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Reform Judaism RSY-Netzer’s Summer Choveret Reform Judaism What does it mean to be a Jew in the modern world? Where did Reform Judaism come from? How can Reform Judaism help me address challenges and questions in society today? 2 Contents Introduction 4 From Chinuch (Education) to Kefjewcation 6 A short timeline of some key moments in the history of Reform Judaism 7 The history of Reform Judaism: What is Judaism? – Raphael Sylvester 9 How, why and where did Reform Judaism begin? – Rabbi Sybil Sheridan 12 Ritual and Practice as the origins of progressive Judaism – Ben Lewis 14 The process and reality of Reform Judaism: How is Reform Judaism different around the world today – Rabbi Malcolm Cohen 16 Informed Decision Making and Reform Judaism – Rabbi Miriam Berger 17 The communities we create in RSY-Netzer – Frankie Stubbs 20 The importance of community and the tension between community and individual - Libby Burkeman 21 How does Reform Judaism help us approach contemporary issues? Religious issues: Reform Judaism and Torah – Rabbi Josh Levy 24 Prayer and Liturgy 26 God – Jeremy Tabick 28 Ritual and mitzvot, with a focus on Shabbat and Kashrut – Rabbi Debbie Young-Somers 30 Social justice issues: Environmentalism – Libby Burkeman 33 Vegetarianism – Joe Grabiner and Gabriel Pogrund 34 Egalitarianism and feminism – Rabbi Haim Shalom 36 LGBTQ and Gender – Naomi Ackerman 38 Reform Judaism and Refugees in Israel – Rhea Wolfson 40 Identity Issues: Nationalism, Zionism and Reform Judaism – Robin Moss 42 Britishness and Jewishness: being a minority, pride and loyalty – Adam Overlander-Kaye 44 The Shoah and what it means to be part of a youth movement – Lucy Stubbs 46 Judaism and technology – Debs Blausten 48 So what is Reform Judaism? 50 Your vision for Reform Judaism in the future 51 Contributors 53 This choveret has been lovingly put together and edited by Sarah Grabiner. 3 Introduction Shalom RSY-Netzer, We are very excited to give you… this year’s summer choveret! As some of you may know, on Veidah 2011/5771, the movement voted on a three-year cycle of chinuch themes… in 5771 we had a phenomenal summer with our Torah Tales choveret, then in 5772 Tikkun Olam gave us incredible energy in chinuch, activism, and drive to change the world! And last year, we developed our Israel and Reform Zionism chinuch, debates and values to an amazing new level. So this year, we’ve returned to the beginning of our cycle and are focusing this summer on… Reform Judaism! We feel that as a movement there are many exciting and dynamic conversations about different elements of our Jewish practice, values and ideals which we have been discussing this year. We want to share with you some of the questions we started off our thinking with… When, where and how did Reform Judaism come into existence? What does it mean to be a Jew in the modern world, and in modern society? How does Reform Judaism impact on our values and outlook on the world? I know Reform Judaism is all about personal autonomy and the individual… but what about community? Who sets the rules and boundaries in Reform Judaism? Rabbis? The Torah? Me? Is Reform Judaism more about what you think and believe or what you do and how you act? What does Reform Judaism have to say about… the environment? Feminism? LGBTQ? God? …? Taking all of these questions into account, and many more, we have created a choveret to help you and your chanichim this summer to address these topics and challenges and many more. In order to tackle the question What is Reform Judaism?, we’ve split the choveret into three parts: 1. The history of Reform Judaism In the aftermath of the French Revolution, and as the modern era began, everything about how Jews lived was open to change. In this section, three educators have looked at different elements of how Reform Judaism came out of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries: it addresses the big questions about the various direction Judaism could go in at this turning point, and sets out the basic history of Reform Judaism. It also looks at the particular way in which reform practice and actions developed before the theology and beliefs were solidified. It is important to acknowledge that Reform Judaism has progressed hugely since its foundation, but studying history is always valuable in understanding how the world came to be the way it is now! 2. The process and reality of Reform Judaism In many ways, the process of Reform Judaism, and the way in which we make decisions, could be seen as more important than the outcomes of the decisions themselves. In these four articles, educators discuss how we might go about making informed decisions, and creating communities that fulfill our values and ideals. Here we set out 4 a model for how to approach any issue or question that you could come upon in your Jewish life, and also consider the ways in which this process of communities making decisions for themselves, and finding themselves in different contexts and realities has led to differences across the Reform Jewish world. 