Reform Judaism for Teachers module - Touro Synagogue

Reform Judaism for Teachers: 

A Three‐Session Teacher Training Module 

Union for Reform Judaism 

Department of Lifelong Jewish Learning 

Rabbi Jan Katzew, Director 

Joanne Doades, Director for Curriculum Development 

Lisa Rosenberg and Orli Spanier, HUC‐JIR Education Student Interns 

A Grant from the Women of Reform Judaism Y.E.S. Fund 

and a Covenant Foundation grant provided funding for this project. 

Spring 2007

Introduction 

Many of the teachers who work in our congregational schools are not Reform 

Jews, and those that are may not be knowledgeable about what Reform Judaism really 

stands for. As a result, these teachers often cannot convey to their students the validity 

and the importance of Reform Judaism in our world. In fact, too many of our students 

report feeling “inauthentic” as Jews when they enter our nation’s colleges and 

universities, despite their many years of learning and active involvement with 

congregational schools, our youth programs and our camps. 

The purpose of this training module, therefore, is to familiarize teachers in 

Reform congregational schools with the historical background and the contemporary 

importance of Reform Judaism in American Jewish life. By providing this kind of 

training to the teachers who interact with our Movement’s students on a daily or 

weekly basis, we are hoping to strengthen the teachers’ ability to present Reform Jewish 

approaches and practices in a meaningful and engaging manner, thereby increasing the 

likelihood that our children will grow to be confident, committed Reform Jewish adults. 

Each session can be taught as a stand‐alone session or as one in a series. Lessons 

have been written to be conducted within an approximately 60 minute time‐frame, 

although experience has shown that the lesson may take up to 75 minutes to complete. 

The sessions have been developed using the Understanding by Design (UbD) 

curriculum model, adapted by the URJ Department of Lifelong Jewish Learning. Each 

session contains these four elements of the UbD approach: 

• Enduring Understandings – Foundational concepts for Jewish learning. Enduring 

understandings are the “big ideas” that have lasting value to our learners long 

after they have left the classroom. 

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• Essential Questions ‐ Inquiries leading to the enduring understanding(s). 

• Questions to Be Addressed ‐ “Triggers” that relate to the specifics of the session’s 

message. These can be a useful guide to help participants follow the progress of 

the session. 

• Evidence of Understanding ‐ Measurable evidence which demonstrates to the 

teacher or facilitator that learning has occurred in a given student. 

If you are teaching more than one session, it is advisable to give an overview, 

where possible, of what came before and of what will follow. The chart below has been 

provided to assist you in this task. 

Session 

# 

1 

2 

Title Focus/Questions to be Addressed 

How Our Past Affects 

Our Future 

How We Make Our 

Decisions 

3 Contributions of 

Reform Judaism 

What were the significant events in the development of Reform 

Judaism? How have Rabbinic Judaism, the Enlightenment and the 

Holocaust affected present day Reform Judaism? 

What is the difference between the more autonomous approach 

suggested by “informed choice” and the more collective approach 

suggested by “choice through communal and open dialogue?” How 

do I encourage my students to utilize this practice in their decision‐ 

making with regard to their ritual as well as their interpersonal 

behavior? How do I facilitate the process of enabling my students to 

react and make personal decisions about their own Jewish beliefs? 

How has Reform Judaism led the way for important changes in our 

understanding of gender equality, social action and outreach within 

the American Jewish community? How can I help my students 

understand and relate to contemporary intellectual and social 

challenges through a Reform Jewish perspective? How does the 

social, political and ethical environment of the Movement affect the 

choices my students make about their own religious practices? 

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Important Points to Consider: 

• Three 60 to 90 minutes lessons cannot possibly include all that teachers need to 

learn in order to teach in a Reform Jewish setting. For that reason, pre‐reading 

assignments have been suggested for the lessons and a list of recommended 

resources has been included to be shared with the teachers for additional study. 

• The lesson introductions provide a great deal of information and you may want 

to share them with participants as a pre‐reading assignment. 

• You may wish to post the enduring understandings and the essential questions 

as a guide each time the class meets. For this reason, the enduring 

understandings and essential questions are included as a separate sheet at the 

end of this packet so that you can have the page enlarged for easier viewing. 

• Each lesson begins with a set induction, a programmatic way of taking the 

learners from what is known and familiar to the new learning. Some adult 

learners enjoy this approach, while others may not. Use your judgment in 

deciding how to use this element of the lesson with your teachers. 

• Wherever possible, music, drama and art have been included in the lessons to 

provide multiple entry points for different kinds of learners and to model good 

classroom teaching practice. You may want to alter or adapt these to reflect the 

preferences of your staff. 

• An evaluation sheet has been included. Because assessment and evaluation is 

critical to the success of this program, we encourage you to complete and return 

an evaluation for each lesson taught. These should be sent to Joanne Doades in 

the Department of Lifelong Jewish Learning. 

• Most importantly of all, make these lessons your own! Adapt and alter them in 

any way that feels authentic and most beneficial for you and for your learners. 

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Enduring Understandings 

• To be an effective teacher in the Reform Movement depends on my ability to 

understand and transmit to my students the unique values, principles and 

contributions of the Movement to the Jewish people and to the world. This can 

best be accomplished through my own learning about Judaism in general, about 

the Reform Movement in particular, and about effective pedagogic skills and 

techniques. 

Essential Questions 

• What is Reform Judaism and what are its unique values, practices, and 

contributions? 

• What knowledge about Jewish texts and Jewish thought is necessary to ensure 

the Jewish literacy of the next generation of Jewish adults? 

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Reform Judaism for Teachers Lesson Feedback Form 

 

Lesson Number and Title ____________________________________________________ 

 

Date taught: _______________________________________________________________ 

 

Instructors Name: ___________________________________________________________ 

 

Phone number and email __________________________________________________ 

Please complete this form and return to: 

Joanne Doades 

Director for Curriculum Development, Department of Lifelong Jewish Learning 

Union for Reform Judaism 

633 Third Avenue 

New York, NY 10017 

Fax: 212‐650‐4199 

Please rate the activities and materials that you used in this session, and briefly explain the basis 

for your ratings: 

1. Appropriateness (Were the concepts, 

activities, and materials at the 

appropriate knowledge level for your 

students?) 

Basis for rating: 

Excellent Good Poor Very Poor 

 

 

 

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2. Interesting & engaging (Were the 

concepts, activities and materials 

interesting and engaging for your 

students?) 


3. Guidance for teacher re: educational 

techniques and activities (Were the 

lesson’s goals and how to conduct the 

session clearly explained?) 


4. Background material and resources for 

teacher re: session content (Was the 

background material provided sufficient 

for the teacher?) 


5. Timing (Was enough/too much time 

allotted to accomplish the lesson’s 

goals?) 


6. Student learning (How well did the 

lesson accomplish its goals? To what 

extent did students begin to 

demonstrate understanding of key 

ideas?) 

Basis for ratings: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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7. What were the most successful aspects of the lesson? Why? 

8. What were the least successful aspects of the lesson? Why? 

9. What additional learning activities and/or materials, if any (aside from those 

provided in the lesson) did you utilize? 

10. What would you tell another teacher who was going to teach this lesson, based on 

your experience? 

11. What are your suggestions for improving the content or methodology of this lesson? 

12. What are your suggestions for improving the teacher’s instructions for this lesson, to 

make it more helpful and/or user‐friendly? 

13. Additional comments or suggestions (please feel free to add additional pages as 

needed): 

Thank you for your time and thoughtful input!

Introduction 

Lesson #1 

How Our Past Affects our Future 

This lesson introduces participants to three pivotal time periods in Jewish 

history. Two of these—the era of Rabbinic Judaism (70‐500 C.E.) and the Haskalah, or 

Jewish Enlightenment (1650‐1850) — greatly influenced the development of Reform 

Judaism. The third period, the Holocaust (1939‐1945), had a profound impact on key 

aspects of the Movement’s philosophy. 

Understanding the events that have shaped our Movement in the past can be 

extremely helpful in giving students a context within which to evaluate our choices as 

we move forward in history. The emergence of Rabbinic Judaism and the introduction of 

the Talmud that followed the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem (70 C.E.) 

provided a model for reinterpreting text to reflect the circumstances of the time. During 

this period, our Sages and scholars worked to record both oral and written laws and 

commentaries, initiating a process that in some respects continues to this day. 

The Enlightenment, or Haskalah, brought about an age of struggle and 

uncertainty as Jews began to search for new ways to reconcile living in the modern 

world with their Jewish identity. The Enlightenment followed a period of major anti‐ 

Semitic persecutions, including the Crusades, the Spanish Inquisition and the 

Expulsions. The ideals of the Enlightenment, most notably embodied in the credo 

espoused in The French Revolution (“liberty, equality, fraternity”) called for elimination 

of the different treatment of people based upon their religion or social background. This 

opened a world of choice for Jews, many of whom abandoned Judaism in order to 

assimilate into the larger European culture. 

Unfortunately, however, the horrors of the Holocaust followed the 

Enlightenment only one or two centuries later, forcing even the most liberal of Jews to 

face the harsh reality that a universalistic perspective does not necessarily mean full 

acceptance. Rabbi Eugene B. Borowitz describes the shift in Reform Jewish thinking that 

Union for Reform Judaism-Department of Lifelong Jewish Learning 

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emerged from the Holocaust: “The Emancipation prompted Reform Judaism to place 

most of its trust in humanity and its spiritual power. The Holocaust and the spiritual 

decline of our civilization showed that faith largely to have been misplaced.” 1 This 

resulted in a drawing inward within the Jewish community toward a more 

particularistic outlook. The Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR) Platform of 

1937 was an early reflection of this shift by changing that organization’s pronounced 

position about the desirability of a Jewish homeland: “In the rehabilitation of Palestine, 

the land hallowed by memories and hopes, we behold the promise of renewed life for 

many of our brethren. We affirm the obligation of all Jewry to aid in its upbuilding as a 

Jewish homeland by endeavoring to make it not only a haven of refuge for the 

oppressed but also a center of Jewish culture and spiritual life.” 

