Reform Judaism for Teachers module - Touro Synagogue

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.
Union for Reform Judaism-Department of Lifelong Jewish Learning
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