Rabbi is the term in Judaism for a religious teacher. The word rabbi derives from the Hebrew root word , rav, which in biblical Hebrew means ‘great’ in many senses, including "revered." The word comes from the Semitic root R-B-B, and is cognate to Arabic ربّ rabb, meaning "lord" Rabbi ' onMouseout='HidePop("53130")' href="http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Gunther_Plaut">W. Gunther Plaut
Wolf Gunther Plaut, CC, O.Ont is a Reform rabbi and author. Plaut was the rabbi of Holy Blossom Temple in Toronto for several decades and since 1978 is its Senior Scholar....
writes "there is no such thing as a
Jewish theological principleAlthough Jews and religious leaders share a core of monotheistic principles, Judaism has no formal statement of principles of faith such as a creed that is recognized or accepted by all....
, policy, or doctrine." This is because Reform Judaism affirms "the fundamental principle of Liberalism: that the individual will approach this body of 'mitzvot' and 'minhagim' in the spirit of freedom and choice. Traditionally Israel started with 'harut', the commandment engraved upon the Tablets, which then became freedom. The Reform Jew starts with 'herut', the freedom to decide what will be 'harut' - engraved upon the personal Tablets of his life."
Reform Judaism has always promoted
monotheismIn theology, monotheism is the belief that only one god exists. The concept of "monotheism" tends to be dominated by the concept of God in the Abrahamic religions, such as Judaism, Christianity and Islam, and the Platonic concept of God as put forward by Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite...
. This belief is reaffirmed in its new statement of principles. In recent decades, however, a minority of Reform rabbis and laity have come to affirm various beliefs, including
theismTheism in the broadest sense is the belief in at least one deity. In a more specific sense, theism refers to a particular doctrine concerning the nature of God and his relationship to the universe. Theism, in this specific sense, conceives of God as personal and active in the governance and...
and
deismDeism or is a religious and philosophical belief that a supreme being created the universe, and that this can be determined using reason and observation of the natural world alone, without a need for either faith or organized religion...
. At least one edition of the former official American Reform prayerbook,
Gates of Prayer, The New Union PrayerbookGates of Prayer, the New Union Prayer Book is a Reform Jewish siddur that was announced in October 1975 as a replacement for the 80-year-old Union Prayer Book , incorporating more Hebrew content and was updated to be more accessible to modern worshipers...
, is predominantly theistic, but also includes a service that omits all references to God in English while retaining them in Hebrew (pp.204-218).
The Reform movement has had a number of official platforms. The first was the 1885 Declaration of Principles, the Pittsburgh Platform. The next platform was written in 1937 by the Reform movement's Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR). The CCAR rewrote its principles in 1976 with its
Centenary Perspective and rewrote them again in the 1999
A Statement of Principles for Reform Judaism. While original drafts of the 1999 statement called for Reform Jews to consider re-adopting some traditional practices on a voluntary basis, later drafts removed most of these suggestions. The final version is thus similar to the 1976 statement. According to the CCAR, personal autonomy still has precedence over these platforms.
Reform Judaism's position on Jewish law
The classical approach of Reform Judaism towards
halakhaHalakha — also transliterated Halocho and Halacha — is the collective body of Jewish religious law, including biblical law and later talmudic and rabbinic law, as well as customs and traditions....
was based on the views of Rabbi
Samuel HoldheimSamuel Holdheim was a German rabbi and author, and one of the more extreme leaders of the early Reform Judaism movement. Although Holdheim was a pioneer in modern Jewish homiletics, he was often at odds with the Orthodoxy....
(1806-1860), leader of Reform Judaism in
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
, and other reformers. Holdheim believed that Reform Judaism should be based solely upon
monotheismIn theology, monotheism is the belief that only one god exists. The concept of "monotheism" tends to be dominated by the concept of God in the Abrahamic religions, such as Judaism, Christianity and Islam, and the Platonic concept of God as put forward by Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite...
and morality. Almost everything connected with Jewish ritual law and custom was of the ancient past, and thus no longer appropriate for Jews to follow in the modern era. This approach was the dominant form of Reform Judaism from its creation until the 1940s. Since the 1940s, the American Reform movement has continued to change, sometimes evolving in what appears to be a traditional direction. Many Reform congregations use more Hebrew in their religious services and are incorporating aspects of
laws and customsHalakha — also transliterated Halocho and Halacha — is the collective body of Jewish religious law, including biblical law and later talmudic and rabbinic law, as well as customs and traditions....
