Archive-name: judaism/FAQ/10-Reform
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	   Frequently Asked Questions on Reform/Progressive Judaism
         [Last Change: $Date: 1996/10/08 18:07:54 $ $Revision: 2.11 $]
                    [Last Post: Sat Jun 10 12:35:27 1995]

   This posting is an attempt to answer questions that are continually
   asked on soc.culture.jewish. It was written by cooperating laypeople
   from the various Judaic movements. You _should not_ make any
   assumption as to accuracy and/or authoritativeness of the answers
   provided herein. In all cases, it is always best to consult a
   competent authority--your local rabbi is a good place to start.
   
   The deceased sages described within are of blessed memory, (assume a
   _Z"L_ or _ZT"L_ after their names) and the sages alive today should
   live to see long and good days (assume _SHLITA_). May Hashem grant
   complete recovery to the ill. Individual honorifics are omitted.
   
   The FAQ was produced by a committee and is a cooperative work. The
   contributors never standardized on transliteration scheme from Hebrew,
   Aramaic, Yiddish, or Ladino to English. As a result, the same original
   word might appear with a variety of spellings. This is complicated by
   the fact that there are regional variations in the pronunciation of
   Hebrew. In some places, the common spelling variations are mentioned;
   in others--not. We hope that this is not too confusing.
   
   In general, throughout this FAQ, North American (US/Canada) terms are
   used to refer to the movements of Judaism. Outside of North American,
   Reform is Progressive or Liberal Judaism; Conservative is Reform or
   Masorti, and Orthodoxy is often just "Judaism". Even with this, there
   are differences in practice, position, and ritual between US/Canada
   Reform and other progressive/liberal movements (such as UK
   Progressive/ Liberal), and between US/Canada Conservative and the
   conservative/Masorti movement elsewhere. Where appropriate, these
   differences will be highlighted.
   
   The goal of the FAQ is to present a balanced view of Judaism; where a
   response is applicable to a particular movement only, this will be
   noted. Unless otherwise noted or implied by the text, all responses
   reflect the traditional viewpoint.
   
   This list should be used in conjunction with the Soc.Culture.Jewish
   reading lists. Similar questions can be found in the books referenced
   in those lists.


Special Introduction to the Reform/Progressive Portion of the FAQ

   This portion of the FAQ is drawn primarily from published positions of
   the Union of American Hebrew Congregations (UAHC) and the _Central
   Conference of American Rabbis_ (CCAR) -- the primary organizations for
   Reform Judaism in North American. As such, the positions represented
   here are collectively those of _the Reform movement_, as canonized by
   its leadership. Individuals in the movement have personal positions
   that differ, some more traditional, some more liberal.
   
   Also, as noted above, the positions primarily reflect those of North
   American Reform Jewry. Where appropriate and when it differs,
   clarifications about Reform/Progressive practice outside of North
   America is provided. Additional clarifications of this sort are always
   welcome.
   
   Again, as with any group, there are individuals who do not follow the
   recommendations of the movement, and yet associate themselves with the
   movement. This occurs in all aspects of Judaism. Remember to
   distinguish the individual from the movement, and strive to encourage
   those living with a less-than-serious commitment to their movement to
   strengthen that commitment. Throughout the remainder of this posting,
   unless otherwise qualified, the phrase "Reform Jew" refers to an
   individual committed to Reform Judaism and acting in accordance with
   the recommendations of Reform Judaism.
   
   This list should be used in conjunction with the Soc.Culture.Jewish
   Reform Reading List. Similar questions can be found in the books
   referenced in those lists.

   Reproduction of this posting for commercial use is subject to
   restriction. See Part 1 for more details.