This lesson includes a role play/monologue scenario that is intended to help 

participants develop a more personal understanding of the moments in Jewish history 

that are addressed in this session. Several copies of The Atlas of Great Jewish Communities 

by Sondra Leiman (New York: UAHC Press, 2002) will be needed in order to conduct 

this learning activity. (If you think that the role play/monologue activity would not be 

appropriate for your participants, you can conduct this segment as a text study instead.) 

A study of the 1999 CCAR Statement of Principles is included to help 

participants understand where the rabbis of the Reform Movement stand with regard to 

the foundational values of God, Torah, and Israel as they relate to Reform Judaism 

today. Depending upon your time constraints and the knowledge level of your class, 

you may want to provide excerpts from the Statement, rather than present it in its 

entirety as it appears in the lesson. 

Finally, an “Applying Your Learning” sheet appears at the end of the lesson. This 

can be distributed to participants as an aid in helping them take their learning from this 

lesson back to their own classrooms. 

1 Eugene B. Borowitz, Reform Judaism Today (New York: Behrman House, 1983) p.69. 


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contributions of the Movement to the Jewish people and to the world. 






Question to be Addressed: 

• What were the significant events in the development of Reform Judaism? 

• How have Rabbinic Judaism, the Enlightenment and the Holocaust affected 

present day Reform Judaism? 

Evidence of Understanding 

• Participants will engage in a role play/monologue and text study that will enable 

them to connect key historical events with Reform Judaism today. 

Lesson Overview 

Set Induction ‐ What is Reform Judaism and Why Was Judaism in Need of Reform? (10‐ 

15 minutes) 

Moving Through Time – Monologues (15‐20 minutes) 

Reform Judaism Text Study ‐ 1999 CCAR Statement of Principles (15‐20 minutes) 

Conclusion ‐ Creating a Synthesis (10 minutes) 

Materials Needed 

Monologues Preparation Sheets 

Reform Judaism Text Study ‐ 1999 CCAR Statement of Principles 

Several copies of The Atlas of Great Jewish Communities by Sondra Leiman, New York: 

UAHC Press, 2002. (not included) 

Applying Your Learning sheet 


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Reading Resources for Teachers 

Borowitz, Eugene. Liberal Judaism. New York: UAHC Press, 1984 

Kaplan, Dana Eve. American Reform Judaism: An Introduction. New Jersey: Rutgers University 

Press, 2003 

Plaut, Gunther. The Growth of Reform Judaism. New York: World Union for Progressive 

Judaism, 1965. 

Roth, Cecil. A History of the Jews. New York: UAHC Press, 1954 

Syme, Daniel. The Jewish Home: A Guide for Spiritual Living. New York: URJ Press, 2003. 

Washofsky, Mark. Jewish Living. New York: URJ Press, 2000. 

LESSON PLAN 

Set Induction ‐ What is Reform Judaism and Why Was Judaism in Need of Reform? 

(10‐15 minutes) 

1. Write the words Reform Judaism on the board. Ask participants to brainstorm what 

these represent to them. You may need to prompt participants by asking for key 

words or phrases that help describe the goals or missions of Reform Judaism. 

(Possibilities might include: gender equality, changes in the worship service, giving 

individuals the right to choose what aspects of Jewish practice they would like to make part of 

their own lives, etc.) 

2. Ask the participants if they can think of any developments in Jewish history that 

might have led the “founders” of the Movement to believe that Judaism should be 

“reformed.” 

Moving Through Time Monologues (15‐20 minutes) 

Explain to participants that although different times in history have resulted in 

major change, we are going to focus on three significant time periods which have in 

some way had an impact on the development of Reform Jewish thought. These include 

the Rabbinic Period, the period of the Enlightenment and the 20 th century Holocaust. 

Illustrate the timing of these periods by creating a timeline on the board with the names 


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of each of these periods written in sequential order. (An example has been provided for 

your reference as an attachment. You may want to copy and distribute this.) 

1. Explain to the participants that they will have an opportunity to create a 

character that might have lived in one of these time periods and they will 

introduce that character to the class. 

2. Divide the class into three groups and assign each group one of the time periods 

(the Rabbinic period, the Haskalah, the Holocaust). Distribute the Monologue 

Preparation Sheets to the appropriate groups and provide copies of The Atlas of 

Great Jewish Communities (or other appropriate resource materials) so the 

participants can do their research. 

3. Give the groups enough time to read the materials and create a monologue for a 

fictional character that might have lived during that time period. Tell the groups 

to be sure to include answers to the questions that have been provided. 

4. Have the groups select someone to play the character and ask the groups to 

present to the class. 

(If you think your participants will be uncomfortable doing the role play, have them 

report on their research instead.) 

Reform Judaism Text Study – 1999 CCAR Statement of Principles (15‐20 minutes) 

In this learning activity, participants will examine the basic tenets of Reform 

Judaism today and, where possible, will relate the ideas in this document to their brief 

study of the three periods in Jewish history that are the focus of this lesson. 

1. Keep the groups together or reassign the participants into three new groups. 

2. Distribute a copy of the 1999 CCAR Statement of Principles that can be found in 

the appendix. Assign each group one of the topics: God, Torah, or Israel and ask 

the groups to read their section carefully and to answer the following questions. 

(Write the questions on the board or flip chart so the participants can refer to 

them as they work.) 

• What did you learn about the Reform Movement from reading this 

statement? 


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• Was there anything that you learned that surprised you? 

• How do you think the characters from the periods of Jewish history 

discussed in this lesson might have reacted to these ideas? 

3. Bring the groups back together for reporting. 

Conclusion: Creating a Synthesis (10 minutes) 

1. As a whole group, reflect upon the impact of each of the three time periods. Ask the 

participants to think about how their own Jewish identity plays a role in the way in 

which they transmit information in their class. Ask the participants to consider and 

discuss their completion of this statement: 

• A way that my attitude about Reform Judaism comes out in my teaching is… 

2. Distribute the “Applying Your Learning” sheet. If time permits, discuss the 

suggestions with the participants. 


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Applying Your Learning 

Here are some suggestions for bringing your learning from this lesson back to 

your classroom: 

What is Reform 

Judaism? 


Younger Students Older Students 

Hold a discussion about 

progress…compare it to the 

invention of television, then the 

onset of color television to indicate 

progress and change 

Role Play Using the time periods of Rabbinic 

Judaism, the Enlightenment and 

present day, play charades with 

age appropriate materials that 

refer to the periods presented. For 

example, Rabbinic Judaism‐ 

forming our laws; Enlightenment‐ 

choice; present day‐ Reform 

services, etc. 

Text Study Provide an opportunity for 

students to practice their 

interpretation skills. Give them a 

story from the Bible such as 

Noah’s Ark and ask them to make 

it relevant to their own lives‐‐what 

happens when we are bad, how 

we are punished, etc. 

My Jewish 

Identity 

Create an opportunity for 

students to explore factors that 

contribute to their Jewish identity 

utilizing an art activity such as 

encouraging students to trace 

themselves and incorporate why 

they are proud to be Jewish, or 

distributing a cut‐out of a heart 

and direct students to fill it with 

elements of Judaism 

Create a timeline on the wall of the 

classroom including the three periods 

being studied, encouraging students 

to create pictures, reactions, etc. 

After studying about each of the three 

time periods, encourage students to 

work in groups and create a character 

who might have lived in one of these 

time periods. Then have them 

introduce that character to the class. 

Reform Judaism text study 

“Im Ein Ani Li Mi Li” 

“If I am not for myself, who will be for 

me? If I’m only for myself, then what am 

I? And if not now, when?” (Pirke Avot 

1:14) 

Create an opportunity for students to 

explore factors that contribute to their 

Jewish identity by encouraging them 

to work in groups to create a Jewish 

“well‐oiled machine.” Each student is 

responsible for a component that 

when combined works effectively 

because of the strength of each of its 

parts. 

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Excerpted from the 1999 CCAR Statement of Principles 

This ʺStatement of Principlesʺ 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 our tradition, responding out of our knowledge, 

our experience and our faith. Thus we hope to transform our lives through (kedushah), 

holiness. 

We affirm the reality and oneness of God, even as we may differ in our understanding of the 

Divine presence. 

God 

We affirm that the Jewish people is bound to God by an eternal (bʹrit), covenant, as reflected 

in our varied understandings of Creation, Revelation and Redemption. 

We affirm that every human being is created (bʹtzelem Elohim), in the image of God, 

and that therefore every human life is sacred. 

We regard with reverence all of Godʹs creation and recognize our human responsibility for its 

preservation and protection. 

We encounter Godʹs presence in moments of awe and wonder, in acts of justice and compassion, 

in loving relationships and in the experiences of everyday life. 

We respond to God daily: through public and private prayer, through study and through the 

performance of other (mitzvot), sacred obligations ‐‐ (bein adam la Makom), to 

God, and (bein adam la‐chaveiro), to other human beings. 

We strive for a faith that fortifies us through the vicissitudes of our lives ‐‐ illness and healing, 

transgression and repentance, bereavement and consolation, despair and hope. 

We continue to have faith that, in spite of the unspeakable evils committed against our people 

and the sufferings endured by others, the partnership of God and humanity will ultimately 

prevail. 

We trust in our traditionʹs promise that, although God created us as finite beings, the spirit 

within us is eternal. 

In all these ways and more, God gives meaning and purpose to our lives. 


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Torah 

We affirm that Torah is the foundation of Jewish life. 

We cherish the truths revealed in Torah, Godʹs ongoing revelation to our people and the record of 

our peopleʹs ongoing relationship with God. 

We affirm that Torah is a manifestation of (ahavat olam), Godʹs eternal love for the 

Jewish people and for all humanity. 

We affirm the importance of studying Hebrew, the language of Torah and Jewish liturgy, that we 

may draw closer to our peopleʹs sacred texts. 

We are called by Torah to lifelong study in the home, in the synagogue and in every place where 

Jews gather to learn and teach. Through Torah study we are called to (mitzvot), the means 

by which we make our lives holy. 

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. Some of these 

(mitzvot), sacred obligations, have long been observed by Reform Jews; others, both ancient and 

modern, demand renewed attention as the result of the unique context of our own times. 

