SPECIAL DOUBLE ISSUE

38/645 November 2007/Kislev 5768 A publication of

Inside an a “Reform congregation — grounded in freedom, autonomy, and self- Reform determination — meet the most powerful needs of the soul? Do we have David Ellenson C Courage to Create ...... 1 the capacity to inspire a Judaism of passion and devotion that can with- Jan Katzew stand the seductions of secular American life?” In a “letter” to Eric Sharing Leadership . . . . .2 Yoffie, Rabbi Janet Marder poses questions that cut to core concerns in the Letters to Eric Yoffie . . . . .3 movement today. Other “letters” and essays explore how to remain agile and Eric H. Yoffie responsive to a changing American Judaism. A Promising Future . . . . .7 Richard Levy & We continue our ongoing column reflecting on “cool” — check it out on Suzanne Singer page 27. Sh’ma welcomes opportunities to work with individuals and institu- (Re)Defining Reform(ing) ...... 8 tions in exploring critical issues facing contemporary Jewry. In that vein, I Lawrence Hoffman would like to thank Terry Rosenberg for helping suggest many of the ques- Addressing the Newest tions that inspired the following essays, and for spearheading a funding Frontier ...... 10 partnership for this issue that also includes Lili Bosse, Robin Broidy, Bar- Kenneth Chasen More than Consumer bara Friedman, and Nicki Neuman Tanner. — SB Needs ...... 11 Jason Kalman Responsible Religious Affiliation ...... 12 Courage to Create a Judaism of Meaning Barbara B. Friedman David Ellenson A Changing Landscape .13 hen Isaac Mayer Wise established the Union of American Hebrew Congrega- Norman Cohen tions in 1873 and the Hebrew Union College in 1875, he avoided the label “Re- Reform’s Curriculum . . .13 W form” in the titles of his institutions because he did not believe he was a creating a Andy Bachman Open Reform ...... 15 denominationally distinct form of Judaism. His intention was to create an “American Kerry Olitzy & Kathy Kahn Judaism” that would guide the broad mass of American Jews at a time when the Jew- With Open Arms ...... 16 ish community was overwhelmingly composed of culturally homogeneous German- Peter Knobel speaking Jews. The advent of large numbers of Eastern European Jews after 1881 Doing God’s Work ...... 17 caused his dream of a unified “American ” to perish. Daniel G. Zemel This historical observation is no more than reminiscence today. The social and Reform’s Torah ...... 18 cultural factors that once so powerfully divided German and Eastern European Jews David Berkman have long disappeared, and today’s American Jewish community — new immigrants Camping ...... 19 from South Africa, Iran, Israel, and the FSU notwithstanding — is characterized by Angela Warnick Buchdahl A New Prayerbook . . . . .20 a high degree of cultural–social homogeneity. Wise’s non-sectarian vision of Reform appears viable once again. Kay Greenwald Beyond Liturgy ...... 22 Other factors only underscore the scope of the challenge the movement has today Tony Bayfield and highlight the task Reform confronts if Judaism is to speak to the bulk of American Becoming the Jews in relevant and compelling terms. For all the universalistic aspirations and affir- Mainstream ...... 22 mations that marked Wise and the Jewish community during and immediately after his Neil Gillman An Outsider ...... 24 era, endogamy remained the communal rule. This is obviously not now the case. The Ni’Sh’ma ...... 25 high rate of intermarriage in present-day America speaks to how acculturated as well as how accepted Jews are by the American mainstream. While the American Jewish Ruth Andrew Ellenson The Oxymoron of community may now be culturally homogeneous, it is just as surely “ethnically diverse.” Jewish Cool ...... 27 Acknowledging this, the Reform movement is creating an inclusive and welcoming Leonard Fein community that promotes the vitality of the Jewish people and religion in America. Sh’ma Ethics ...... 