, in a selective fashion, into their lives. This is a departure from the classical Reform position in favor of more traditional Judaism.
Even those in the traditionalist wing of Reform Judaism still accept that the primary principle of classical Reform is personal autonomy. Autonomy has precedence over Jewish tradition;
halakha has no binding authority for Reform rabbis. The difference between the classical Reformers and the Reform traditionalists is that the traditionalists feel that the default position towards choosing to follow any particular practice should be one of acceptance, rather than rejection. While representing a minority, this group has influenced the new Reform statement of principles, which states that "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."
Currently, some Reform rabbis promote following elements of
halakha, and developed the concept of
Progressive Halakhah. For instance, the American Rabbi Walter Jacob, the Israeli Rabbi Moshe Zemer and the British Liberal Rabbi John D. Rayner believe in many parts of traditional Jewish theology, but take present developments and valuations of ethics and law into consideration. Others actively discourage the adoption of more traditional practices or beliefs, because they believe that this is not in the ethos of the Reform movement. Both encouraging or discouraging practices stipulated by
halakha are considered acceptable positions within Reform. (See also, the various positions within contemporary Judaism as regards Halakha.)
Jewish identity and inter-religious marriages
Despite a 1973 Central Conference of American Rabbis resolution opposing the performance of interfaith weddings by its members, the CCAR does not formally forbid its members from officiating at
interreligious marriageInterfaith marriage, traditionally called mixed marriage, is marriage between partners professing different religions...
s. This appears consistent with Reform's belief in autonomy for members and clergy. Recent surveys by the Rabbinic Center for Research and Counseling show that 40% of CCAR Reform rabbis now perform some form of intermarriages, though 60% will not officiate at intermarriages at all. This is an important consideration for many Reform Jews, since a number of Reform Jews are intermarried. However, the great majority of Reform rabbis who perform intermarriages will only officiate at weddings where the non-Jewish spouse is undertaking conversion to Judaism, and where both parents agree to maintain a Jewish home and to raise their children with a Jewish identity.
Reform Judaism accepts the child of one Jewish parent (father or mother) as Jewish if the parents raise the child with a Jewish identity. In Reform's 1983 proclamation, "The Status of Children of Mixed Marriages", it states that allowing patrilineal Jewish descent is based on Biblical and Rabbinic Judaism, claiming that purely matrilineal Jewish descent was first taught during Talmudic times (Kiddushin 68b). In any event, children with one Jewish parent are considered to be Jewish only if they have been raised in that identity. Since the concept of inclusion is vital to the Reform movement, Reform rabbis encourage participation of Gentiles while at the same time actively pursuing the conversion process. Conversion of non-Jews to Reform Judaism is therefore higher than in other Jewish denominations, where the practice is either discouraged or essentially non-existent.
The Reform movement fully accepts gay and lesbian members. Some Reform clergy perform wedding or commitment ceremonies for Jewish gay and lesbian couples when allowed by law in that jurisdiction.
View of Zionism
In the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century, Reform Judaism rejected the idea that Jews would re-create a Jewish state in their ancestral homeland. They rejected the idea that there would be a
messiahMessiah literally means "anointed "...
, and that the
Temple in JerusalemThe Temple in Jerusalem or Holy Temple , refers to a series of structures located on the Temple Mount in the old city of Jerusalem. Historically, two temples were built at this location, and a future Temple features in Jewish eschatology. According to classical Jewish belief, the Temple acts as...
would be rebuilt, or that one day animal sacrifices would be re-established in a rebuilt Temple, in accord with a traditional, literal interpretation of the
Hebrew BibleThe Tanakh is a name for the Bible used in Rabbinic Judaism, also known as the Masoretic Text. The name "Tanakh" is a Hebrew acronym formed from the initial Hebrew letters of the Masoretic Text's three traditional subdivisions: The Torah , Nevi'im and Ketuvim —hence...
.
Reform Judaism rejected the classical rabbinic teaching that the Jews were in exile (
galut). Instead, they suggested that dispersion of Jews among the nations was a necessary experience in the realization and execution of the people's duty. Instead, the people Israel was viewed as the Messianic people, appointed to spread by its fortitude and loyalty the monotheistic truth and morality over all the earth, to be an example of rectitude to all others. For Reform Jews, all forms of Jewish law and custom were seen as bound up with the national political conception of Israel's destiny, and thus they were dispensable.