We bring Torah into the world when we seek to sanctify the times and places of our lives through 

regular home and congregational observance. Shabbat calls us to bring the highest moral values 

to our daily labor and to culminate the workweek with (kedushah), holiness, 

(menuchah), rest and (oneg), joy. The High Holy Days call us to account for our deeds. The 

Festivals enable us to celebrate with joy our peopleʹs religious journey in the context of the 

changing seasons. The days of remembrance remind us of the tragedies and the triumphs that 

have shaped our peopleʹs historical experience both in ancient and modern times. And we mark 

the milestones of our personal journeys with traditional and creative rites that reveal the holiness 

in each stage of life. 

We bring Torah into the world when we strive to fulfill the highest ethical mandates in our 

relationships with others and with all of Godʹs creation. Partners with God in ( tikkun 

olam), repairing the world, we are called to help bring nearer the messianic age. We seek dialogue 

and joint action with people of other faiths in the hope that together we can bring peace, freedom 

and justice to our world. We are obligated to pursue (tzedek), justice and righteousness, and 

to narrow the gap between the affluent and the poor, to act against discrimination and 

oppression, to pursue peace, to welcome the stranger, to protect the earthʹs biodiversity and 

natural resources, and to redeem those in physical, economic and spiritual bondage. In so doing, 

we reaffirm social action and social justice as a central prophetic focus of traditional Reform 

Jewish belief and practice. We affirm the (mitzvah) of (tzedakah), setting aside portions of 

our earnings and our time to provide for those in need. These acts bring us closer to fulfilling the 

prophetic call to translate the words of Torah into the works of our hands. 

In all these ways and more, Torah gives meaning and purpose to our lives. 


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Israel 

We are Israel, a people aspiring to holiness, singled out through our ancient covenant and our 

unique history among the nations to be witnesses to Godʹs presence. We are linked by that 

covenant and that history to all Jews in every age and place. 

We are committed to the (mitzvah) of (ahavat Yisrael), love for the Jewish people, 

and to (kʹlal Yisrael), the entirety of the community of Israel. Recognizing that 

(kol Yisrael arevim zeh ba‐zeh), all Jews are responsible for one another, we 

reach out to all Jews across ideological and geographical boundaries. 

We embrace religious and cultural pluralism as an expression of the vitality of Jewish communal 

life in Israel and the Diaspora. 

We pledge to fulfill Reform Judaismʹs historic commitment to the complete equality of women 

and men in Jewish life. 

We are an inclusive community, opening doors to Jewish life to people of all ages, to varied kinds 

of families, to all regardless of their sexual orientation, to (gerim), those who have converted 

to Judaism, and to all individuals and families, including the intermarried, who strive to create a 

Jewish home. 

We believe that we must not only open doors for those ready to enter our faith, but also to 

actively encourage those who are seeking a spiritual home to find it in Judaism. 

We are committed to strengthening the people Israel by supporting individuals and families in 

the creation of homes rich in Jewish learning and observance. 

We are committed to strengthening the people Israel by making the synagogue central to Jewish 

communal life, so that it may elevate the spiritual, intellectual and cultural quality of our lives. 

We are committed to (Medinat Yisrael), the State of Israel, and rejoice in its 

accomplishments. We affirm the unique qualities of living in (Eretz Yisrael), the land of 

Israel, and encourage (aliyah), immigration to Israel. 

We are committed to a vision of the State of Israel that promotes full civil, human and religious 

rights for all its inhabitants and that strives for a lasting peace between Israel and its neighbors. 

We are committed to promoting and strengthening Progressive Judaism in Israel, which will 

enrich the spiritual life of the Jewish state and its people. 

We affirm that both Israeli and Diaspora Jewry should remain vibrant and interdependent 

communities. As we urge Jews who reside outside Israel to learn Hebrew as a living language 

and to make periodic visits to Israel in order to study and to deepen their relationship to the Land 

and its people, so do we affirm that Israeli Jews have much to learn from the religious life of 

Diaspora Jewish communities. 


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We are committed to furthering Progressive Judaism throughout the world as a meaningful 

religious way of life for the Jewish people. 

In all these ways and more, Israel gives meaning and purpose to our lives. 


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Instructions: 

Monologue Preparation Sheet ‐ The Rabbinic Time Period 

1. Read pages 33‐38, with special emphasis on the section titled “Focus: The Talmud” 

(pp.37‐38) in The Atlas of Great Jewish Communities. 

2. Create a Jewish character who might have lived then and describe that person’s 

concerns and perspectives. 

3. Imagine how your character might answer this question: “If you could look ahead far 

into the future and see a class of Reform Jewish teachers, what would you want them 

to know about the importance of the influence of the Rabbinic time period for future 

generations?” 


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Monologue Preparation Sheet ‐ Haskalah or Jewish Enlightenment 

Instructions: 

1. Read pages 138‐143 in The Atlas of Great Jewish Communities. 

2. Create a Jewish character who might have lived during that time period and describe 

that person’s concerns and perspectives. 

3. Imagine how your character might answer this question: “If you could look ahead far 

into the future and see a class of Reform Jewish teachers, what would you want them 

to know about the importance of the influence of the Jewish Enlightenment for future 

generations?” 


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Instructions: 

Monologue Preparation Sheet ‐ 20 th Century Holocaust 

1. Read pages 181‐185 in The Atlas of Great Jewish Communities. 

2. Create a Jewish character who might have lived then and describe that person’s 

concerns and perspectives. 

3. Imagine how your character might answer this question: “What do you want Jews of 

future generations to know about the Holocaust?” 


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Timeline of Jewish History 

15 

Today 

20 th 

Century 

Holocaust 

Jewish 

Enlighten- 

ment 

(1650-1800) 

Crusades 

(1095- 

1258) 

Rabbinic 

Judaism 

200- 

500CE

Introduction 

Lesson #2 

How We Make Our Decisions 

The purpose of this lesson is to convey to participants how the approach to 

decision‐making in the Reform Movement has changed over time and how changes play 

out in such concrete areas as ritual and religious observance. Participants will utilize as 

primary texts platforms and statements of principle published by the Central 

Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR) from 1885 to 1999, and they will consider an 

example of how shifts in thinking about these issues have been reflected in the prayer 

books of the Movement. 

In commenting on whether reevaluation and change are authentic approaches to 

Jewish thought and practice, Rabbi Eugene Borowitz writes: “We are doing in our time 

what our Jewish forebears did in their time, though we seem to be far more self‐ 

conscious about the changes we make in Judaism. Surely we would not be better Jews 

by ignoring the moral and intellectual challenges of modernity. Rather, because we seek 

to give proper place to the human role in religion, we emphasize intellectual honesty 

and spiritual integrity as the great motives for contemporary religious change.” 2 

Rabbi Richard Levy more recently expressed this opinion about making Jewish 

choices within the context of community and tradition: 

“…the 1999 Pittsburgh Principles removed the language of autonomy and choice 

and substituted the idea of dialogue…The Pittsburgh Principles asserts that each Reform 

Jew has the right, indeed, the obligation, to enter into dialogue with the mitzvot, because 

as Jews we have been involved in that dialogue since Sinai. It is the right of every 

Reform Jew to emerge from that dialogue affirming a mitzvah, declaring one is not yet 

2 Eugene B. Borowitz, Liberal Judaism (New York: UAHC, 1984) p. 14. 


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eady to accept it, or even rejecting it. But the dialogue …must precede the decision, or it 

is not really a decision.” 3 

An “Applying Your Learning” sheet appears at the end of the lesson. This can be 

distributed to participants as an aid in helping them take their learning from this lesson 

back to their own classrooms. 




contributions of the Movement to the Jewish people and to the world. 






Questions to be Addressed: 

• What is the difference between the more autonomous approach suggested by 

“informed choice” and the more collective approach suggested by “choice 

through communal and open dialogue?” How do I encourage my students to 

utilize this practice in their decision‐making with regard to their ritual as well as 

their interpersonal behavior? 

• How do I facilitate the process of enabling my students to react and make 

personal decisions about their own Jewish beliefs? 


3 

Richard N. Levy, A Vision of Holiness: The Future of Reform Judaism, New York: URJ 

Press, 2005, p. 123. 


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• Participants will explore the path our Movement has taken toward encouraging 

“choice through communal and open dialogue” and communicate how they can 

put this theory into practice in the classroom. 

• Participants will articulate their own thoughts on how they have made choices 

regarding their own Jewish practice 

• Participants will compare and contrast statements related to our movement’s 

view of ritual decision‐making in Principle Statements from 1885, 1937, 1976 and 

1999. 


Beginning the Session (5‐10 minutes) 

Set Induction (5‐10 minutes) 

Comparison of Principles (15‐20 minutes) 

Prayer Treatment Comparison (10‐15 minutes) 

Conclusion (5‐10 minutes) 


A piece of large construction paper for each student 

Colored markers 

CCAR Principles from 1885, 1937, 1976 and 1999 

Copies of sample prayer book texts: Maariv aravim from the Union Prayer Book, Gates 

of Prayer and Mishkan T’filah. 

Jewish Values for Our Times – What is Important? Handout 



Borowitz, Eugene. Reform Judaism Today. New Jersey: Behrman House, Inc., 1983 

Meyer, Michael and Plaut, W. G., The Reform Jewish Reader. New York: UAHC Press, 2001 

Schwartzman, Sylvan D. The Story of Reform Judaism. New York: UAHC Press, 1953 


18

Shapiro Abraham, Michelle, CHAI Jewish Family Education: Jewish Living (Volume 2). 

New York: UAHC Press, 2003 

Beginning the Session (5‐10 minutes) 

Lesson Plan 

If you taught lesson #1, address any questions that the participants may have 

about the previous session. Using the material contained in the previous lesson, begin 

this session with a brief review of how the period of the Enlightenment provided the 

impetus for the development of Reform Judaism. 

Set Induction: Making Choices (10 minutes) 

The purpose of this set induction is to give participants the opportunity to think 

about how they make important decisions or choices in their lives. The participants will 

consider the personal and communal elements involved in making religious choices 

within the framework of Reform Judaism. 

1. Ask participants to think about an important decision they made in the recent past. 

2. Distribute the construction paper and the markers and ask the participants to draw 

an illustration or a representation of their decision‐making process. Use the 

following questions as prompts to assist them: 

• Did you make the decision alone, or did you consult others? If so, who? 