------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: ORGANIZATION

   This portion of the FAQ contains answers to the following questions:

   Section 18. Reform/Progressive Judaism
     * Introduction to the Reform/Progressive FAQ
    1. General Questions
         1. What is Reform Judaism? 
         2. What, if any, are the fundamental principles of Reform? 
         3. Is a Jew affiliated with Reform Judaism less "religious" than
            one affiliated with another movement? 
         4. How is Reform Judaism structured in the North America? 
         5. How is Reform Judaism structured in the rest of the world? 
         6. How big is Reform Judaism? 
    2. History
         1. How did Reform Judaism start? 
         2. Why did Reform Judaism start? 
         3. I've heard reference to "Classic German Reform". What is it? 
         4. What is Reform Judaism today? 
    3. What is Reform Judaism's position on...
         1. The authority of Torah? 
         2. The authority of Talumd? 
         3. What is acceptable practice? 
         4. What is unacceptable practice? 
         5. The necessity of belief in God? 
         6. The role of Israel? 
         7. Other Jewish movements? 
         8. Homosexuality 
         9. Intermarriage 
        10. Abortion 
        11. Mixed (Interfaith) Marriages 
        12. The role of women 
        13. Outreach 
        14. How an individual's Jewish status is determined 
        15. The Messiah 
    4. Stereotypes: The fallacy verses reality
         1. Fallacy: Reform Jews choose practice based solely on
            convenience 
         2. Fallacy: Either patrilineal or matrilineal descent is
            accepted 
         3. Fallacy: Reform Conversions take no study, and are for
            convenience only 
         4. Fallacy: Reform Judaism encourages intermarriage 
         5. Fallacy: Intermarried couples have exactly the same rights as
            non-intermarried couples in Reform Congregations 
         6. Fallacy: Reform Judaism has Rabbis and congregations that
            don't believe in God 
         7. Fallacy: There are few 3rd or 4th generation Reform Jews. 
         8. Fallacy: An atheist could be considered a "good" Reform Jew 
         9. Fallacy: Reform Jews don't have Bar Mitzvahs 
        10. Fallacy: Reform totally ignores "Jewish" divorce (i.e., gets)
            
        11. Fallacy: All Reform Congregations Are Rich 
        12. Fallacy: Reform Rabbis do not study Halacha 
        13. Fallacy: Reform Jews don't care about Jewish ideals and
            principles. 
        14. Fallacy: Reform Jews don't need to attend synagogue. 
        15. Fallacy: Reform Jews don't believe in Zionism and don't
            support Israel. 
        16. Fallacy: Reform Jews have no concept of the Messiah. 
        17. Fallacy: Reform Jews do not observe Shabbat 
        18. Fallacy: Reform Jews ignore the laws of Kashrut 
        19. Fallacy: Reform rejects most of Maimonides 13 Principles of
            Faith 
    5. Differences from Traditional Judaism
         1. Why does Reform liturgy say "m'chayey hakol" [who gives life
            to all] instead of m'chayey meytim" [who gives life to the
            dead] ? 
         2. What other changes to liturgy reflect Reform ideals? 
         3. Why does Reform generally celebrate Rosh Hashanah for one
            day? 
         4. How does a Reform conversion differ from an Orthodox
            conversion? 
    6. The Rabbinate
         1. How does one become a Reform Rabbi? 
         2. What is the course of study for the Rabbinate? 
         3. How does one become a Reform Cantor? 
         4. What is the course of study for cantors? 
         5. What other courses of study are available? 
         6. Can Reform Rabbis be sanctioned for their beliefs 
    7. For Further Information
         1. How do I contact the main organizations in Reform Judaism? 
         2. How do I find a Reform congregation? 
         3. Are there any Reform Rabbis on the network who will answer
            questions? 
         4. How do I start the conversion process? 
         5. I'd like to do some further reading. Where do I start? 
     * Special Credits for the Reform/Progressive FAQ
       


------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: What is Reform Judaism?

   Reform is the most liberal of the major movements within Judaism
   today. It started in the 1800s in Germany during the emancipation, and
   encouraged examination of religion with an eye towards rationality and
   egalitarianism.
   
   Reform differs from the other major movements in that it views both
   the Oral and Written laws as a product of human hands (specifically,
   it views the Torah as Divinely inspired, but written in the language
   of the time in which it was given). The laws reflect their times, but
   contain many timeless truths. The Reform movement stresses retention
   of the key principles of Judaism (as it sees them; for details,
   consult the Reform Reading List). As for practice, it strongly
   recommends individual study of the traditional practices; however, the
   adherent is free to follow only those practices that increase the
   sanctity of their relationship to G-d. Reform also stresses equality
   between the sexes.
   