Reform Jews ceased to declare Jews to be in exile; the modern Jews in United States or Europe had no cause to feel that the countries in which they lived were "a strange land." Many Reform Jews went so far as to agree that prayers for the resumption of a Jewish homeland were incompatible with desiring to be a citizen of a nation. Thus, the Reformers implied that for a German, French, or American Jew to pray from the original
siddur was tantamount to dual loyalty, if not outright treason. In the U.S., Reform intellectuals argued that their commitment to the principles of equal rights and the separation of religion and state precluded them from supporting the nineteenth century
ZionismZionism is the international political movement that originally supported the reestablishment of a homeland for the Jewish People in Palestine. The area was the Jewish Biblical homeland, called the Land of Israel...
movement.
Since
the HolocaustThe Holocaust , also known as The Shoah is the term generally used to describe the genocide of approximately six million European Jews during World War II, a program of systematic state-sponsored extermination by Nazi Germany,...
and the establishment of the modern
State of Israel, in 1948Israel officially the State of Israel , is a developed state in Western Asia located on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon in the north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan in the east, and Egypt on the southwest, and contains geographically diverse features within its...
, Reform Judaism has repudiated
anti-ZionismAnti-Zionism is opposition to Zionism, and a term which has been used to describe several very different religious and political points of view, both historically and in current debates. All these points of view have in common some form of opposition to Zionism, but their diversity of motivation...
. Anti-Zionist Reform rabbis broke away during WWII to found the
American Council for JudaismThe American Council for Judaism is an organization of American Jews committed to the proposition that Jews are not a nationality but merely a religious group, adhering to the original stated principles of Reform Judaism articulated by the Pittsburgh Platform.The ACJ was founded in 1942 by a group...
, which declined in activity following the Six Day War. Many Reform Jews have chosen to make
aliyah (move to Israel), and several kibbutzim are affiliated with the Israeli Reform movement. The Reform movement also sends thousands of youth and college-age students to Israel every year on summer and year-long programs. All rabbinical and cantorial students and many education students at the
Hebrew Union CollegeThe Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion is the oldest Jewish seminary in the Americas and the main seminary for training rabbis, cantors, educators and communal workers in Reform Judaism.HUC-JIR has campuses in Cincinnati, New York, Los Angeles and Jerusalem.The Jerusalem campus is...
, the American Reform seminary, must spend the first year of their studies in Israel. They are expected to absorb the language and culture and become familiar with biblical geography. The Reform movement in the United States works closely with the
Israeli Reform movementProgressive Judaism is the Israeli equivalent of reform Judaism.- History :Some of the earliest Reform rabbis to settle in Israel included Rabbi Judah Leon Magnes, who was the first Chancellor of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and in 1938, became its President...
.
Confirmation ceremonies
Many Reform congregations hold Confirmation ceremonies as a way of marking the festival of
Shavuotis a Jewish holiday that occurs on the sixth day of the Hebrew month of Sivan . Shavuot commemorates the anniversary of the day God gave the Torah to Moses and the Israelites at Mount Sinai. It is one of the shalosh regalim, the three Biblical pilgrimage festivals...
and the decision of young adults to embrace Jewish study in their lives and reaffirm their commitment to the
CovenantCovenant is an "agreement between God and his people in which God makes certain promises and requires certain behavior from them in return. It is the customary word used to translate the Hebrew word berith as it is used in the Hebrew Bible, thus it is important to all Abrahamic religions...
. The confirmands represent "the first fruits of each year's harvest. They represent the hope and promise of tomorrow." Confirmation is typically held in
tenth gradeTenth grade is the tenth year of school post-kindergarten . Students are usually 14 to 16 years of age.-Australia:Tenth grade, for most Australian states is in the middle of a student's high school education. However, in the Northern Territory, it is the first year of high school, after middle school...
after a year of study, but some synagogues celebrate it in other years of
high schoolHigh school is the name used in some parts of the world, particularly in Scotland, Northern America and Oceania, to describe an institution that provides all or part of secondary education...
. While Confirmation is a group experience, Reform Judaism celebrates an individual child's spiritual coming-of-age with becoming a
Bar Mitzvah for boys or a
Bat Mitzvah for girls at age 13.