• Did your decision have an effect on other people? 

• Did you need to draw upon any external standards or knowledge to help you 

make your decision? 

3. When the participants have finished, ask them to share their illustration and their 

decision‐making process with the class, if they feel comfortable doing so. 

4. Point out that as a movement, the Reform community has experienced a number of 

transitions over time in terms of the role of the individual and that of the community 

with regard to decision‐making processes, particularly in the area of ritual practice 

and observance. These transitions are the topic of this lesson. 


19

Comparison of Principles (10 minutes) 

In this learning activity, participants will examine CCAR platforms and 

principles to identify shifts or changes in the role of individual decision‐making within 

the community. 

1. Explain that the CCAR, the rabbinic organization of the Reform Movement, 

periodically publishes rulings and opinions (platforms, resolution, responsa) that 

reflect the thinking of the rabbinic leadership on issues of importance. 

2. Explain that the group will be using selected platforms to discern how our 

Movement’s stance on the idea of decision‐making authority about ritual observance 

and practice has shifted or changed over the course of time. 

3. Divide the class into groups of two or three participants each, being sure that you 

have enough groups to assign each of the four texts (1885, 1937, 1976, 1999). 

4. Distribute one of the platform/principles text sheets to each group and instruct them 

to focus on the underlined areas only. (They can read the rest of the text at another 

time.) 

5. Ask the groups to discuss and answer the question that appears after the text. (The 

question is: Based on these ideas, what/who is the source of decision‐making 

authority with regard to Jewish practice and observance?) 

6. Bring the class back together for a general sharing of the individual group 

discussions. Conclude this learning activity by mentioning the terms that have been 

used to characterize decision‐making in Reform Judaism—autonomy, informed 

choice, and open dialogue—and ask the participants if they can see a progression or 

a trend of any kind in this changes. 

Prayer Treatment Comparison (20 minutes) 

Participants will compare the treatment of the Maariv Aravim prayer to discern 

how rabbinic leadership shifts in thinking and approach may affect the treatment of 

Reform Movement prayer books. 


20

1. Share this quotation with the class, either by reading it, by writing it on the board, or 

both: “Second only to the Torah, the siddur (prayer book) expresses the ideology of 

our people. But because it changes over time and is the book that people regularly 

read and use, it defines and unifies us even more than the Torah. In the Reform 

Movement, each new prayer book‐‐despite the almost inevitable controversies that 

accompany its publication‐‐has served to unify hundreds of congregations 

throughout North America, as well as Reform Jews everywhere.” 4 

2. Distribute Maariv Aravim prayer sample sheets from the Union Prayer Book, Gates of 

Prayer as well as from Mishkan T’filah. 

3. Explain that these sheets contain variations of the same prayer presented in three 

different prayer books of the Reform Movement. Each book illustrates the feelings of 

the Movement at that point in time. 

4. Share with participants the following information or divide them into groups and 

ask each group to compare the three versions of the prayer and report on differences 

in treatment that they noticed. Ask them what the implications of these differences 

might be. 

Union Prayer Book 

• UPB had a universalist orientation‐‐it rejected such traditional Jewish notions as 

peoplehood, chosenness, the personal Messiah, resurrection, and a return to the 

Land of Israel. With the desire to build a Jewish homeland, later editions 

expressed increasing emphasis on peoplehood. 

• UPB eliminated most opportunities for congregational participation and 

essentially entrusted the liturgy to the rabbi as reader and to a trained choir. 

• This prayer book did not incorporate a great deal of Hebrew. 

4 Stevens, E. Reform Judaism Magazine, Summer 2006 


21

Gates of Prayer 

• Gates of Prayer placed increasing emphasis on the Holocaust and Zionism, the 

discovery of ethical and cultural roots and the incorporation of participatory and 

emotive styles of worship. 

• The first CCAR prayer book available in an optional Hebrew opening format, it 

Mishkan T’filah 

signified the Reform Movementʹs growing openness to tradition. 

• The prayer itself (the keva, or fixed text), fully transliterated and with a faithful 

English translation, appears on the right‐hand page. Thematically related 

prayers, readings, and meditations (kavvanot) appear on the corresponding left 

page. Those wishing a straightforward, traditional service can stay entirely on 

the right‐hand side; others can elect to say (or sing) one or more of the alternative 

prayers on the left. 

• To signal the end of a section, the chatimah, or one‐line summary, is recited and 

everyone turns to the next page. Guideposts in the margins list the progression 

of the service with the current prayer or traditional reading highlighted and 

historical notes and spiritual insights appear across the bottom of the page. 

5. Conclude by explaining that Mishkan T’filah contains songs, poetry and 

contemporary commentaries to enable worshipers to engage in alternative prayer 

experiences within the context of the traditional liturgy. 

Conclusion: (5 minutes) 

1. Ask participants to share with the group one new thing they learned in this 

session about changes in approaches to decision‐making about ritual observance 

and practice in the Reform Movement over time. Ask them if they like the 

direction in which they think the Movement might be going (i.e., greater 

emphasis on the community as a stabilizing, guiding force). 

2. Distribute the Applying Your Learning sheet and discuss the suggestions with 

the participants. 


22

3. If time permits, distribute the “Jewish Values for Our Times – What is 

Important?” sheet and ask participants to complete them. Bring the group back 

together as a whole class and facilitate a conversation about participants’ 

answers. 


23


Here are some suggestions for bringing your learning from this lesson back to 

your classroom: 


How Do We 

Make our 

Decisions? 

Engage the students in discussion about 

why it is important to make certain 

decisions, why decisions must somehow 

change, and what are the rules for a fair 

decision‐making process. Ask the 

students to define, or define for them, the 

meaning of the word “community.” If 

possible, create a role‐play activity that 

enables them to tell the difference 

between making a decision on their own 

or consulting members of their 

“community” (i.e., class or group of 

friends). Have the students draw or paint 

a picture of themselves making a decision 

alone or with others. 

Principles Explain to students the value of 

community; what happens when we 

have each other to depend upon. Create a 

student driven learning experience, 

encouraging them to come up with an 

activity they can all do together in order 

to teach the value of community. Note 

how they negotiate the plan. 

How We Pray Talk to students about prayers we say in 

English and those we say in Hebrew. 

Encourage them to think about whether 

the prayer means something different to 

them if they have learned about the 

theme of the prayer. Ask them to work 

together and with their clergy member to 

come up with their own class minhag‐ 

create a prayer that is good for your 

community! 


Ask the students to identify a topic in 

the world (i.e., whether a country 

should go to war, should everyone 

who needs free medical care receive it, 

should there be ratings restricting 

access to certain movies) and have the 

students come up with the pro and 

con questions associated with the 

issue; ask them to establish a fair 

process for how the decision will be 

made about the issue. 

Provide an activity where student 

groups go through the four CCAR 

Principles and circle anything that has 

to do with decision‐making. It would 

be wonderful for the teacher to black 

out the year, and encourage the 

students to put the “Statements of 

Principles” in the correct order 

depending on content. Note: Teacher 

may need to create a simplified 

version of principles for activity. 

Ask students if they are aware of any 

trends in prayer/worship; something 

that is started by a group of people 

that catches on (for example, rising on 

toes for each of the avot and imahot). 

Use this as a discussion starter, 

leading into the modification of 

prayers and perhaps the creation of 

the Mishkan T’filah prayerbook. 

24

Jewish Values for Our Times – What is Important? 5 

Mitzvah/Value Essential Important Somewhat Not 

Observing 

Shabbat 

Giving tzedakah 

Helping 

someone find a 

job 

Keeping 

kosher 

Attending 

High Holy 

Days services 

Attending 

synagogue 

services 

regularly 

Supporting 

and visiting 

Israel 

Comforting 

mourners 

Being honest in 

your business 

dealings 

Respecting 

your parents 

Fasting on 

Yom Kippur 

Important Important 

5 

Adapted from a lesson by Lisa Lieberman Barzilai in the CHAI Learning for Jewish 

Life curriculum. 


Not Sure 

25

PRAYER SHEET 

Maariv Aravim from Shabbat Evening Service 

Union Prayer Book (1895) 


26

PRAYER SHEET 

Maariv Aravim from Shabbat Evening Service 

Gates of Prayer (1975) 


27

PRAYER SHEET 

Maariv Aravim from Shabbat Evening Service I6 Mishkan T’filah (2006) 

6 Mishkan T’filah, 148-149. 


28

Pittsburgh Platform ‐ 1885 

1. We recognize in every religion an attempt to grasp the Infinite, and in every mode, source or 

book of revelation held sacred in any religious system the consciousness of the indwelling of God 

in man. We hold that Judaism presents the highest conception of the God‐idea as taught in our 

Holy Scriptures and developed and spiritualized by the Jewish teachers, in accordance with the 

moral and philosophical progress of their respective ages. We maintain that Judaism preserved 

and defended midst continual struggles and trials and under enforced isolation, this God‐idea as 

the central religious truth for the human race. 

2. We recognize in the Bible the record of the consecration of the Jewish people to its mission as 

the priest of the one God, and value it as the most potent instrument of religious and moral 

instruction. We hold that the modern discoveries of scientific researches in the domain of nature 

and history are not antagonistic to the doctrines of Judaism, the Bible reflecting the primitive 

ideas of its own age, and at times clothing its conception of divine Providence and Justice dealing 

with men in miraculous narratives. 

3. We recognize in the Mosaic legislation a system of training the Jewish people for its mission 

during its national life in Palestine, and today we accept as binding only its moral laws, and 

maintain 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. 

4. We hold that 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. They fail to impress the modern Jew with a spirit of priestly holiness; their 

observance in our days is apt rather to obstruct than to further modern spiritual elevation. 

5. We recognize, in the modern era of universal culture of heart and intellect, the approaching of 

the realization of Israel s great Messianic hope for the establishment of the kingdom of truth, 

justice, and peace among all men. We consider ourselves no longer a nation, but a religious 

community, and therefore expect neither a return to Palestine, nor a sacrificial worship under the 

sons of Aaron, nor the restoration of any of the laws concerning the Jewish state. 

