Reform Judaism for Teachers module - Touro Synagogue

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.
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.
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?
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?
Evidence of Understanding
3
Richard N. Levy, A Vision of Holiness: The Future of Reform Judaism, New York: URJ
Press, 2005, p. 123.
Union for Reform Judaism-Department of Lifelong Jewish Learning
17