Beth Elohim, Charleston, South Carolina
While later influenced by German Jewish immigrants, the first rumblings of reform in the USA began on November 21, 1824 at Kahal Kodesh Beth Elohim in
Charleston, South CarolinaCharleston is a city in Charleston County, South Carolina in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It is the largest city and county seat of Charleston County. The city was founded as Charlestown or Charles Towne, Carolina in 1670, and moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of...
. Charleston was one of the four largest ports in the USA and home to the largest Jewish community in the nation. It was originally made up of
Spanish and Portuguese JewsSpanish and Portuguese Jews are a distinctive sub-group of Sephardim who have their main ethnic origins within the crypto-Jewish communities of the Iberian peninsula and who shaped communities mainly in Western Europe and the Americas from the late 16th century on...
who had immigrated from England. Later 19th century immigrants from Germany and eastern Europe found an established community in the city. As Charleston maintained strong trade with
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, Beth Elohim had close ties with the
Bevis Marks SynagogueBevis Marks Synagogue is located off Bevis Marks, in the City of London. The synagogue, affiliated to London's historic Spanish and Portuguese Jewish community, is the oldest synagogue in the United Kingdom still in use...
in London.
On November 21, 1824 forty-seven lay members of Beth Elohim signed a petition requesting a number of reforms, including repeating Hebrew prayers in English, and English-language sermons. The petitioners and their leader Isaac Harby were concerned about recent increases in Christian missionary activity towards Jews. They hoped these reforms would lead congregants to be more engaged with Judaism and less vulnerable to the missionaries. When their request was rebuffed, the signatories formed the Reformed Society of Israelites. They adopted a statement of principles based on Moses Maimonides's "Thirteen Articles of Faith", but with three major differences:
- belief in resurrection of the dead was replaced with "immortality of the soul";
- a more restricted assertion of revelation: the Ten Commandments
The Ten Commandments, or Decalogue, are a list of religious and moral imperatives that, according to Judeo-Christian tradition, were authored by God and given to Moses on the mountain referred to as "Mount Sinai" or "Horeb" in the form of two stone tablets...
, rather than the entire TorahThe term "Torah" , refers either to the Five Books of Moses or to the entirety of Judaism's founding legal and ethical religious texts...
was affirmed as revealed; and
- belief in the Jewish messiah was replaced with an assertion that God alone was the only true Redeemer of the world.
The Reformed Society of Israelites lasted about ten years before it dissolved; some members had moved away and others returned to Beth Elohim. Their pressures for reform did not cease and eventually gained the support of the cantor Gustavus Poznanski. In 1841,
Beth Elohim became the first US synagogue to acquire a pipe organ for music, a major innovation. In response, the traditionalists broke away and formed congregation
Shearith Israel.
German influences
Between the years 1825 and 1875, German immigrants caused the US Jewish population to grow from 5,000 to 250,000 people. Some of these German immigrants happened to be pupils of Leopold Stein and Joseph Aub, who promoted reform changes in Europe. They formed some of the first Reform congregations in the US, including in
New YorkNew York is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous. The state is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
(Temple Emanu-El), in
BaltimoreBaltimore is an independent city and the largest city in the state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore City in order to distinguish it from surrounding...
(Har Sinai, founded in 1842), and in Cincinnati (B'ne Yeshurun), that insisted on changes in the services. The coming of David Einhorn, who published his influential prayer book for
Har Sinai in 1858,
Samuel AdlerSamuel Adler was a leading German-American Reform rabbi, Talmudist, and author...
, and, later, the philosopher
Samuel HirschSamuel Hirsch, was a major Reform Judaism religious philosopher and rabbi.Born in Thalfang, Samuel Hirsch, (June 8, 1815 – May 14, 1889) was a major Reform Judaism religious philosopher and rabbi.Born in Thalfang, Samuel Hirsch, (June 8, 1815 – May 14, 1889) was a major Reform Judaism religious...
, gave the Reform cause three influential leaders and additional impetus.
Men of more conservative temperament, such as Adolf Hübsch and
Marcus JastrowMarcus Jastrow was a renowned Talmudic scholar, most famously known for his authorship of the popular and comprehensive A Dictionary of the Targumim, Talmud Babli, Talmud Yerushalmi and Midrashic Literature....