6. We recognize in Judaism a progressive religion, ever striving to be in accord with the 

postulates of reason. We are convinced of the utmost necessity of preserving the historical 

identity with our great past.. Christianity and Islam, being daughter religions of Judaism, we 

appreciate their providential mission, to aid in the spreading of monotheistic and moral truth. We 

acknowledge that the spirit of broad humanity of our age is our ally in the fulfillment of our 

mission, and therefore we extend the hand of fellowship to all who cooperate with us in the 

establishment of the reign of truth and righteousness among men. 

7. We reassert the doctrine of Judaism that the soul is immortal, grounding the belief on the 

divine nature of human spirit, which forever finds bliss in righteousness and misery in 

wickedness. We reject as ideas not rooted in Judaism, the beliefs both in bodily resurrection and 

in Gehenna and Eden (Hell and Paradise) as abodes for everlasting punishment and reward. 


29

8. In full accordance with the spirit of the Mosaic legislation, which strives to regulate the 

relations between rich and poor, we deem it our duty to participate in the great task of modern 

times, to solve, on the basis of justice and righteousness, the problems presented by the contrasts 

and evils of the present organization of society. 

Directions: 

Read the underlined sentences. Based on these ideas, what/who is the source of decision‐ 

making authority with regard to Jewish practice and observance? 


30

Reform Judaism: A Centenary Perspective 

Adopted in San Francisco ‐ 1976 

The Central Conference of American Rabbis has on special occasions described the spiritual state 

of Reform Judaism. The centenaries of the founding of the Union of American Hebrew 

Congregations and the Hebrew Union College‐Jewish Institute of Religion seem an appropriate 

time for another such effort. We therefore record our sense of the unity of our movement today. 

One Hundred Years: What We Have Taught 

We celebrate the role of Reform Judaism in North America, the growth of our movement on this 

free ground, the great contributions of our membership to the dreams and achievements of this 

society. We also feel great satisfaction at how much of our pioneering conception of Judaism has 

been accepted by the Household of Israel. It now seems self‐ evident to most Jews: that our 

tradition should interact with modern culture; that its forms ought to reflect a contemporary 

esthetic; that its scholarship needs to be conducted by modern, critical methods; and that change 

has been and must continue to be a fundamental reality in Jewish life. Moreover, though some 

still disagree, substantial numbers have also accepted our teachings: that the ethics of 

universalism implicit in traditional Judaism must be an explicit part of our Jewish duty; that 

women have full rights to practice Judaism; and that Jewish obligation begins with the informed 

will of every individual. Most modern Jews, within their various religious movements, are 

embracing Reform Jewish perspectives. We see this past century as having confirmed the 

essential wisdom of our movement. 

One Hundred Years: What We Have Learned 

Obviously, much else has changed in the past century. We continue to probe the extraordinary 

events of the past generation, seeking to understand their meaning and to incorporate their 

significance in our lives. The Holocaust shattered our easy optimism about humanity and its 

inevitable progress. The State of Israel, through its many accomplishments, raised our sense of 

the Jews as a people to new heights of aspiration and devotion. The widespread threats to 

freedom, the problems inherent in the explosion of new knowledge and of ever more powerful 

technologies, and the spiritual emptiness of much of Western culture have taught us to be less 

dependent on the values of our society and to reassert what remains perennially valid in 

Judaismʹs teaching. We have learned that the survival of the Jewish people is of highest priority 

and that in carrying out our Jewish responsibilities we help move humanity toward its messianic 

fulfillment. 

Diversity Within Unity, the Hallmark of Reform 

Reform Jews respond to change in various ways according to the Reform principle of the 

autonomy of the individual. However, Reform Judaism does more than tolerate diversity; it 

engenders it. In our uncertain historical situation we must expect to have far greater diversity 

than previous generations knew. How we shall live with diversity without stifling dissent and 

without paralyzing our ability to take positive action will test our character and our principles. 

We stand open to any position thoughtfully and conscientiously advocated in the spirit of 

Reform Jewish belief. While we may differ in our interpretation and application of the ideas 

enunciated here, we accept such differences as precious and see in them Judaismʹs best hope for 


31

confronting whatever the future holds for us. Yet in all our diversity we perceive a certain unity 

and we shall not allow our differences in some particulars to obscure what binds us together. 

1. God ‐‐ The affirmation of God has always been essential to our peopleʹs will to survive. In our 

struggle through the centuries to preserve our faith we have experienced and conceived of 

God in many ways. The trials of our own time and the challenges of modern culture have 

made steady belief and clear understanding difficult for some. Nevertheless, we ground our 

lives, personally and communally, on Godʹs reality and remain open to new experiences and 

conceptions of the Divine. Amid the mystery we call life, we affirm that human beings, 

created in Godʹs image, share in Godʹs eternality despite the mystery we call death. 

2. The People Israel ‐‐ The Jewish people and Judaism defy precise definition because both are in 

the process of becoming. Jews, by birth or conversion, constitute an uncommon union of faith 

and peoplehood. Born as Hebrews in the ancient Near East, we are bound together like all 

ethnic groups by language, land, history, culture, and institutions. But the people of Israel is 

unique because of its involvement with God and its resulting perception of the human 

condition. Throughout our long history our people has been inseparable from its religion 

with its messianic hope that humanity will be redeemed. 

3. Torah ‐‐ Torah results from the relationship between God and the Jewish people. The records 

of our earliest confrontations are uniquely important to us. Lawgivers and prophets, 

historians and poets gave us a heritage whose study is a religious imperative and whose 

practice is our chief means to holiness. Rabbis and teachers, philosophers and mystics, gifted 

Jews in every age amplified the Torah tradition. For millennia, the creation of Torah has not 

ceased and Jewish creativity in our time is adding to the chain of tradition. 

4. Our Religious Obligations: Religious Practice ‐‐ Judaism emphasizes action rather than creed as 

the primary expression of a religious life, the means by which we strive to achieve universal 

justice and peace. Reform Judaism shares this emphasis on duty and obligation. Our 

founders stressed that the Jewʹs ethical responsibilities, personal and social, are enjoined by 

God. The past century has taught us that the claims made upon us may begin with our 

ethical obligations but they extend to many other aspects of Jewish living, including: creating 

a Jewish home centered on family devotion: lifelong study; private prayer and public 

worship; daily religious observance; keeping the Sabbath and the holy days: celebrating the 

major events of life; involvement with the synagogues and community; and other activities 

which promote the survival of the Jewish people and enhance its existence. Within each area 

of Jewish observance Reform Jews are called upon to confront the claims of Jewish tradition, 

however differently perceived, and to exercise their individual autonomy, choosing and 

creating on the basis of commitment and knowledge. 

5. Our Obligations: The State of Israel and the Diaspora ‐‐ We are privileged to live in an 

extraordinary time, one in which a third Jewish commonwealth has been established in our 

peopleʹs ancient homeland. We are bound to that land and to the newly reborn State of Israel 

by innumerable religious and ethnic ties. We have been enriched by its culture and ennobled 

by its indomitable spirit. We see it providing unique opportunities for Jewish self‐expression. 

We have both a stake and a responsibility in building the State of Israel, assuring its security, 

and defining its Jewish character. We encourage aliyah for those who wish to find maximum 

personal fulfillment in the cause of Zion. We demand that Reform Judaism be 

unconditionally legitimized in the State of Israel. 


32

At the same time that we consider the State of Israel vital to the welfare of Judaism 

everywhere, we reaffirm the mandate of our tradition to create strong Jewish 

communities wherever we live. A genuine Jewish life is possible in any land, each 

community developing its own particular character and determining its Jewish 

responsibilities. The foundation of Jewish community life is the synagogue. It leads us 

beyond itself to cooperate with other Jews, to share their concerns, and to assume 

leadership in communal affairs. We are therefore committed to the full democratization 

of the Jewish community and to its hallowing in terms of Jewish values. 

The State of Israel and the Diaspora, in fruitful dialogue, can show how a people 

transcends nationalism even as it affirms it, thereby setting an example for humanity 

which remains largely concerned with dangerously parochial goals. 

6. Our Obligations: Survival and Service ‐‐ Early Reform Jews, newly admitted to general society 

and seeing in this the evidence of a growing universalism, regularly spoke of Jewish purpose 

in terms of Jewryʹs service to humanity. In recent years we have become freshly conscious of 

the virtues of pluralism and the values of particularism. The Jewish people in its unique way 

of life validates its own worth while working toward the fulfillment of its messianic 

expectations. 

Until the recent past our obligations to the Jewish people and to all humanity seemed 

congruent. At times now these two imperatives appear to conflict. We know of no simple 

way to resolve such tensions. We must, however, confront them without abandoning 

either of our commitments. A universal concern for humanity unaccompanied by a 

devotion to our particular people is self‐destructive; a passion for our people without 

involvement in humankind contradicts what the prophets have meant to us. Judaism 

calls us simultaneously to universal and particular obligations. 

Hope: Our Jewish Obligation 

Previous generations of Reform Jews had unbound confidence in humanityʹs potential for good. 

We have lived through terrible tragedy and been compelled to reappropriate our traditionʹs 

realism about the human capacity for evil. Yet our people has always refused to despair. The 

survivors of the Holocaust, being granted life, seized it, nurtured it, and, rising above 

catastrophe, showed humankind that the human spirit is indomitable. The State of Israel, 

established and maintained by the Jewish will to live, demonstrates what a united people can 

accomplish in history. The existence of the Jew is an argument against despair; Jewish survival is 

warrant for human hope. 

We remain Godʹs witness that history is not meaningless. We affirm that with Godʹs help people 

are not powerless to affect their destiny. We dedicate ourselves, as did the generations of Jews 

who went before us, to work and wait for that day when ʺThey shall not hurt or destroy in all My 

holy mountain for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the 

sea.ʺ 

Directions: Read the underlined sentences. Based on these ideas, what/who is the source of 

decision‐making authority with regard to Jewish practice and observance? 