   Reform Judaism shares the universal Jewish emphasis on learning, duty,
   and obligation rather than creed as the primary expression of a
   religious life. Reform stresses that ethical responsibilities,
   personal and social, are enjoined by God. Reform also believes that
   our ethical obligations are but a beginning; they extend to many other
   aspects of Jewish living, including: creating a Jewish home centered
   on family devotion; life-long 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
   synagogue and community; and other activities that promote the
   survival of the Jewish people and enhance its existence. Within each
   aspect of observance Reform Judaism demands Jews confront the claims
   of Jewish tradition, however differently perceived, and to exercise
   their individual autonomy--based, as the Sh'ma says, upon reason,
   heart, and strength--choosing and creating their holiness as people
   and as community. The requirement for commitment and knowledge is
   repeatedly emphasized. A Reform Jew who determines their practice
   based on convenience alone is not acting in accordance with the
   recommended position of Reform Judaism. Reform also rejects the faith
   tenets of other religions as a matter of first principles.
   
   It should be noted that many of the paths taken by the Reform movement
   differ from those of traditional Judaism. These differences result in
   many of the discussions you will see on S.C.J.
   
   In terms of size, the UAHC 1993-1994 annual report notes that there
   were a total of 853 UAHC-affiliated congregations, with a total
   reported congregational membership of 302,193 member units (families,
   singles, etc.). This can be contrasted with the 1983-1984 period,
   where there were 773 congregations with a total of 269,406 member
   units. Congregations range in size from a 2-member-unit congregation
   in Port Gibson, Mississippi, to "mega"-shuls such as Wilshire Blvd
   Temple in Los Angeles (2,123 member units), Anshe Chesed in Cleveland
   Ohio (2,151), Holy Blossom Temple in Toronto Ontario (2,043), Temple
   Israel in Minneapolis Minnesota (2,075), Washington Hebrew
   Congregation in Washington DC (2,783), Congregation Emanu-El in New
   York City (2,650), Temple Israel in W. Bloomfield Michigan (2,659),
   Temple Emanu-El in Dallas Texas (2,526), and Cong. Beth Israel in
   Houston Texas (2,011).

------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: What, if any, are the fundamental principles of Reform?

   Although Reform does not have a mandated laundry list of "fundamental
   principles", there are concepts and principles that characterize much
   of the Reform movement. These are:
   
     * Belief in God as defined in the Shema
     * Belief that Torah was written by human hands, in the language of
       its time, with divine inspiration.
     * Belief in the rationality of humanity
     * Belief that the process of reinterpretation of Torah to the
       language of today is ongoing, and that every Jew has a stake and a
       role in that restatement and extension.
     * Belief in egalitarianism (equal treatment of the sexes) whereever
       possible.
     * Belief in the strong moral and social action committment inherent
       in Torah and embodied in the concept of "_Tikkun Olam_", rebuiding
       the world.
       
   UAHC Press also has available a pamphlet, What We Believe, What We Do:
   A Pocket Guide for Reform Jews, prepared by Rabbi Simeon J. Maslin,
   that summarizes Reform Jewish belief and practice.

------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: Is a Jew affiliated with Reform Judaism less "religious" than one
         affiliated with another movement?

   Religion is a personal matter of belief, and just as there is a wide
   spectrum of underlying belief (regardless of outward practice) in
   other movements, there is in Reform Judaism.
   
   Practice is a different question. Although Reform permits a wide
   variety of practice--indeed, fully traditional practice could be
   accomodated in Reform if it was the result of honest study--the
   normative practice of American Reform Jewish is less ritualistic than,
   for example, Orthodox practice. This is a logical consequence of
   Reform's emphasis upon _kevanah_ or devotion as an essential part of
   Jewish ritual and practice. The notion is that rituals and practices
   mean more if one is committed to their reason and significance,
   emotional, rational, and spiritual.

------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: How is Reform Judaism structured in the North America?

   Union of American Hebrew Congregations (UAHC). UAHC was founded in
   1873 by Rabbi Isaac Meyer Wise, and serves as the umbrella
   organization for Reform Synagogues throughout North America. It is
   part of the World Union for Progressive Judaism, which encompasses
   Liberal/Progressive/Reform congregations on every continent.
   