, still adopted most Reform principles, though in practice they continued along somewhat less radical lines. In addition,
Isaac Mayer WiseIsaac Mayer Wise , was an American Reform rabbi, editor, and author.-Early life:...
and Max Lilienthal cast their influence in favor of Reform. Bernhard Felsenthal and
Kaufmann KohlerKaufmann Kohler was a German-born U.S. reform rabbi and theologian.-Life and work:Kaufmann Kohler was born into a family of rabbis...
, and American-bred rabbis
Emil HirschEmil Gustav Hirsch was a major Reform movement rabbi in the United States.Hirsch was born in Luxembourg, a son of the rabbi and philosopher Samuel Hirsch. He later married the daughter of Rabbi David Einhorn,...
, Samuel Sale, and David Philipson were among its proponents. In 1869 the Philadelphia Conference and that in 1885 in
PittsburghPittsburgh is a city in and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and the second largest city in the state. Its population was 334,563 at the 2000 census; by 2006, it was estimated to have fallen to 312,819. The population of the seven-county metropolitan area is...
promulgated the principles which are still basic to the practice and teachings of American Reform congregations.
Emerging divisions -- split between Reform and Conservative Judaism
As in Europe, there were significant disagreements among the reformers over the role of tradition. In 1883 a banquet was planned to celebrate the first graduating class of rabbis from
Hebrew Union CollegeThe Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion is the oldest Jewish seminary in the Americas and the main seminary for training rabbis, cantors, educators and communal workers in Reform Judaism.HUC-JIR has campuses in Cincinnati, New York, Los Angeles and Jerusalem.The Jerusalem campus is...
. The more radical element planned the banquet with a provocative menu containing shrimp, a food prohibited by traditional Jewish kosher dietary law. The menu highlighted the developing conflict over whether kosher law (and, by extension, rabbinical law in general) would be binding in Reform Judaism. The
Trefa Banquet, (
trefa means non-kosher) intensified the conflict between the radical and conservative reformers. The conflict further intensified in 1885 when a fierce debate broke out between
Kaufmann KohlerKaufmann Kohler was a German-born U.S. reform rabbi and theologian.-Life and work:Kaufmann Kohler was born into a family of rabbis...
, a liberal, and
Alexander KohutAlexander Kohut was a rabbi and orientalist. He belonged to a family of rabbis, the most noted among them being Rabbi Israel Palota, his great-grandfather, Rabbi Amram , and Rabbi Chayyim Kitssee, rabbi in Erza, who was...
, a conservative, over the nature of what was open to reform and what was bound by established rabbinic law.
In response to the debate, Kohler called a conference of reform-minded rabbis in
Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaPittsburgh is a city in and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and the second largest city in the state. Its population was 334,563 at the 2000 census; by 2006, it was estimated to have fallen to 312,819. The population of the seven-county metropolitan area is...
in 1885.
Isaac Mayer WiseIsaac Mayer Wise , was an American Reform rabbi, editor, and author.-Early life:...
, the rabbinical head of the Reform seminary, Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati, Ohio, presided over the conference. The conference produced the
Pittsburgh PlatformThe Pittsburgh Platform is a pivotal 19th century document in the history of the American Reform Movement in Judaism that called for Jews to adopt a modern approach to the practice of their faith...
, a highly controversial position on the mutability of rabbinic law, which triggered a contentious split between those more and less conservative. In 1889, the more liberal Reform rabbis organized under the banner of the
Central Conference of American RabbisThe Central Conference of American Rabbis , founded in 1889 by Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise, is the principal organization of Reform rabbis in the United States and Canada....
, selecting
Hebrew Union CollegeThe Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion is the oldest Jewish seminary in the Americas and the main seminary for training rabbis, cantors, educators and communal workers in Reform Judaism.HUC-JIR has campuses in Cincinnati, New York, Los Angeles and Jerusalem.The Jerusalem campus is...
as its flagship university and seminary.
During the same time period, in 1887 a separate rabbinical school, the Jewish Theological Seminary was founded in New York. In 1901 a group of the more traditional (ie. less radical) rabbis, taking a path between Orthodox and Reform, founded the
Rabbinical AssemblyThe Rabbinical Assembly is the international association of Conservative rabbis. The RA was founded in 1901 to shape the ideology, programs, and practices of the Conservative movement. It publishes prayerbooks and books of Jewish interest, and oversees the work of the Committee on Jewish Law and...
as their clergy organization, with the Jewish Theological Seminary as its university. In 1913, the congregations led by these Conservative (as they were known by then) rabbis banded together as a distinct denomination under the banner of the
United Synagogue of Conservative JudaismThe United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism is the primary organization of synagogues practicing Conservative Judaism in North America. It closely works with the Rabbinical Assembly, the international body of Conservative Rabbis, the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, and the Ziegler School...
