believe that the Reform Movement should adopt a binding system of moral mitzvot. Currently, individual members of the Movement decide for themselves which mitzvot to follow. A binding system of moral mitzvot would obligate Reform Jews to follow certain moral commandments independent of their personal views. Such an obligatory system would separate moral mitzvot from ritual ones, which are seen as customs or folkways of particular times rather than divine obligations. An obligatory system of moral mitzvot is true to the central ideas of Reform Judaism. It is derived from the basic founding ideas of [...]

During his trip to Houston earlier this month, Rabbi Rick Jacobs, president of the Union for Reform Judaism, sat down for an interview with Texas’s Jewish Herald-Voice. Here’s a quick excerpt: JHV: What sort of narrative, if any, drives the Reform Movement today? Jacobs: What drives our narrative is this incredible moment in Jewish history. We are currently the largest movement in Jewish life in the United States. What are we going to be as we go forward? The early founders of the movement articulated something so compelling, that there was a change and uniqueness to the Jewish narrative. It [...]

by Rabbi Yair D. Robinson Last Shabbat, we commemorated the birthday of someone very special. A red-headed and red-bearded rabbi, a scholar, a prince of the Reform Movement who is inarguably one of the most important Reform rabbis — nay, one of the most important rabbis, period — of North America. Amazingly, I’m not speaking about myself (though last Shabbat was my birthday, too), but rather of Isaac Mayer Wise, founder of the Reform Movement we take for granted, who was born March 29, 1819. Wise was a great publisher of scholarly texts, a Jewish paper, the American Israelite, still published [...]

By Rabbi Jan Katzew At the 100th anniversary celebration held in Cincinnati, OH, WRJ leaders were hosted for dinner at the American Jewish Archives. As we each were asked to introduce ourselves, I said that I felt it appropriate to bring another person into the room, someone not physically present, but whose presence helped to make the centenary celebration possible – Jane Evans. Everyone agreed. Jane was there. Jane Evans was my friend, and therefore, what follows is more memory than history, more of a subjective portrait than a verbal photograph. Jane was a diminutive giant. She was living proof [...]

Jews in Israel are given the opportunity to bring economic, social and political issues into the center of their religious consciousness. The moral quality of the army, social and economic disparities and deprivations, the exercise of power moderated by moral sensitivities, attitudes toward minorities, foreign workers, the stranger, tolerance and freedom of conscience – all these are areas that challenge our sense of covenantal responsibility. -Rabbi David Hartman My electoral activity has generally been limited to modest contributions, and voting. But a year or so ago I was convinced by the “Pluralism Lobby” to join one of the major parties, on [...]

There is an old Chinese saying: Women hold up half the sky. It would seem that, in this world view, women and their contributions to life are of equal importance to those of men. This does not really speak to the nature of those contributions, if they are the same or different efforts, but that they are equally valued and important to the survival of their community, and of the world. In this week’s Torah portion, Toldot, we can see that Biblical Judaism also embraced strong and necessary roles for women. In this portion, a pregnant Rebecca speaks to Adonai. [...]

by Steve Taub The High Holy Day season was not an easy time for my family this year, as my son passed away in January. Rosh HaShanah includes a Torah portion about a father who almost sacrifices his son; I would not have passed Abraham’s test. When my son died at the age of 17, I learned firsthand that there are times when there is no ram in the bushes. I also felt, firsthand, the embrace of a compassionate religion. So why is it that, these days, religion seems to be blamed for so much? Here’s what I can tell [...]

by Rabbi Donald Kunstadt Let’s talk about branding. There’s Apple, of course. Anything with an Apple logo on it is golden! You could take a regular computer, stick an Apple logo on it, and sell it for twice the price. How about Starbucks? When traveling Europe, my wife craved the familiar brand, where she could get an American cup of coffee – eight or 12 ounces of coffee instead of the typical five-ounce European. What about Mercedes-Benz? I can’t tell you if it’s really the best, as I’ve only owned a Ford, but the way most people associate the brand [...]

I share Dr. Charles Edelsberg’s trepidations about making predictions, especially when it comes to the curriculum – in its broadest sense – of Reform Jewish education. With dramatic changes underway in both the American and Jewish communal landscapes, it would seem folly to make statements for which one might be held accountable. And yet, because we are at a point in history when, as they say, “change is the new constant,” it is a question that must be addressed. Indeed all learning, and most especially Jewish learning, needs to be relevant to the student— from the very youngest to those [...]

by Robin Eisenberg Dr. Charles Edelsberg’s recent blog post begins with a statement about his being “wary of invitations to predict the future.” My sense is that much that is addressed in his post is not about the future: It is now! The points raised here can be heard in our congregational committee and staff meetings, as well as in parking lots and coffee shops. The recurring theme of Dr. Edelsberg’s post calls for those of us who are educational leaders, dedicated congregational leaders, and members of Reform congregations to radically adjust our mindset. He highlights the need to pay [...]

Imagine someone saying to you, “Your life is a do-over. You’ve got a clean slate.” That’s just what Billy Crystal says to a friend complaining of the waste of his life in the 1991 hit, City Slickers. Most of us, at one point or another, wish we could have that do-over. Well, in the Jewish calendar, God says to us, “Your life is a do-over.” If not exactly giving us a clean slate, the High Holy Days invite us at least to learn from the blessings as well as the errors of our past and start anew.

by Dr. Charles Edelsberg

I am wary of invitations to predict the future… of anything. While I am a longtime student of literature on the future of education, dating back nearly four decades to my public school days (when I frequently consulted the works of Marvin Cetron, Paul Ehrlich, John Naisbitt, and Alvin Toffler), I seem to have an uncanny knack for miscalculating what the future will bring. It has taken me years to learn to distinguish between fads and trends. It requires a great deal of careful study to separate out the pundits from the pontificators, an activity I take seriously. But I am no oracle. Thus comments I offer below are issued with a healthy dose of trepidation.

“You hurt me.” “I feel betrayed.” “How can I trust you?” As the High Holy Days draw near, questions of morality, goodness, justice, forgiveness began swirling round my psyche and my heart. I got married last May to a woman I love with all my being. We decided to invite only our closest family and friends to the wedding (in the local “Peace Park” bordered by cherry trees) and reception (catered by me in the sunlit home we love). We wished to spend connected, loving time with each of the 22 people who had been most instrumental in our lives. [...]

This past weekend, my wife Helene and I had a chance to see the Reform Movement at its best and got to do so while also listening to the Boston Symphony Orchestra play Mozart and Ravel. On Friday night, we went to Tanglewood (the summer home of the Boston Symphony  Orchestra on beautiful grounds in Lenox, MA). The concert started at 8:30. At 6:00pm, more than 100 Reform Jews had gathered on the Tanglewood lawn for a picnic supper, and at 7:30, for Shabbat services. Most of the attendees were congregants from Hevreh of the Southern Berkshires, a wonderful and [...]