   UAHC funds a seminary system for Reform Judaism: the Hebrew Union
   College--Jewish Institute for Religion. HUC was founded in 1875, and
   it now has campuses in Cincinnati, Ohio (+1 513 221 1875); New York
   City, New York (+1 212 674 5300); Los Angeles, California (+1 213 749
   3424); and Jerusalem ISRAEL (+972 2 232 444).
   
   UAHC works with a number of professional organizations:
   
   The CCAR or Central Conference of American Rabbis (founded in 1889).
   Its members are the body of rabbis who consider themselves and are
   considered to be the organized rabbinate of Reform Judaism. Its
   members consist of Reform Rabbis ordained at the Hebrew Union College
   (HUC), as well as Reform Rabbis ordained at liberal seminaries in
   Europe, and some rabbis who joined the Reform movement sometime
   subsequent to ordination (most of these were ordained either at the
   Conservative Jewish Theological Seminary or the Reconstructionist
   Rabbinical College). Note that not all HUC graduates are CCAR members;
   some leave for ideological reasons or because they have joined a
   different movement. The CCAR publishes a quarterly rabbinic journal
   called CCAR Journal; see the publications part of the reading list for
   ordering information.
   
   American Conference of Cantors.
   
   National Association of Temple Administrators. Information on NATA may
   be found on shamash.org in the Reform Judaism section of the gopher.
   
   National Association of Temple Educators.
   
   UAHC works with a number of special-interest groups:
   
     * Women of Reform Judaism (formerly National Federation of Temple
       Sisterhoods)
     * National Federation of Temple Brotherhoods
     * PARDeS, the Progressive Organization of Reform Day Schools
     * ARZA (Association of Reform Zionists of America)
     * KADIMAH (ARZA/Canada)
     * NFTY, North American Federation of Temple Youth
     * KESHER, serving Reform college students
       
   In Canada, Reform Congregations are members of the Canadian Council
   for Reform Judaism. CCRJ represents approximately 9000 households in
   24 affiliated congregations from Montreal to Calgary. The CCRJ is the
   Canadian region of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations.
   
   The CCRJs mandates are:
    1. To promote the aims and objectives of member congregations
    2. To promote and assist in the formation of new liberal
       congregations in Canada
    3. To represent the Union of American Hebrew Congregations in Canada
    4. To promote and represent liberal Judaism in Canada
       

------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: How is Reform Judaism structured in the rest of the world?

   The world organization for Reform Judaism is the _World Union for
   Progressive Judaism_, which is headquartered in Jerusalem. Outside of
   North America, Reform is also known as "Progressive" or "Liberal"
   Judaism.
   
   Progressive Jewish congregations are to be found throughout the Jewish
   world, from Europe to Asia, from South America to India and from
   Africa to Australasia. In Israel, in addition to urban congregations,
   there are also two Progressive kibbutzim and a Progressive village
   settlement.
   
   Where appropriate there are regional umbrella organizations such as
   the Australian and New Zealand Union for Progressive Judaism
   (<http://www.tmx.com.au/join/anzupj/anzupj.htm>), or the South African
   Union for Progressive Judaism, or the European Board of the WUPJ.
   
   In the United Kingdom, Progressive/Reform Judaism is represented by
   the Union of Liberal and Progressive Synagogues, known generally as
   the Liberal movement. As part of a process of becoming part of the
   Progressive movement, some Liberal Synagogues changed their name from
   Liberal to Progressive some years back. Yet the distinctions are
   difficult to draw.
   
   Members of reform congregations in the UK are likely to see themselves
   closer in beliefs to the US Reform movement and not to the
   Conservative. In halachic terms, little now separates the UK Reform
   and Liberal movements, and *both* are affiliated to WUPJ. Indeed
   proposals to merge the two movements arise from time to time. The Leo
   Baeck College is sponsored by both movements, and its graduates
   officiate in both Liberal and Reform synagogues.
   
