In teaching a course on the American Jewish short story in my congregation's adult ed program, I regularly discussed the Jewish values that were expressed in the story. One of my brighter students (who had become Jewish as an adult) regularly remonstrated that those were not Jewish values, they were American values.

That's another example of the Jewish impact on American life. But it ties directly to Dr. Berkson's point -- we need to do a better job at connecting accepted values to their roots in Jewish texts. (Sort of like Moliere's character who had been talking prose all his life but hadn't known it.)

Maybe this is just a semantic quibble, but it's not just updating or Reforming the values, but connecting them to the Tradition. To get with the program as Dr. Berkson suggests, we have to help our clientele recognize that the values they hold dear came from Jewish sources. They'll be comfortable with that -- but whether those Jewish sources are Torah or Talmud, most couldn't care less.

I would agree with Larry that Reform Jewish values and American values are generally the same. For instance, the Liberty Bell is inscribed with the biblical quotation "Proclaim LIBERTY throughout all the Land unto all the Inhabitants thereof Lev. XXV X" In our Declaration of Independence our founding fathers wrote "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed." The Ten Commandments, were enacted into law (with the exception of the purely religious commandments). Moses as a lawgiver is on the frieze above the entrance to the Supreme Court and a symbol of the Ten Commandments is on the doors. The Pilgrims, who studied the Bible with Jews in Holland before coming to America, were heavily Old Testament oriented Christians. The prophetic concern for pursuit of justice, for helping the widows, orphans, and the less fortunate in society is part of American values. Americans are the people who are the most likely to volunteer to help others. They have been, through a combination of public and private action, among the most charitable in the world.

American values were instrumental in shaping Reform Judaism, as it began here in the early days of our republic, within the life time of some of the founders of our nation. The enlightenment shaped American values and Jewish values, for Americans could not cast aside their cherished political values at the temple door. The ideals of freedom and democracy were influential in Reform Jews making our religion congregational in nature, with decisions made by vote of the members of the congregation and control in the hand of the laymen rather than the rabbis. The willingness of Americans to reevaluate old laws and customs in devising a new system of government was an example followed by Jews in rethinking and reforming our religious practices and free ourselves from what they saw as the outdated and sometimes harmful dictates of the Talmud. Reform Jews viewed man made laws as changeable by man, no matter how long they had been established. American Jews, particularly Reform Jews, have been successful in integrating into American society (speaking the same language, wearing the same clothes, living in the same neighborhoods, attending schools together, belonging to civic and social organizations together).

Both Reform Judaism and America have fought corruption, here and abroad, while other countries and people simply accept it as part of business or part of life.

Both Reform Jews and America have raised the status of women and accorded them both power and respect.

Both America and Reform Jews have a warm spot in their hearts for the Holy Land. No country has protected, and contributed to the welfare of Israel like the United States.

Last year our synagogue's religious school curriculum featured lessons on "Midot," key values like Shmiat HaOzen (being a good listener) and Shalom Bayit (peace in the home). Aware that virtually the same list of "values" is posted in my children's secular school classroom every year, it seemed like a great opportunity to make the point that these familiar and precious ideas are actually Jewish ideas--how great is that!

So it was disappointing that lessons seemed to emphasize learning the names of the values, and of course how to enact them, but left out any meaningful discussion of what makes these concepts Jewish to begin with, or how these essentially Jewish ideas have become a part of the world around us--or the ways in which these important Jewish values are in tension with secular values we encounter every day.

Equally disappointing was the missed opportunity to connect the dots for parents, many of whom struggle with their own Jewish identity and commitment to synagogue membership. The truth is, it is these shared values that bring many parents (including non-Jewish and "ambivalently" Jewish parents) to affiliate with the synagogue and send their children to religious school in the first place. Imagine if parents had a deeper understanding of these values--their own values-- as essentially Jewish ideas.