33

A Statement of Principles for Reform Judaism 

Oct. 27, 2004 

Adopted in Pittsburgh ‐ 1999 

Adopted at the 1999 Pittsburgh Convention 

Central Conference of American Rabbis 

May 1999 ‐ Sivan 5759 

See Commentary on the Principles for Reform Judaism 

Preamble 

On three occasions during the last century and a half, the Reform rabbinate has adopted 

comprehensive statements to help guide the thought and practice of our movement. In 1885, 

fifteen rabbis issued the Pittsburgh Platform, a set of guidelines that defined Reform Judaism for 

the next fifty years. A revised statement of principles, the Columbus Platform, was adopted by 

the Central Conference of American Rabbis in 1937. A third set of rabbinic guidelines, the 

Centenary Perspective, appeared in 1976 on the occasion of the centenary of the Union of 

American Hebrew Congregations and the Hebrew Union College‐Jewish Institute of Religion. 

Today, when so many individuals are striving for religious meaning, moral purpose and a sense 

of community, we believe it is our obligation as rabbis once again to state a set of principles that 

define Reform Judaism in our own time. 

Throughout our history, we Jews have remained firmly rooted in Jewish tradition, even as we 

have learned much from our encounters with other cultures. The great contribution of Reform 

Judaism is that it has enabled the Jewish people to introduce innovation while preserving 

tradition, to embrace diversity while asserting commonality, to affirm beliefs without rejecting 

those who doubt, and to bring faith to sacred texts without sacrificing critical scholarship. 

This ʺStatement of Principlesʺ 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 our tradition, responding out of our knowledge, 

our experience and our faith. Thus we hope to transform our lives through (kedushah), 

holiness. 

We affirm the reality and oneness of God, even as we may differ in our understanding of the 

Divine presence. 

God 

We affirm that the Jewish people is bound to God by an eternal (bʹrit), covenant, as reflected 

in our varied understandings of Creation, Revelation and Redemption. 

We affirm that every human being is created (bʹtzelem Elohim), in the image of God, 

and that therefore every human life is sacred. 

We regard with reverence all of Godʹs creation and recognize our human responsibility for its 

preservation and protection. 


34

We encounter Godʹs presence in moments of awe and wonder, in acts of justice and compassion, 

in loving relationships and in the experiences of everyday life. 

We respond to God daily: through public and private prayer, through study and through the 

performance of other (mitzvot), sacred obligations ‐‐ (bein adam la Makom), to 

God, and (bein adam la‐chaveiro), to other human beings. 

We strive for a faith that fortifies us through the vicissitudes of our lives ‐‐ illness and healing, 

transgression and repentance, bereavement and consolation, despair and hope. 

We continue to have faith that, in spite of the unspeakable evils committed against our people 

and the sufferings endured by others, the partnership of God and humanity will ultimately 

prevail. 

We trust in our traditionʹs promise that, although God created us as finite beings, the spirit 

within us is eternal. 

In all these ways and more, God gives meaning and purpose to our lives. 

Torah 

We affirm that Torah is the foundation of Jewish life. 

We cherish the truths revealed in Torah, Godʹs ongoing revelation to our people and the record of 

our peopleʹs ongoing relationship with God. 

We affirm that Torah is a manifestation of (ahavat olam), Godʹs eternal love for the 

Jewish people and for all humanity. 

We affirm the importance of studying Hebrew, the language of Torah and Jewish liturgy, that we 

may draw closer to our peopleʹs sacred texts. 

We are called by Torah to lifelong study in the home, in the synagogue and in every place where 

Jews gather to learn and teach. Through Torah study we are called to (mitzvot), the means 

by which we make our lives holy. 

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. Some of these 

(mitzvot), sacred obligations, have long been observed by Reform Jews; others, both ancient and 

modern, demand renewed attention as the result of the unique context of our own times. 

We bring Torah into the world when we seek to sanctify the times and places of our lives through 

regular home and congregational observance. Shabbat calls us to bring the highest moral values 

to our daily labor and to culminate the workweek with (kedushah), holiness, 

(menuchah), rest and (oneg), joy. The High Holy Days call us to account for our deeds. The 

Festivals enable us to celebrate with joy our peopleʹs religious journey in the context of the 

changing seasons. The days of remembrance remind us of the tragedies and the triumphs that 

have shaped our peopleʹs historical experience both in ancient and modern times. And we mark 


35

the milestones of our personal journeys with traditional and creative rites that reveal the holiness 

in each stage of life. 

We bring Torah into the world when we strive to fulfill the highest ethical mandates in our 

relationships with others and with all of Godʹs creation. Partners with God in ( tikkun 

olam), repairing the world, we are called to help bring nearer the messianic age. We seek dialogue 

and joint action with people of other faiths in the hope that together we can bring peace, freedom 

and justice to our world. We are obligated to pursue (tzedek), justice and righteousness, and 

to narrow the gap between the affluent and the poor, to act against discrimination and 

oppression, to pursue peace, to welcome the stranger, to protect the earthʹs biodiversity and 

natural resources, and to redeem those in physical, economic and spiritual bondage. In so doing, 

we reaffirm social action and social justice as a central prophetic focus of traditional Reform 

Jewish belief and practice. We affirm the (mitzvah) of (tzedakah), setting aside portions of 

our earnings and our time to provide for those in need. These acts bring us closer to fulfilling the 

prophetic call to translate the words of Torah into the works of our hands. 

In all these ways and more, Torah gives meaning and purpose to our lives. 


36

Israel 

We are Israel, a people aspiring to holiness, singled out through our ancient covenant and our 

unique history among the nations to be witnesses to Godʹs presence. We are linked by that 

covenant and that history to all Jews in every age and place. 

We are committed to the (mitzvah) of (ahavat Yisrael), love for the Jewish people, 

and to (kʹlal Yisrael), the entirety of the community of Israel. Recognizing that 

(kol Yisrael arevim zeh ba‐zeh), all Jews are responsible for one another, we 

reach out to all Jews across ideological and geographical boundaries. 

We embrace religious and cultural pluralism as an expression of the vitality of Jewish communal 

life in Israel and the Diaspora. 

We pledge to fulfill Reform Judaismʹs historic commitment to the complete equality of women 

and men in Jewish life. 

We are an inclusive community, opening doors to Jewish life to people of all ages, to varied kinds 

of families, to all regardless of their sexual orientation, to (gerim), those who have converted 

to Judaism, and to all individuals and families, including the intermarried, who strive to create a 

Jewish home. 

We believe that we must not only open doors for those ready to enter our faith, but also to 

actively encourage those who are seeking a spiritual home to find it in Judaism. 

We are committed to strengthening the people Israel by supporting individuals and families in 

the creation of homes rich in Jewish learning and observance. 

We are committed to strengthening the people Israel by making the synagogue central to Jewish 

communal life, so that it may elevate the spiritual, intellectual and cultural quality of our lives. 

We are committed to (Medinat Yisrael), the State of Israel, and rejoice in its 

accomplishments. We affirm the unique qualities of living in (Eretz Yisrael), the land of 

Israel, and encourage (aliyah), immigration to Israel. 

We are committed to a vision of the State of Israel that promotes full civil, human and religious 

rights for all its inhabitants and that strives for a lasting peace between Israel and its neighbors. 

We are committed to promoting and strengthening Progressive Judaism in Israel, which will 

enrich the spiritual life of the Jewish state and its people. 

We affirm that both Israeli and Diaspora Jewry should remain vibrant and interdependent 

communities. As we urge Jews who reside outside Israel to learn Hebrew as a living language 

and to make periodic visits to Israel in order to study and to deepen their relationship to the Land 

and its people, so do we affirm that Israeli Jews have much to learn from the religious life of 

Diaspora Jewish communities. 


37

We are committed to furthering Progressive Judaism throughout the world as a meaningful 

religious way of life for the Jewish people. 

In all these ways and more, Israel gives meaning and purpose to our lives. 

(Baruch she‐amar ve‐haya ha‐olam). 

Praised be the One through whose word all things came to be. 

May our words find expression in holy actions. 

May they raise us up to a life of meaning devoted to Godʹs service 

And to the redemption of our world. 

Directions: Read the underlined sentences. Based on these ideas, what/who is the source of 

decision‐making authority with regard to Jewish practice and observance? 


38

Introduction 

Lesson #3 

Contributions of Reform Judaism 

According to the Preamble to the 1999 CCAR Statement of Principles for Reform 

Judaism, “The great contribution of Reform Judaism is that it has enabled the Jewish 

people to introduce innovation while preserving tradition, to embrace diversity while 

asserting commonality, to affirm beliefs without rejecting those who doubt, and to bring 

faith to sacred texts without sacrificing critical scholarship.” A primary goal of this 

lesson is to familiarize participants with three specific contributions of Reform Judaism 

that have profoundly affected American Jewish life: the introduction of gender equality, 

social action as a moral imperative and the Movement’s groundbreaking outreach 

approach to intermarried couples and families. 

An “Applying Your Learning” sheet appears at the end of the lesson. This can be 

distributed to participants as an aid in helping them take their learning from this lesson 

back to their own classrooms. 


To be an effective teacher in the Reform Movement depends on my ability to understand 

and transmit to my students the unique values, principles and contributions of the 

Movement to the Jewish people and to the world. 







39

Questions to be Addressed: 

• How has Reform Judaism led the way for important changes in our 

understanding of gender equality, social action and outreach within the 

American Jewish community? 

• How can I help my students understand and relate to contemporary intellectual 

and social challenges through a Reform Jewish perspective? 

• How does the social, political and ethical environment of the Movement affect 

the choices my students make about their own religious practices? 


• Participants will identify how the contributions made by Reform Judaism in such 

areas as gender equality, social action and outreach have affected the American 

Jewish landscape. 

• Participants will react to and reflect upon statements made by the leaders of our 

Movement in the form of CCAR resolutions. 


Set Induction (10 minutes) 

Text Study (10 minutes) 

Resolution Analysis (25‐30 minutes) 

Conclusion (10 minutes) 


L’takein (the Nana song) by Dan Nichols, found on the Ruach 5761 CD from 

Transcontinental Music (www.transcontinentalmusic.com). The lyrics are included with 

this lesson. 