   The differences between the two are largely historical. The Reform
   movement developed in the UK independent of the classical German
   liberal trend. The West London Synagogue was established in the early
   1800's as a breakaway from the Sephardi Bevis Marks synagogue in the
   City of London, so that wealthy jews who had moved to the affluent
   West End district of London had a convenient place of worship. Its
   liturgy adapted to cope with the desire for a degree of assimilation
   and less harsh observence of this class of English jewry! A number of
   congregations throughout the UK over time adopted the West London
   prayerbook. With the outbreak of the Second World War, these
   congregations got together to deal with issues of jewish education in
   the context of children being evacuated to the countryside. The Reform
   Synagogues of Great Britain <http://www.knowledge.co.uk/xxx/rsgb/>
   (the umbrella organisation for the Reform movement) dates from this
   time. Leo Baeck College was founded by RSGB (who were later joined by
   ULPS) in order to re-build the European rabbinate following the shoa -
   and the destruction of progressive seminaries in continental Europe.
   
   The Liberal movement (and the Liberal Jewish Synagogue) was founded in
   the early part of this century by Lily Montague as an adjunct to the
   then Reform synagogues - with the intention that the use of more
   English in services, etc would prevent some on the margins of British
   jewry assimilating completley and being totally lost. The Liberal
   movement owes more to classical German liberal jewry. Reform practices
   tend to be somewhat more Orthadox than the Liberal - (e.g. wearing of
   tallit, the form of some prayers), but when you get down to
   fundamentals, there is not much in it - as the sharing of a rabinnical
   seminary shows.
   
   The Masorti movement corresponds more closely to US conservative
   practice in its interpretation of halacha and the from of its
   services.
   
   The UK CCAR equivalent is The Reform Synagogues of Great Britain.
   
   The International Youth Movement, _Netzer Olami_, has active branches
   of Netzer (acronym: _No'ar Tzioni Reformi_ - Reform Zionist Youth)
   throughout the world. In the UK, contact ULPSNYC-Netzer,
   <R.L.Reese@sheffield.ac.uk> or <Beccy@brij000.demon.co.uk>. There is
   also a growing Dayschool movement in a number of countries.
   
   The WUPJ is a constitutent of the World Zionist Organization, and the
   political Zionist arm of Progressive Judaism--ARTZENU--has active
   constituents in most contries.

------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: How big is Reform Judaism?

   According to the 1993-1994 yearbook of the Union of American Hebrew
   Congregations, there are 853 member congregations, with a total
   "member unit" membership of 302,193 member units. The term "member
   units" refers to the unit that joins a synagogue: a family, a single
   individual, a gay couple. There are also numerous congregations that
   are Reform but are not affiliated with UAHC. Some of these are quite
   large (such as Steven S. Wise Congregation in Los Angeles, with over
   2,000 member units). The breakdown, according to the yearbook, is as
   follows:
   
        Region                          Congregations           Members
        Canada                          22                        8,252
        Great Lakes                     57                       22,785
        Mid Atlantic                    62                       20,289
        Midwest                         65                       23,401
        New Jersey/W. Hudson            58                       20,829
        New York                        94                       36,122
        Northeast                       78                       26,605
        Northeast Lakes                 69                       23,660
        Northern California             40                       15,137
        Pacific Northwest               18                        5,002
        Pacific Southwest               73                       32,257
        Pennsylvania                    55                       19,721
        Southeast                       85                       28,397
        Southwest                       77                       19,736
        TOTAL                          853                      302,193

   To give an idea of trends, in 1982-1983, the congregational membership
   was 269,406--that's 12% growth over ten years. There were 773 member
   congregations in 1982-1983, giving 10% growth in the number of Reform
   congregations.

------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: How did Reform Judaism start?

   The roots of Reform/Liberal/Progressive Judaism lie in Germany, where,
   between 1810 and 1820, congregations in Seesen, Hamburg, and Berline
   instituted fundamental changes in traditional Jewish practices and
   beliefs, such as mixed seating, the use of German in services,
   single-day observance of festivals, and use of a cantor/choir.
   
   American Reform Judaism began as these German "reformers" immegrated
   to American in the mid-1800s. Reform rapidly became the dominant
   belief systems of American Jews of the time. It was a national
   phenomenon. The first "Reform" group was formed by a number of
   individuals that split from Cong. Beth Elohim in Charleston SC.
   