28 American society today is open in ways that were unimaginable a century ago. Jews construct their individual identity and communal commitments in a world where peo- To subscribe: ple derive meaning against a backdrop of virtually unlimited options for affiliation and 877-568-SHMA participation. Yet, as social creatures who seek meaning, Jews remain in need of fel- www.shma.com lowship, learning, and prayer, and the synagogue and allied institutions can and must provide the gateways and, ultimately, the ven- and camps, offices and schools, restaurants ues where the fulfillment of such needs occurs. and shopping centers, the city and the wilder- At the same time, the synagogue will need ness. Programming should include all types of to foster identity and to craft meaning in novel study that can transform institutions and forge terms that speak to the present generation. In meaning for both the individual and the his important works, Princeton sociologist group, social action programs that contribute Robert Wuthnow cites the creation of the to justice in the world, opportunities for the highly informal and personalized opportuni- creation of community both formal and ca- ties for meaning and community that many sual, and worship and lifecycle celebrations Generation X and Y persons seek, and he and observances that are evocative and joyous. points out how important aesthetics and cul- Our most creative and professionals are ture are to the building of their community. Re- providing for these moments of dialogical en- form leadership and laity must incorporate counter already; these efforts must be repli- these developments into their communal plan- cated and increased. ning, as institutions can no longer depend People today, no less than in the past, wish upon traditional associational and kinship pat- to perceive a sacred vitality at the core of their terns to foster affiliation. Contemporary Jews lives. Living within a pluralistic framework that move among movements and individual teach- underscores the importance of individual ers as they engage in their own personal search choice, Jews still can and will seek out Judaism for spiritual purpose and community. The Re- for the wisdom, identity, and community our form movement should embrace this develop- tradition affords if our religion speaks to them ment, and our teachers must have the courage in meaningful cadences. The legacy Isaac and conviction to acknowledge that an em- Mayer Wise bestowed upon Reform to address phasis upon a “Judaism of meaning,” as op- broad sectors of the community remains en- posed to a “Judaism of boundaries and during, and the future of Judaism in the U.S. borders,” is what is needed in our day. depends, to a large degree, upon the ability of Reform must establish multiple entry the movement and HUC-JIR to provide lead- points for all elements of our diverse popula- ership that will maintain and revitalize Jewish Rabbi David Ellenson is tion in formal and informal settings that are community, worship, study, association, and President of Hebrew Union College–Jewish both within and beyond the walls of the syna- action in light of the conditions and values Institute of Religion. gogue. These settings must include temples that shape our people today. Sharing Leadership: A Work in Process and Progress Jan Katzew “Virtually everything I have done as a volun- fessionals and volunteers. To be sure, the Rabbi Jan Katzew, PhD, teer leader in the Reform movement from the congre- balance between authority and autonomy is is Director of Lifelong gation through my current position has been done elusive and the partnership between profes- Jewish Learning at the in partnership with our professionals.” sionals and volunteers is dynamic. In today’s Union for Reform —Robert Heller era of professionalization, partnership often Judaism (URJ). He co- means that volunteers are directors that issue “In any successful volunteer–professional part- authored this essay with directives; they must assert lay ownership and nership in the Reform movement, the participants Robert Heller, Esq., share responsibility. Acknowledging imper- must believe that the decision-making is a joint Chairman of the Board fection and asymmetry in the partnership — process. This requires a great deal of trust, respect, of the Union for Reform at times the same vagaries as in any human re- Judaism and Marilynn and faith in the partners who are working together.” lationship — is critical to the success of shared Yentis, Chair of the —Marilynn Yentis leadership. The partnership works more often Reform Commission on Lifelong Jewish hese two statements by volunteer leaders in theory than in practice — sometimes end- Learning. Tin the Reform movement testify to a dis- ing in “divorce” or détente, but other times tinctive, if not defining, aspect of Reform Ju- leading to synergy and symbiosis. November 2007 daism. With the contraction of halakhic Rather than relying on poskim as arbiters of Kislev 5768 authority and the growth of congregational Jewish law (Orthodox) or members of a law To subscribe: 877-568-SHMA www.shma.com autonomy, decisions of religious policy and committee (Conservative) to determine norms 2 even practice are the shared province of pro- of Jewish practice, Reform Jewish thought and