CD player 

Flip chart 

Borowitz Text Sheet 

CCAR Resolution Packet 



40


Eugene B. Borowitz, Liberal Judaism (New York: UAHC Press, 1984) 

Michael A. Meyer and W. Gunther Plaut, eds., The Reform Jewish Reader: North American 

Documents (New York: UAHC Press, 2001) 

Set Induction (10 minutes) 

Lesson Plan 

1. Invite participants to listen to the song “L’takein” 7 , by Dan Nichols (Note: lyric 

sheets have been provided). 

2. Ask participants to brainstorm the ways in which they think that the Reform 

Movement has been a leader in tikkun olam (repairing the world). Write these on the 

board or flip chart. 

Text Study (10 minutes) 

Participants will examine a statement made by Dr. Eugene Borowitz, Professor of 

Education and Jewish Religious Thought at HUC‐JIR, emphasizing our responsibility to 

God, Torah and the people of Israel to perform acts of social justice. 

1. Distribute the following text to participants: 

1955 UAHC Statement of Basic Principles on the Synagogue and Social Action 

We are the heirs of the great Jewish Religious tradition which conceives of its 

ultimate goal as the establishment of God’s truth and justice on earth. The God 

whom we serve is a God of righteousness who would have us be holy as God is 

holy. The Torah which we cherish is a guide for spiritual living concerned with 

every aspect of human experience. The prophets of Israel, dedicated to God, and 

7 L’takein (the Na Na song) by Dan Nichols, Eighteen and Rabbi Ron Klotz 


41

to the welfare of all people, demanded that we pursue justice, seek peace and 

establish good relationships among all of God’s creatures. 8 

2. Ask participants to work in chevrutah partners and answer the following questions: 

• According to this text, what is our ultimate responsibility as Jews? 

• If this were a mission statement for Reform Judaism, what does it imply in terms 

of aspects of our society we should address in our world today? 

Resolution Analysis (30 minutes) 

In this learning activity, participants will examine several resolutions adopted by 

the Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR) to understand how our Movement’s 

stance on key issues is articulated and communicated. If you think that it will be too 

time‐consuming to have participants read through the entire packet, you may want to 

underline key thoughts and phrases or provide excerpts to move this part of the study 

process along more quickly. 

1. Remind participants that the CCAR is the rabbinic organization of the Reform 

Movement. As we learned in the last session, the CCAR issues platforms that express 

the views of Reform Movement rabbinic leadership on matters of concern and 

importance to our community. The CCAR also adopts “resolutions” which 

“represent the evolutionary changes in its stands on many political, social, economic, 

and humanitarian issues”. 9 These are policy statements that are recommended for 

our Movement to follow. 

2. Explain that we are going to have an opportunity to look at resolutions regarding 

three key issues that are the hallmarks of Reform Judaism in America: 

• Gender Equality 

• Social Action 

• Outreach 

8 

In Michael A. Meyer and W. Gunther Plaut, eds., The Reform Jewish Reader: North American Documents (New 

York: UAHC Press, 2001), p. 147 

9 

http://ccarnet.org/documentsandpositions/resolutions/ 


42

3. Distribute the resolution packet consisting of three issues and their corresponding 

CCAR resolutions. Choose one of the following options, based on the time available 

and your sense of which would work better for your class. 

• Option 1: Ask participants to read through the resolution packet utilizing the 

guiding questions on the first page. Then continue to #4 below. 

• Option 2: Ask the participants to read the first resolution (Equal Rights 

Amendment) and to discuss their reaction to the formal, public stand taken by 

the Reform Movement on this matter. Then divide the class into two smaller 

groups and assign each group one of the remaining resolutions. Ask each group 

to summarize and present to the other the main points and the implications of 

the resolution it was assigned. Continue to #4. 

4. Discuss answers to these questions with the whole group: 

• What (if anything) surprised you about the resolutions in this packet? Does one 

stand out to you in particular? 

• The topics presented here are considered by many to be major contributions to 

American Judaism. Why do you think the Reform Movement felt the need to 

make a formal proclamation, announcing Reform Judaism’s stand on these 

issues? 

5. Invite participants to think of ways these contributions can be seen throughout our 

ritual and social practice. You may choose to conduct this orally or write participant 

answers on the board. Possible answers are provided below: 

Gender Equality: 

• Usage of non‐sexist language in liturgy, role of women as leaders in our 

Social Action 

Movement including rabbis, cantors, etc. 

• Emphasis on communal responsibility to help one another as well as others, 

klal Yisrael, mitzvah projects related to bar/bat mitzvah preparation, 

community mitzvah days, etc. 


43

Outreach: 

• Patrilineal as well as matrilineal descent, inclusion of non‐Jewish family 

member into our communities, etc. 

Conclusion (10 minutes) 

1. Remind participants that the class discussion began by noting the importance of 

repairing the world (tikkun olam) in Jewish thought. Ask the participants to share with 

the group anything they learned in the session, or any new insights that resulted from 

their study, regarding the role of Reform Judaism in bringing tikkun—repair—to our 

world in concrete ways. 

2. Distribute the “Applying Your Learning” sheet and discuss with participants the 

suggestions that are contained there. 


44


Here are some suggestions for bringing your learning from this lesson back to your 

classroom: 

Repairing the World: 

Tikkun Olam 



Develop a discussion about 

what it means to repair the 

world. Encourage students to 

brainstorm ways that we can 

individually as well as 

collectively improve the world 

in which we live. 

Contributions Ask the students to create a 

picture of how he/she wants to 

make a difference. When 

complete, combine all the 

pictures together to form a 

giant, communal “band‐aid” 

that will hang on the wall for all 

to see. Point out to the students 

that the reason for combining 

the illustrations is to show that 

we are a community. 

Invite participants to listen to 

the song “L’takein” 10 , by Dan 

Nichols. Ask participants to 

brainstorm the ways in which 

they think the Reform 

Movement has tried to “repair 

the world”? Write these on the 

board or flip chart. 

Split the group into three equal 

parts and distribute 

information relating to gender 

equality, social action and 

outreach. Encourage the 

students to answer a set of 

questions based on the 

information in the lesson about 

how each of these topics is 

addressed by the Reform 

Movement. Conclude with 

why actions taken are 

considered to be major 

contributions of the 

Movement. 

Our Contribution Ask students to identify at least one improvement they would 

like to make to the world in which we live. Emphasize the role of 

contributing something new that has not been around before. If 

time and resources allow, aid in helping students actually 

develop an implementation plan for making their contribution. 

10 L’takein (the Na Na song) by Dan Nichols, Eighteen and Rabbi Ron Klotz 

45

Text Study 


1955 UAHC Statement of Basic Principles 

on the Synagogue and Social Action 

We are the heirs of the great Jewish Religious tradition which 

conceives of its ultimate goal as the establishment of God’s truth and 

justice on earth. The God whom we serve is a God of righteousness 

who would have us be holy as God is holy. The Torah which we 

cherish is a guide for spiritual living concerned with every aspect of 

human experience. The prophets of Israel, dedicated to God, and to 

the welfare of all people, demanded that we pursue justice, seek 

peace and establish good relationships among all of God’s 

creatures. 11 

• According to this text, what is our ultimate responsibility as Jews? 

• What are possible issues that would compromise this goal? 

If this is a mission statement for the Reform Movement, how do you think 

this vision might be implemented through our behavior in our world today? 

11 

In Michael A. Meyer and W. Gunther Plaut, eds., The Reform Jewish Reader: North American Documents (New 

York: UAHC Press, 2001), p. 147 

46

L'takein (The Na Na Song) 

Words: R. Klotz, Music: D. Nichols 

Na na na na na na… 

Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu, Melech ha'olam 

Shenatan lanu hizdamnut l'takein et ha'olam. 

Blessed are You, Adonai, our God, Ruler of the universe, 

for giving us the opportunity to mend the world. 


47


Directions: 

Resolution Packet 

Please read through the following CCAR resolutions, using the questions below as your 

guide: 

• What (if anything) surprised you about the resolutions made in this packet? Does 

one stand out to you in particular? 

• The topics presented here are considered to be major contributions in American 

Judaism. Why do you think the Reform Movement felt the need to make a formal 

proclamation, announcing Reform Judaism’s stand? 


48

Resolution Adopted by the CCAR 12 

Equal Rights Amendment 

Adopted by the CCAR at the 86th Annual Convention of 

the Central Conference of American Rabbis 

1975 

WHEREAS we are heirs of a prophetic tradition which ever sought to repair the damaged world, 

and 

WHEREAS in our efforts to restore the world to sanity we affirm the following position which we 

take knowing full well the complexity of such an issue but knowing also that we cannot be silent, 

BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED that we urge the speedy ratification of the Equal Rights 

Amendment and pledge our efforts in the various states to work for its ratification, 

recognizing that it is an important step toward insuring equal rights for women and men. 

12 http://data.ccarnet.org/cgi-bin/resodisp.pl?file=era&year=1975 


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49

Resolution Adopted by the CCAR 

The Status of Children of Mixed Marriages 

Following is the final text of the Report of the 

Committee on Patrilineal Descent 

adopted on March 15L 1983 

The purpose of this document is to establish the Jewish status of the children of mixed marriages in the Reform Jewish 

community of North America. 

One of the most pressing human issues for the North American Jewish community is mixed marriage, with all its attendant 

implications. For our purpose, mixed marriage is defined as a union between a Jew and a non-Jew. A non-Jew who joins the 

Jewish people through conversion is recognized as a Jew in every respect. We deal here only with the Jewish identity of 

children which one parent is Jewish and the other parent is non-Jewish. 

This issue arises from the social forces set in motion by the Enlightenment and the Emancipation. They are the roots of our 

current struggle with mixed marriage. "Social change so drastic and far reaching could not but affect on several levels the 

psychology of being Jewish.... The result of Emancipation was to make Jewish identity a private commitment rather than a 

legal status, leaving it a complex mix of destiny and choice" (Robert Seltzer, Jewish People, Jewish Thought, p. 544). Since the 

Napoleonic Assembly of Notables of 1806, the Jewish community has struggled with the tension between modernity and 

tradition. This tension is now a major challenge, and it is within this specific context that the Reform Movement chooses to 

respond. Wherever there is ground to do so, our response seeks to establish Jewish identity of the children of mixed 

marriages. 