   According to an article in the Spring 1994 CCAR Journal, the following
   are early American Jewish congregations, and the dates they became
   Reform congregations:
   
   Congregation                    City            Date Became Reform
   Beth Elohim                     Charleston SC           1825
   Har Sinai                       Baltimore MD            1842
   Emanu-El                        New York NY             1845
   Beth El/Anshe Emeth             Albany NY               1850
   Bene Yeshurun (I.M. Wise)       Cincinnati OH           1854
   Adath Israel (The Temple)       Louisville KY           1855
   Bene Israel (Rockdale)          Cincinnati OH           1855
   Keneseth Israel                 Philadelphia PA         1856
   Sinai                           Chicago IL              1858

   Reform in American benefitted from the lack of a central religious
   authority. It also was molded by Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise. Rabbi I.M.
   Wise camed to the US in 1846 from Bohemia, spent eight years in Albany
   NY, and then moved to Cincinnati on the edge of the frontier. He then
   proceeded to...
   
    1. Write the first siddur edited for American worshippers, Minhag
       American (1857)
    2. Found the Union of American Hebrew Congregations in 1873
    3. Found Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati in 1875
    4. Found the Central Conference of American Rabbis in 1889
       
   Early Reform, led by Rabbis such as David Einhorn of Baltimore, Samuel
   Holdheim, Bernard Felsenthal, and Kaufmann Kohler, took an
   increasingly radical stance. Many rituals and customs were dropped,
   some congregations held "Shabbat" on Sunday. This early radicalism was
   mentioned in the 1885 Pittsburgh Platform
   (<http://www.netaxs.com/~expweb/1885.html>).
   
   By 1880, over 90% of American Syngagues were Reform. This was the time
   of the major Eastern European immegration, which was heavily Orthodox
   and non-German, as contrasted with the strongly German Reform
   movement. Many Reform congregations of this time were difficult to
   distinguish from neighboring Protestant churches, with preachers in
   robes, pews with mixed seating, choirs, organs, and hymnals. Yet by
   1935, Reform had started on the path of return to a more traditional
   approach to Judaism--distinctly Jewish and distinctly American, but
   also distinctively non-Christian.
   
   Reform pioneered a number of Jewish organizations, such as the
   Educational Alliance on the Lower East Side of New York, the Young
   Men's Hebrew Association, the American Jewish Committee, and the ADL
   of B'nai Brith.
   
   Although early Reform dropped quite a bit of traditional prayers and
   rituals, there was still a "bottom line". In 1909, the CCAR formally
   declared its opposition to intermarriage. And, although decried as
   "archaic" and "barbarian", the practice of circumcision remained a
   central rite.
   
   Early Reform was also anti-Zionist, believing the Dispora was
   necessary for Jews to be "light unto the nations". Yet with this, a
   number of Reform Rabbis were pioneers in establishing Zionism in
   American, such as Gustav and Richard Gottheil, Rabbi Steven S Wise
   (founder of the American Jewish Congress), and Justice Louis Brandeis.
   Following the Balfour Declaration, Reform began to support Jewish
   settlements in Palestine, as well as institutions such as Hadassah
   Hospital, and the Hebrew University. In 1937, the Columbus Platform
   (<http://www.netaxs.com/~expweb/columbus_platform.html>) affirmed "the
   obligation of all Jewry to aid in building a Jewish homeland...".
   
   Since 1937, Reform has remained active on the social action front. It
   has also been moving back to tradition. This is described in more
   detail elsewhere in the FAQ.
   
   [Much of this adapted from "The Jewish Almanac", Richard Siegel and
   Carl Rheins]

------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: Why did Reform Judaism start?

   To answer this question, one must look at the environment in which
   Reform was born. This was the time of the French Revolution, a time
   when European Jews were (for the first time), recognized as citizens
   of the countries in which they lived. Ghettos were being abolished,
   special badges were no more, people could settle where they pleased,
   dress as they liked, and follow the occupations that they wanted.
   
   Many Jews settled outside of Jewish districts, and began to live like
   their neighbors and speak the language of the land. They went to
   public schools and univeristies, and began to neglect Jewish studies
   and to disregard the Shulchan Aruch.
   
   In 1815, after Napolean's defeat, Jews lost the rights of citizenship
   in many countries. Many Jews became Christian in order to retain those
   rights. Many thoughtful Jews were concerned about this. They relized
   that many of these changes took place not because of a dislike of
   Judaism, but in order to obtain better treatment. Many rabbis believed
   that the way to address this was to force Jews to keep away from
   Christians and give up public schools and universities. This didn't
   work.
   