.
Pittsburgh, 1885
Starting in 1869 in Philadelphia, US Reform rabbis have convened from time to time to reassess the principles of their faith. After the 1883
Trefa Banquet thrust Reform Judaism into chaos, radical reformer rabbis
Kaufmann KohlerKaufmann Kohler was a German-born U.S. reform rabbi and theologian.-Life and work:Kaufmann Kohler was born into a family of rabbis...
and
Emil HirschEmil Gustav Hirsch was a major Reform movement rabbi in the United States.Hirsch was born in Luxembourg, a son of the rabbi and philosopher Samuel Hirsch. He later married the daughter of Rabbi David Einhorn,...
convened the
Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaPittsburgh is a city in and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and the second largest city in the state. Its population was 334,563 at the 2000 census; by 2006, it was estimated to have fallen to 312,819. The population of the seven-county metropolitan area is...
conference of 1885 to refine and articulate the emerging principles of the movement, building on the similar conference in Philadelphia sixteen years earlier and the German Conference of 1841-1846 (
supra)
At the Pittsburgh conference, the Reform rabbis convened under the leadership of
Isaac Mayer WiseIsaac Mayer Wise , was an American Reform rabbi, editor, and author.-Early life:...
, the dean of Hebrew Union College, the Reform seminary, and adopted an eight-point platform articulating the principles of the Reform movement.
http://ccarnet.org/Articles/index.cfm?id=39&pge_prg_id=3032&pge_id=1656 While affirming their commitment to
monotheismIn theology, monotheism is the belief that only one god exists. The concept of "monotheism" tends to be dominated by the concept of God in the Abrahamic religions, such as Judaism, Christianity and Islam, and the Platonic concept of God as put forward by Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite...
, the rabbis explicitly rejected Jewish dietary laws, "all such Mosaic and rabbinical laws as regulate diet, priestly purity, and dress originated in ages and under the influence of ideas entirely foreign to our present mental and spiritual state," disavowed a hope or goal of returning to
ZionZion is a term that most often designates the Land of Israel and its capital, Jerusalem. The word is found in texts dating back almost three millennia...
, and declared their belief in following "only
[the] moral laws, and...only such ceremonies as elevate and sanctify our lives, but reject all such as are not adapted to the views and habits of modern civilization." The principles expressed in the 1885 Pittsburgh Platform formed the core of what was to become known as "Classical Reform Judaism", a modernist, assimilationist philosophy that dominated the denomination until after the State of Israel was founded in 1948.
Later Platforms
The Pittsburgh Platform was revised in 1937, then again in 1976 in
Cincinnati, OhioCincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. The municipality is located north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border. The population within city limits was estimated to be 333,336 in 2008, making it the state's third largest city...
. The rejection of Zionism in the earlier platforms was increasingly viewed as out of step by most Jews, especially in light of the new State of Israel.
The most recent revision was in 1999, again in Pittsburgh. There was a counter-reformation developing among both clergy and laity that called for the return to some previously rejected rituals and traditions and a clarification of the role of God in Reform Judaism.
The 1999 statement that emerged from this conference is entitled
A Statement of Principles for Reform Judaism. The Statement of Principles affirms the central tenets of Judaism - God, Torah and Israel - even as it acknowledges the diversity of Reform Jewish beliefs and practices. It also invites all Reform Jews to engage in a dialogue with the sources of tradition, responding out of knowledge, experience and faith. "Thus we hope to transform our lives through (
kedushah), holiness."
Timeline of Reform Judaism in the United States
1824 Isaac Harby leads forty-seven Jews in
Charleston, South CarolinaCharleston is a city in Charleston County, South Carolina in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It is the largest city and county seat of Charleston County. The city was founded as Charlestown or Charles Towne, Carolina in 1670, and moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of...
to petition for major changes in the Shabbat service at Congregation Beth Elohim, including that each Hebrew prayer in the service be immediately followed by an English translation, that new prayers reflecting contemporary American life be added, that the rabbi offer a weekly sermon in English to explain the Scriptures and apply them to everyday life, and that services be shortened.