3. How does Reform Judaism help us approach contemporary issues? In this section, 14 educators have taken different issues and discussed how Reform Judaism might approach the topic. These may be issues and problems of society, questions of religious belief and ideology or challenges, which every person faces in the modern world. We have split these issues into three categories: • Religious issues – Torah, mitzvot (commandments), t’filah (prayer) and God may be some of the first things you’d think of to do with Judaism. Although the word “religious” is often used to describe more traditional Judaism, Reform Judaism is as much a religious movement as orthodoxy, and we’ve spent some time here thinking about exactly what this means. • Social justice issues – Whether it’s the environment, issues of gender and sexuality or those who are vulnerable in society, Judaism and Jewish texts have a great deal of wisdom to share about how we treat the earth and people around us. How might Reform Judaism drive us to action concerning these issues? • Identity issues – As well as questions addressing the world, Judaism can have a dramatic and immense impact on each person and our individual identity. We have looked at a few areas in particular here: Israel and Zionism, what it means to be a Jew in Britain, how the Shoah (the Holocaust) might impact on your life as a Jew today, and the future of technology in religion. This resource does not cover every issue we could address, but we have aimed to represent a broad spectrum of educators, questions and views. We have concluded with some space to think about what the future might look like, what your vision is for Reform Judaism, and the big question… What is Reform Judaism? and we have asked a number of people for their thoughts! In reality, the whole of this choveret is an answer to that question, explored in our three sections: understanding the history of where our movement came from; thinking about how we make informed, authentic, Jewish decisions as individuals and communities; and how Reform Judaism might help us address contemporary issues. This choveret would not be possible without the incredible contributions of all our educators, most of whom grew up in RSY-Netzer themselves. We want to thank them immensely, and we appreciate the continued support they show for our fabulous movement! Why not say the blessing for study before getting busy with your learning…? We hope that this choveret will provide you with content for your peulot, ideas and energy for the summer of chinuch, and a desire to learn more and more! B’hatzlacha (good luck) and we can’t wait to see and experience an amazing RSY-Netzer summer with you! The 5774 RSY-Netzer movement worker tsevet xxxx 5 Top tips to move from Chinuch (Education) to Kefjewcation 1. Approach all peulot as a challenge. A challenge to yourself to make sure that chanichim: a) Are having fun b) Are learning the 3 key pieces of information that you want them to learn c) Will always remember this peulah. 2. The knowledge we remember the most is the knowledge that we reach ourselves, rather than just being told the answer. Always use questions and experiences rather than just telling. 3. All chinuch can and should be an interesting, fun and immersive experience. You are on RSY-Netzer, there are no limits to the world that you can create for your chanichim. 4. Start writing all peulot by looking at the educational aims that you have been given and thinking how in an ideal world with no limits on your budget or time you would do them. Don’t you know that you can get to the moon, just by covering windows in dark paper and then walking around a room as if there is no gravity and making heavy breathing sounds? Anything is possible on RSY-Netzer. 5. Variety is the spice of life and in peulot writing this is even more true. If every peulah is focussed on discussions and free-roams, that will get a bit boring. If on the other hand you use a new technique, something that the chanichim can associate with from home, or something completely out of the ordinary it becomes SO much more exciting. The picture below may give you some ideas, but they really are just a starter. If you had no financial constraints and no time constraints What peulot stand out in your mind? what would you do to get your educational message across? How will you make every peulah memorable and enjoyable? To engage in values and practices surrounding Reform Judaism would you create a whole day of informed In order to look at Reform Judaism decisions, where each decision that around the world could you skype the camp makes impacts on the a different Reform Community running of camp either just for the rest every day of camp and then of the day or for the rest of the produce a magazine at the end summer.
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