   Leopold Zunz proposed something else. He suggested that Jews study
   their history, and learn of the great achievements of the past. At the
   same time as Zunz was implementing his ideas, a movement began to make
   religious services better understood, by incorporating music and the
   local language. However, these changes had to battle the local Rabbis,
   who urged the government to close the test synagogue.
   
   Shortly after the closing, Rabbi Abraham Geiger suggested that
   observance might also be changed to appeal to modern people. Geiger, a
   skilled scholar in both Tanach and German studies, investigated Jewish
   history. He discovered that Jewish life had continually changed. Every
   now and then, old practices were changed and new ones introduced,
   resulting in a Jewish life that was quite different than that lived
   4000 or even 2000 years before. He noticed that these changes often
   made it easier for Jews to live in accordance with Judaism.
   
   Geiger concluded that this process of change needed to continue in
   order to make Judaism attractive to all Jews. He met with other Rabbis
   in Germany, and changes began as described in the first question in
   the FAQ.

------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: I've heard reference to "Classic German Reform". What is it?

   When Reform started, many of its leaders took a very "rejectionist"
   view of practice. Many traditional practices were decried as
   "barbaric", and many other practices were discarded. This "early form"
   of Reform had some of the following characteristics:
     * Circumcision was not practiced, and was decried as barbaric.
     * The Hebrew language was removed from the liturgy and replaced with
       German.
     * The hope for a restoration of the Jews in Israel was officially
       renounced, and it was officially stated that Germany was to be the
       new Zion.
     * The ceremony in which a child celebrated becoming Bar Mitzvah was
       removed, and replaced with a "confirmation" ceremony.
     * The laws of Kashrut and family purity were officially declared
       "repugnant" to modern thinking people, and were not observed.
     * Shabbat was observed on Sunday.
     * Traditional restrictions on Shabbat behavior were not followed.
       
   (Note that almost all of the items in the above list are _not_
   reflective of Reform thought today.)
   
   In 1885 the Reform movement held its Pittsburg Conference, which
   produced the original platform of Reform Judaism. This platform,
   called the Pittsburg Platform (ca. 1885) [available at
   <http://www.netaxs.com/~expweb/1885.html>] is still followed by a few
   congregations today. This platform dismisses "such Mosaic and
   rabbinical laws as regulate diet, priestly purity and dress" as
   anachronisms that only obstruct spirituality in the modern age, and
   stressed that Reform Jews must only be accepting of laws that they
   feel "elevate and sanctify our lives" and must reject those customs
   and laws that "not adapted to the views and habits of modern
   civilization." In the decades following these events, a reevaluation
   took place in which many members of the Reform movement began to
   question the "reforms" that were made. This is indicative how the
   movement operates, and why it is called "Reform" and _not_
   "Reformed"--because the process of reform is a continual one. Starting
   with the Columbus Platform (ca. 1937) [available at
   <http://www.netaxs.com/~expweb/columbus_platform.html>], many of the
   discarded practices were reincorporated into Reform, and consistute
   what is now called "Modern" Reform Judaism, or more succinctly, Reform
   Judaism.

------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: What is Reform Judaism today?

   [Adapted from Rabbi Eugene Borowitz's Liberal Judaism...]
   
   As described elsewhere in this FAQ, Reform Jews believe that human
   beings are responsible for both the Written and the Oral Torah. The
   sacred texts and contemprorary sages have much to teach us, but do not
   legislate for us. Reform Jews insist on the freedom to determine for
   themselves the aspects of faith they will continue to observe, and
   what in their belief requires the creation of new forms.
   
   This freedom can be broken into two periods. The first period,
   sometimes called "Classic Reform", runs from the start of Reform
   Judaism until around the 1960s. It can be characterized by the notion
   of what Rabbi Borowitz calls "negative freedom". In other words,
   Reform Jews of this time defined themselves by their right *not to do*
   what traditional Jews considered mandatory.
   
   Beginning in the 1960s (although there were elements as far back as
   1920) and continuing to the present day is the period of what is
   called Modern Reform, and Rabbi Borowitz characterizes as "positive
   freedom". In other words, today's Reform Jews use religious
   self-determination _to add to_ their religious observance. Previously
   rejected or neglected traditions are readopted, and new ones are
   created to express growing Jewish sensibilities.