1842 Congregation Har Sinai in
BaltimoreBaltimore is an independent city and the largest city in the state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore City in order to distinguish it from surrounding...
,
MarylandMaryland is a state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia to the south and west, Pennsylvania to the north, and Delaware to the east. It is comparable in size to the European country of Belgium. According to the U.S...
, adopts Reform services
1845 Temple Emanu-El becomes
New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States, and the center of the New York metropolitan area, which is among the most populous urban areas in the world. A leading global city, New York exerts a powerful influence over worldwide commerce, finance, culture, fashion and entertainment...
's first Reform congregation
1846 Rabbi
Isaac Mayer WiseIsaac Mayer Wise , was an American Reform rabbi, editor, and author.-Early life:...
came to the US in from Bohemia.
1857 Wise writes the first American
siddurA siddur is a Jewish prayer book, containing a set order of daily prayers. This article discusses how some of these prayers evolved, and how the siddur, as we know it today has developed...
, "Minhag American."
1873 Wise founds the Union of American Hebrew Congregations.
1875 Reform Judaism's
Hebrew Union CollegeThe Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion is the oldest Jewish seminary in the Americas and the main seminary for training rabbis, cantors, educators and communal workers in Reform Judaism.HUC-JIR has campuses in Cincinnati, New York, Los Angeles and Jerusalem.The Jerusalem campus is...
is founded in Cincinnati by
Isaac Mayer WiseIsaac Mayer Wise , was an American Reform rabbi, editor, and author.-Early life:...
.
1885 A group of Reform rabbis adopts the
Pittsburgh PlatformThe Pittsburgh Platform is a pivotal 19th century document in the history of the American Reform Movement in Judaism that called for Jews to adopt a modern approach to the practice of their faith...
.
1889 The Central Conference of American Rabbis is established.
1922 Reform Rabbi Stephen S. Wise establishes the
Jewish Institute of ReligionThe Jewish Institute of Religion was an educational establishment created by Rabbi Stephen S. Wise to train rabbis in Reform Judaism in 1922 in New York City. It was merged with the Hebrew Union College in 1950....
in New York. It merged with Hebrew Union College in 1950. A third center was opened in Los Angeles in 1954, and a fourth branch was established in Jerusalem in 1963.
1937 The
Central Conference of American RabbisThe Central Conference of American Rabbis , founded in 1889 by Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise, is the principal organization of Reform rabbis in the United States and Canada....
adopts "The Guiding Principles of Reform Judaism", known as the
Columbus Platform.
1976 On the occasion of the centennials of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations and the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, the
Central Conference of American RabbisThe Central Conference of American Rabbis , founded in 1889 by Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise, is the principal organization of Reform rabbis in the United States and Canada....
adopts
Reform Judaism: A Centenary Perspective.
1983 The
Central Conference of American RabbisThe Central Conference of American Rabbis , founded in 1889 by Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise, is the principal organization of Reform rabbis in the United States and Canada....
formally states that a Jewish identity can be passed down through either the mother or the father, if the child is raised with a Jewish identity, thereby making official what had been the state of affairs in many Reform communities since the early twentieth century. Despite its rejection by
Conservative JudaismConservative Judaism is a modern stream of Judaism that arose out of intellectual currents in Germany in the mid-19th century and took institutional form in the United States in the early 1900s.The principles of Conservative Judaism include:* A deliberately non-fundamentalist teaching of Jewish...
and
Orthodox JudaismOrthodox Judaism is a formulation of Judaism that adheres to a relatively strict interpretation and application of the laws and ethics first canonized in the Talmudic texts and as subsequently developed and applied by the later authorities known as the Gaonim, Rishonim, and Acharonim.Orthodox...
, as well as the religious establishment of the State of Israel (although immigrant children who have a Jewish father but a non-Jewish mother are recognized as Jewish by the Registry Office), descent through the mother or the father becomes the standard for American Reform Jews. (Canadian Reform congregations are divided on this issue).
1997 On the occasion of the centenary of the first World Zionist Congress, the
Central Conference of American RabbisThe Central Conference of American Rabbis , founded in 1889 by Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise, is the principal organization of Reform rabbis in the United States and Canada....
adopts the
Miami Platform, dedicated to the relationship between Reform Judaism and
ZionismZionism is the international political movement that originally supported the reestablishment of a homeland for the Jewish People in Palestine. The area was the Jewish Biblical homeland, called the Land of Israel...
