RJ.org News and Views of Reform Jews
 
About Us | Submissions | Contact
Torah
Community
Ethics
Israel
Religious Life
Social Action
Holidays
Shabbat
Lifecycle
The Future

Ask The Rabbi

Get Jewish World News in your inbox

BOOKS & MUSIC

Inside Intermarriage
Inside Intermarriage:
A Christian Partner's Perspective on Raising a Jewish Family

by Jim Keen
(URJ Press)

The Torah
The Torah: A Women's Commentary
(URJ Press)

Union for Reform Judaism

Theological Summer Camp
August 19, 2008
Religious Life | The Future (7 comments)

By dcc
David A.M. Wilensky, RJ.org blogger, Kutz Campus regular and liturgy-wonk, was a bit offended by yesterday's post from the Society for Classical Reform Judaism's Executive Director Rabbi Howard A. Berman. His post on the Reform Shuckle outlines and deconstructs the argument that the SCRJ is a vital and important aspect of present day Reform Judaism.

My perusal of the rest of Rabbi Berman's post and of the Principles page of the SCRJ website leads me to believe that beyond [supporting] an increasingly outmoded aesthetic, there are no differences between SCRJ and the mainstream of the movement. Certainly the ideology the SCRJ labels Classical is no more than standard Reform ideology.
While I am not sure which theological camp is right (or more to the point if any camp can be "right"), it does seem a bit out of place to go to the extremes that have often been supported in posts and comments this blog. My hope for the future of Reform Judaism is that we move past these broad stroke definitions and focus on our mandate to be the light onto the nations, have our youth see those vision and do justice while we walk humbly with our God.

print Print     email Email     comment Comment    

 

Comments

David A.M. Wilensky said:

My point is that there aren't even two different theological/ideological camps at work here. The only real difference comes in how much we care about people dressing up for services, having a choir, and praying in English. And that's hardly more than an aesthetic issue.

dcc Author Profile Page said:

Yes but my point is that there are many different theological and ideological camps at work in the Movement. These differences you point out are more than aesthetic; the use of choirs, levels of decorum and use of vernacular are questions of ideology. There are many with in the mainstream Movement, myself included, who are just as wary of some in the younger generations (ok I am part of that generation but still) as they choose to identify through the use of ritual items, like talit katan or phylactories. I could easily say that the use of those items is an aesthetic difference between the different camps. However, I would be wrong.

The most important issue here is that all the camps can learn from each other as we continue to create the Reform Judaism of the future. Like this conversation, learning from each other will only make us stronger.

Larry Kaufman said:

dcc suggests we focus on "our mandate to be the light onto the nations, have our youth see those vision and do justice while we walk humbly with our God." I'm OK with that (Prophetic) mandate, but it is only partial. We are also enjoined to be a nation of priests, a holy people. I read into that injunction some attention to ritual as a reminder of the need to be holy.

I have no problem with Classical Reform as an aesthetic or an ideology -- and in fact, I greatly miss singing All the World Will Come to Serve You, a fixture at my former congregation but not part of the liturgy where I am now. I do have a problem with those in the Classical Reform camp who seek to proclaim that the mainstream is out of step, and that the Reformers of the late nineteenth century were proclaiming not just a universal truth but an eternal truth.

Judaism changes as times and needs change. We should never forget, even as we eschew Halachah, that the word Halachah is based on the root H-L-CH, to walk.

M. B. said:

Is the Progressive or Classical style service the rabbi advocates to be dismissed as just an aesthetic? For instance: What's the big deal about English language services for Americans?

1. All Americans understand English and therefor understand the service. Not just little bits of it or have a general idea of what it may be about. They really and truly understand what they are praying and what is being said to them. For Progressive Reform Jews, understanding is a core value.
2. When the service is in English, it is shorter. Repetition is avoided. People can stay interested more when the service is more concise, more direct, more concentrated, more powerful.
3. Because the services is in English, we can reallocate the Sunday school time and other valuable religious educational resources from language study to study of the Bible, ethics, theology, history, and other substantive topics. The students become better educated Jews and are studying things that can have a positive impact on their lives instead of spending most time on pretending to understand Hebrew. Less bored students are less likely to drop out of school and of Judaism.
4. Because the service is in English, Jews by Choice (most of whom join as adults after getting married to a Jew) are able to fully participate in the service from day one. They are not left feeling like second class Jews because the service is not in their language. They also can devote time in adult education to learning about the Bible, Jewish history and practices, etc. instead of gaining minimal knowledge of Hebrew just to muddle their way through the services like most of us.
5. Because the services are in English, the focus is on what is said which may be inspiring, educational or spiritually uplifting.
6. If we know what we are saying, our prayers can be more sincere. How sincere can we be if we don't understand what we are saying? For Classical Reform Jews, saying what you mean and meaning what you say is important.
7. If the services are in plain English, they are more appealing to more Jews. Before Reform introduced a modern American service, many Jews were dropping out of Judaism, becoming agnostic, atheistic or simply religiously nothing. That is a problem in countries where there is no Progressive Reform alternative today. A lot of nominal Jews (or perhaps we should say people of Jewish ancestry) are repelled by the foreign language services, the foreign style music, the orthodox style religious garb. Unlike the old days, they are free to chose their religion and the danger is that many will be forever lost to Judaism if they don't have a service that they can fully understand and relate to.
8. Many Progressive Jews don't think that pretending to speak Hebrew is likely to impress God. Classical Reform thinks that God has more important criteria for what is a good Jew, or just a good person. Taking care of your family and friends, serving your community and your country, fighting for freedom and justice in the world are are where we should devote our efforts if we want to do God's work.
9. When the services are in our own language, we can reach out to our Protestant and Catholic neighbors and friends and welcome them to join in our worship of the one true God.

These are a few of the reasons why the Classical vs. Neo-Orthodox differences matter.

William Berkson said:

"Neo-Orthodoxy", as you can read in the Wikipedia article, or the Encyclopedia Judaica, has an accepted historical meaning, namely the Orthodoxy influenced by 19th century Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch. Born in the same era as Reform, it is closely related to "Modern Orthodoxy". It believes in Orthodox observance, and also integration with modern life. Modern Orthodoxy is most prominently represented by Yeshiva University, with it's motto "Torah U'maddah", or "Torah and Science".

It is a proud and vital movement, but very different from some traditionalist trends in Reform today. For a start none of these views in Reform accept halacha as the authoritative basis for Judaism.

M. B. said:

William:

I can see where the confusion came from. I was using Neo-Orthodox as a shortened form of Neo-Orthodox Reform. Neo-Orthodox applied to Orthodoxy is what I usually call Modern Orthodoxy, the Sammson R. Hirsch version with some reforms which is under such bitter attack by other Orthodox groups who find even the very limited concessions made by Modern Orthodox, including Yeshiva Univ. to be outrageous departures from Talmudic law which are to be unreservedly condemned. This hostility within Orthodoxy is heightening, as in Israel where the effort to delegitimize Modern Reform has included a campaign to not recognize any conversion or wedding by Modern Reform rabbis, even those in America, France, England, etc. and ignore their responsum opinions.

David:

I know that some people describe the Reform wing who have regressed from the major reforms such as English language services, a focus on Prophetic principles, rejection of the idea that Jews outside of Israel are in exile and must move to Israel to lead a full Jewish life, integration, rejection of the so called "Oral Torah" etc. as Neo-Orthodox Reform, Anti-Progressive Reform or Reactionary Reform. I will try to avoid the ocnfusion with abbreviations in the future.

Post a comment