According to the Halacha as interpreted by traditional Jews over many centuries, the offspring of a Jewish mother and a non- 

Jewish father is recognized as a Jew, while the offspring of a non-Jewish mother and a Jewish father is considered a non-Jew. 

To become a Jew, the child of a non-Jewish mother and a Jewish father must undergo conversion. 

As a Reform community, the process of determining an appropriate response has taken us to an examination of the tradition, 

our own earlier responses, and the most current considerations. In doing so, we seek to be sensitive to the human dimensions 

of this issue. 

Both the Biblical and the Rabbinical traditions take for granted that ordinarily the paternal line is decisive in the tracing of 

descent within the Jewish people. The Biblical genealogies in Genesis and elsewhere in the Bible attest to this point. In 

intertribal marriage in ancient Israel, paternal descent was decisive. Numbers 1:2, etc., says: "By their families, by their fathers' 

houses" (lemishpechotam leveit avotam), which for the Rabbis means, "The line [literally: 'family'] of the father is recognized; 

the line of the mother is not" (Mishpachat av keruya mishpacha; mishpachat em einah keruya mishpacha; Bava Batra 109b, 

Yevamot 54b; cf. Yad, Nachalot 1.6). 

In the Rabbinic tradition, this tradition remains in force. The offspring of a male Kohen who marries a Levite or Israelite is 

considered a Kohen, and the child of an Israelite who marries a Kohenet is an Israelite. Thus: yichus, lineage, regards the male 

line as absolutely dominant. This ruling is stated succinctly in Mishna Kiddushin 3.12 that when kiddushin (marriage) is licit and 

no transgression (ein avera is involved, the line follows the father. Furthermore, the most important parental responsibility to 

teach Torah rested with the father (Kiddushin 29a; cf. Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh De-a 245.1). 

When, in the tradition, the marriage was considered not to be licit, the child of that marriage followed the status of the mother 

(Mishna Kiddushin 3.12, havalad kemotah). The decision of our ancestors thus to link the child inseparably to the mother, 

which makes the child of a Jewish mother Jewish and the child of a nonJewish mother non-Jewish, regardless of the father, 

was based upon the fact that the woman with her child had no recourse but to return to her own people. A Jewish woman could 

not marry a non-Jewish man (cf. Shulchan Aruch, Even Ha-ezer 4.19, la tafsei kiddushin). A Jewish man could not marry a 

non-Jewish woman. The only recourse in Rabbinic law for the woman in either case was to return to her own community and 


50

people. 

Since Emancipation, Jews have faced the problem of mixed marriage and the status of the offspring of mixed marriage. The 

Reform Movement responded to the issue. In 1947 the CCAR adopted a proposal made by the Committee on Mixed Marriage 

and Intermarriage: 

With regard to infants, the declaration of the parents to raise them as Jews shall be deemed sufficient for conversion. This 

could apply, for example, to adopted children. This decision is in line with the traditional procedure in which, according to the 

Talmud, the parents bring young children (the Talmud speaks of children earlier than the age of three) to be converted, and the 

Talmud comments that although an infant cannot give its consent, it is permissible to benefit somebody without his consent (or 

presence). On the same page the Talmud also speaks of a father bringing his children for conversion, and says that the 

children will be satisfied with the action of their father. If the parents therefore will make a declaration to the rabbi that it is their 

intention to raise the child as a Jew, the child may, for the sake of impressive formality, be recorded in the Cradle-Roll of the 

religious school and thus be considered converted. 

Children of religious school age should likewise not be required to undergo a special ceremony of conversion but should 

receive instruction as regular students in the school. The ceremony of Confirmation at the end of the school course shall be 

considered in lieu of a conversion ceremony. 

Children older than confirmation age should not be converted without their own consent. The Talmudic law likewise gives the 

child who is converted in infancy by the court the right to reject the conversion when it becomes of religious age. Therefore the 

child above religious school age, if he or she consents sincerely to conversion, should receive regular instruction for that 

purpose and be converted in the regular conversion ceremony. (CCAR Yearbook, Vol. 57) 

This issue was again addressed in the 1961 edition of the Rabbi's Manual: 

Jewish law recognizes a person as Jewish if his mother was Jewish, even though the father was not a Jew. One born of such 

mixed parentage may be admitted to membership in the synagogue and enter into a marital relationship with a Jew, provided 

he has not been reared in or formally admitted into some other faith. The child of a Jewish father and a non- Jewish mother, 

according to traditional law, is a Gentile; such a person would have to be formally converted in order to marry a Jew or become 

a synagogue member. 

Reform Judaism, however, accepts such a child as Jewish without a formal conversion, if he attends a Jewish school and 

follows a course of studies leading to Confirmation. Such procedure is regarded as sufficient evidence that the parents and the 

child himself intend that he shall live as a Jew. (Rabbi's Manual, p. 112) 

We face today an unprecedented situation due to the changed conditions in which decisions concerning the status of the child 

of a mixed marriage are to be made. 

There are tens of thousands of mixed marriages. In a vast majority of these cases the non-Jewish extended family is a 

functioning part of the child's world, and may be decisive in shaping the life of the child. It can no longer be assumed a priori, 

therefore, that the child of a Jewish mother will be Jewish any more than that the child of a non-Jewish mother will not be. 

This leads us to the conclusion that the same requirements must be applied to establish the status of a child of a mixed 

marriage, regardless of whether the mother or the father is Jewish. 

Therefore: 

The Central Conference of American Rabbis declares that the child of one Jewish parent is under the presumption of Jewish 

descent. This presumption of the Jewish status of the offspring of any mixed marriage is to be established through appropriate 

and timely public and formal acts of identification with the Jewish faith and people. The performance of these mitzvot serves to 

commit those who participate in them, both parent and child, to Jewish life. 

Depending on circumstances, 1 mitzvot leading toward a positive and exclusive Jewish identity will include entry into the 


51

covenant, acquisition of a Hebrew name, Torah study, Bar/Bat Mitzvah, and Kabbalat Torah (Confirmation). 2 For those beyond 

childhood claiming Jewish identity, other public acts or declarations may be added or substituted after consultation with their 

rabbi. 

Notes 

1 According to the age or setting, parents should consult a rabbi to determine the specific mitzvot which are necessary. 

2 A full description of these and other mitzvot can be found in Sharrei Mitzvah 



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52

Resolution Adopted by the CCAR 13 

SOCIAL ACTION (FOR CONGREGATIONS) 

Digests of resolutions adopted by the 


between 1889 and 1974 

1. See Rabbi, Freedom of, Sec.6 (1953) . 

2. We recognize that, just as it is important to have ideas that work, so, too, is it necessary to put 

ideas to work. We therefore strongly urge all our congregations to initiate programs of 

social education and action among their members. We feel that only through the 

organization of congregational committees specifically charged to develop social action 

programs within their spheres of influence can a congregation completely express its 

belief in God and in the brotherhood of man. To facilitate this end, we make the following 

specific recommendations: 

1. The formation of congregational committees to study national and local issues which are 

of concern to the health and welfare of the community and the nation. 

2. The periodic issuance of concise statements which reflect the viewpoint of the local 

congregation on issues of the day. 

3. The initiation by our congregations of actual projects within the community, designed to 

remedy or to change existing situations needing change. 

4. The cooperation of our congregations and congregational committees with other likeminded 

local and national groups, both civic and religious, to implement their decisions 

through joint endeavor. (1953, pp. 132-33) 

3. However important the pronouncements of this Conference may be, the acid test of our 

effectiveness in the field of social action will be the extent of activity in this area within our 

congregations. We are enheartened by the increasing number of congregations which have 

established Social Action Committees under the dynamic leadership of Dr. Maurice Eisendrath, 

President of our Union, Mr. I. Cyrus Gordon, Chairman of the Joint Social Action Commission, 

Rabbi Eugene Lipman and Mr. Albert Vorspan, Director and Secretary of that Commission. 

(1954, p. 55) 

4. We heartily recommend the cooperation and leadership of our colleagues in establishing Social 

Action Committees in their Congregations. Toward that end, we recommend generous use of the 

publications "Social Action in Review" in the columns of our Temple Bulletins, regular pulpit 

messages in this area, and emphasis on Social Action in regional conferences or conventions of 

the CCAR and UAHC. We also request our colleagues to maintain regular liaison with the Joint 

Social Action Commission, reporting their progress as well as their reactions to the work of the 

Commission. (1954, p. 55) 

5. For a long time the members of our Conference feared that its pronouncements in the field of 

Social Action went unheeded who was to hear? Who would follow us? The establishment and 

subsequent revitalization of the Joint Commission on Social Action allayed, in part, our fears. 

Their last vestiges were laid to rest by the action which was taken at the Union Biennial of 

February, 1955. Following a tremendously stirring dialogue, "To Do Justly," the members of our 

congregations took their stand with us on the Synagogue and Social Action. They passed 

13 http://data.ccarnet.org/cgi-bin/resodisp.pl?file=soci.acti&year=1972 


53

forthright and courageous statements on Desegregation, Individual Freedom, Abundance and 

World Need, and World Peace. Their resolutions were in the noblest tradition of Prophetic 

Judaism. We, their spiritual leaders, express our deepest satisfaction and gratitude. We are 

enheartened by their presence at our side. We pledge ourselves, with their help, to continue the 

resolute march which will lead mankind to the fulfillment of his promise as child of the Living God. 

(1955, p.67) 



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54

Books 


Resources for Teachers 

Borowitz, Eugene. Liberal Judaism. New York: UAHC Press, 1984 

Kaplan, Dana Eve. American Reform Judaism: An Introduction. New Jersey: Rutgers 

University Press, 2003 

Levy, Richard N. A Vision of Holiness: The Future of Reform Judaism. New York: URJ 

Press, 2005* 

Meyer, Michael and Plaut, W. G., The Reform Jewish Reader. New York: UAHC Press, 2001 

Plaut, Gunther. The Growth of Reform Judaism. New York: World Union for Progressive 

Judaism, 1965. 

Syme, Daniel. The Jewish Home: A Guide for Spiritual Living. New York: URJ Press, 2003.* 

Washofsky, Mark. Jewish Living. New York: URJ Press, 2000.* 

*Required 

55

Reform Judaism for Teachers module - Touro Synagogue

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