.
1999 The
Central Conference of American RabbisThe Central Conference of American Rabbis , founded in 1889 by Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise, is the principal organization of Reform rabbis in the United States and Canada....
adopts "A Statement of Principles for Reform Judaism" in
PittsburghPittsburgh is a city in and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and the second largest city in the state. Its population was 334,563 at the 2000 census; by 2006, it was estimated to have fallen to 312,819. The population of the seven-county metropolitan area is...
.
2003 The congregational arm of the Reform Movement in North America adopts the new name "Union for Reform Judaism" (URJ), replacing its previous name "Union of American Hebrew Congregations" (UAHC) at its Biennial Convention in Minneapolis,
MinnesotaMinnesota is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. The twelfth largest state by area in the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.2 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the...
.
2007
Mishkan T'filahMishkan T'filah—A Reform Siddur is a prayer book prepared for Reform Jewish congregations in the United States by the Central Conference of American Rabbis and released to the general public in 2007...
, a new North American Reform Siddur is published.
Congregational associations
The
Union for Reform JudaismThe Union for Reform Judaism , formerly known as the Union of American Hebrew Congregations , is an organization which supports Reform Jewish congregations in North America. The current President is Rabbi Eric H...
, the central body of the Reform Movement in North America, was founded in Cincinnati in 1873 by Rabbi
Isaac Mayer WiseIsaac Mayer Wise , was an American Reform rabbi, editor, and author.-Early life:...
as the Union of American Hebrew Congregations. It is the largest Jewish movement in North America and represents an estimated 1.5 million Jews. The name change was approved at the Biennial Convention in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 2003.
As the congregational arm of the Reform Movement, the Union's primary mission is to create and sustain vibrant Jewish congregations wherever Reform Jews live. The Union provides leadership and vision to Reform Jews on spiritual, ethical, and political issues, as well as materials and consultation for programs in the congregation. The Union also provides opportunities for individual growth and identity that congregations and individuals cannot provide by themselves, including camps and Israel programs, study
kallot, youth groups (See:
NFTYThe North American Federation of Temple Youth is the organized youth movement of Reform Judaism in North America. Funded and supported by the Union for Reform Judaism, NFTY exists to supplement and support Reform youth groups at the synagogue level...
), and North American and regional biennials. The Union also publishes the quarterly
Reform JudaismReform Judaism is the official magazine of the Union for Reform Judaism. Its print edition has a quarterly circulation to 300,000 households, synagogues, and other Jewish institutions.- Awards and academic recognition :...
magazine.
Social action
The political and legislative outreach arm of Reform Judaism in the United States is the Religious Action Center (RAC). The RAC is operated under the auspices of the Commission on Social Action of Reform Judaism, a joint instrumentality of the
Central Conference of American RabbisThe Central Conference of American Rabbis , founded in 1889 by Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise, is the principal organization of Reform rabbis in the United States and Canada....
and the URJ.
Day Schools
Orthodox criticism
While
Orthodox JudaismOrthodox Judaism is a formulation of Judaism that adheres to a relatively strict interpretation and application of the laws and ethics first canonized in the Talmudic texts and as subsequently developed and applied by the later authorities known as the Gaonim, Rishonim, and Acharonim.Orthodox...
regards Reform Jews who are matrilineally descended as Jews, it does not recognize people who are Jewish by Reform conversions nor Reform's acceptance of patrilineal descent of Jewish children. There are a growing number of Reform Jews whom the Orthodox do not consider Jewish. Jewish status is important in the context of Zionism as Jews can more easily gain citizenship in Israel by virtue of their religion. Because the Orthodox movement holds great political power in Israel, their ruling that neither Reform converts nor patrilineal Jews are Jews under the law affects many individuals and families, including potential settlers and those married to converted Jews. The Orthodox in Israel have extended the right to gain instant citizenship in Israel under the
Law of ReturnThe Law of Return is Israeli legislation, enacted in 1950, that gives Jews, those of Jewish ancestry, and their spouses the right to migrate to and settle in Israel and gain citizenship.-Law:...
to both these groups. This is a controversial issue in Israel, and United States Jews are concerned that Israeli rabbis are taking too narrow a view of Jewish identity. With increasing intermarriage in the United States, American rabbis want to protect their Jewish families and children, even if formed differently than in Orthodox tradition.
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