The Challenger – A former participant of the URJ NFTY Kutz Campus for Reform Jewish Teen Life
The Challenge – I want you to define Reform Judaism to me in your own words. GO!
Reform Judaism is a funny concept. It is a concept that I always think I have within grasp, and then it slips away. I believe it to be defined by those who affiliate with the Reform Jewish Movement. One might think that Reform Judaism is a pluralistic, all-encompassing, daven-if-you-feel-it, everyone is excepted movement. After taking a critical scalpel to dissect what Reform Judaism is on the Kutz Campus I found two different types of Reform Jews: 1. Those who believe that having the choice of whether or not to do something enables them to say no to everything and 2. Those who sit and study and then decide whether this or that practice is something that they believe will enable them to reach their own more complete Jewish Self.
Rabbi Eric Yoffie, President of the URJ, said; “If you take it all [Jewish Law] upon yourself as an obligation rather than as a choice, you’ve reached the point at which you’re no longer a Reform Jew.” It is official, pluralism, as an ideological thought doesn’t exist according to the President of the Reform Movement. Where a Reform Jew would/could make the choice of whether to go to Shabbat services or spend money, I might feel obligated to not spend money on Shabbos and go to Shul, and be, from there on in, a progressive liberal Jew, but clearly not Reform.
I realize why I never answered the question of what I thought Reform Judaism was in the Judaic Studies major at Kutz. I did not avoid answering it because I wasn’t sure of what I wanted to say, but because I realized that according to the opinions of the Movement’s leaders, of who are and aren’t Reform Jews, I am not a Reform Jew. I am one to stand up against the orthodoxy of Reform Jewish Thought. I am a liberal, progressive Jew in a post-modern world.
Great.
Now translate that self-definition into action.
What does it mean to be a “liberal, progressive Jew in a post-modern world?” How does that inform and guide your daily Jewishness? And, most importantly, how are you going to use that definition to change the rest of the world?
I’m glad I’ve made you think. :]
Ha! Look at me reading your blog.
I disagree with what you said about Rabbi Yoffie’s comments. I don’t think it means you can’t have pluralism within the greater umbrella of “Reform Judaism” (be it the theology, Movement or otherwise). I think his statement really just points to the fact that Reform Judaism does not take halacha as an obligation. It is not required. You know that whole tag line “choice through knowledge?” Well, if you take out the choice and instead say halacha is mandatory, then yes, guess what, that doesn’t fit the constraints of “Reform Judaism.” Yes, you feel obligated not to do certain things on Shabbat, for example, but there are other halachot (?) that you don’t follow, right? I’d argue that most Jews – Conservative, Reform, Ortho, etc. – are all like this. Even the “frum-ier” are still making choices. Conservatives are now ordaining gay rabbis. Orthos might be having women rabbis. The dichotomy there is that they still maintain they feel obligated towards all mitzvot, even if they are choosing to practice in other ways.
Rabbi Yoffie is, of course, more eloquent than I and writes on Jesse’s blog on the matter. Check it out.