------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: Reform's Position On...The authority of Torah?

   The 1937 Columbus Platform of Reform Jewry expressed the position that
   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 the Torah has not ceased and Jewish creativity in our
   time is adding to the chain of tradition.
   
   The platform went on to say that God is revealed not only in the
   majesty, beauty and orderliness of nature, but also in the vision and
   moral striving of the human spirit. Revelation is a continuous
   process, confined to no one group and to no one age. Yet, the people
   of Israel, through its prophets and sages, achieved unique insight in
   the realm of religious truth. The Torah, both written and oral,
   enshrines Israel's ever-growing consciousness of God and of the moral
   law. It preserves the historical precedents, sanctions and norms of
   Jewish life, and seeks to mold it in the patterns of goodness and of
   holiness. Being products of historical processes, certain of its laws
   have lost their binding force with the passing of the conditions that
   called them forth. But as a repository of permanent spiritual ideals,
   the Torah remains the dynamic source of life of Israel. Each age has
   the obligation to adapt the teachings of the Torah to its basic needs
   in consonance with the genius of Judaism

------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: Reform's Position On...The authority of Talumd?

   [Based on material in Contemporary American Reform Responsa by Rabbi
   Walter Jacob, publ. by CCAR]:
   
   Reform Judaism views the rabbinic past as a historical development.
   The "Oral Law" is not seen as divinely given at Sinai, but rather as a
   reflection of Judaism's historic development and encounter with God in
   each succeeding generation. In this, Reform follows Zunz, Geiger,
   Frankel, Graetz, and others in viewing God working through human
   agents. Reform believes that each generation has produced capable and
   religiously inspired teachers (this means that Reform rejects the
   often expressed view that assigns greater holiness to those who lived
   in the past). Some individuals of our generation may equal or exceed
   those of the past.
   
   Historical and sociological studies of the rabbinic literature during
   the last two centuries have illuminated it. Reform Judaism view this
   vast literature as the product of human reaction to varying needs
   motivated by religious thought and the divine impulse. Reform Judaism
   feels no necessity to justify each segment of the literature in terms
   of every other portion as done through hidushim and pilpul. Reform
   sees the differences among Talmudic and later authorities as
   reflections of particular points of view, different understandings of
   the divine mandate, as well as the needs of specific groups within
   their Jewish communities.
   
   When Reform Judaism analyzes each period of history, it discovers
   different strands in the halakhah. These appear both in the decisions
   and underlying philosophy. Traditional Judaism has chosen a single
   path and rejected the others, but we recall the existence of the other
   paths and the fact that they were suggested and followed by loyal Jews
   in the past. Reform Judaism feels that diversity has always been the
   hallmark of our literature and our people. Thus, when Reform finds
   itself facing new situations, it turns both to the mainstream of
   rabbinic thought as well as its divergent paths for halakhic guidance.
   In Reform's view, the halakhah is a vast repository whose old debates
   are often relevant to new situations.
   
   Sometimes the solutions of Reform Judaism may parallel those of past
   generations. On other occasions, Reform diverges from them. Through
   this effort, Reform Judaism seeks solutions for generations living in
   lands distant and distinct from those of the ancient Near East or
   medieval Europe.
   
   Reform Judaism recognizes that not every question can be resolved by
   reviewing the rabbinic literature; in some instances, totally new
   legislation is appropriate. That may be buttressed by rabbinic
   precedent.

------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: Reform's Position On...What is acceptable practice?

   Reform Judaism maintains the principle of individual freedom; each Jew
   must make a personal decision about the Judaism which has come down
   through the ages. Nevertheless, all Jews who acknowledge themselves to
   be members of their people and its tradition thereby limit their
   freedom to some extent. [From Gates of Mitzvot]
   
   This sounds general. It is. As the 1976 Centenary Statement
   (<http://www.netaxs.com/~expweb/100-1.html>) says, Reform Jews are
   subject to both ethical responsibilities (both personal and social),
   as well as obligations in many other aspects of Jewish living
   (creating a Jewish home; life-long study; private prayer and public
   worship; observance of holidays, etc.) Within each area of Jewish
   observance Reform Jews must confront and study Jewish tradition, and
   exercise their individual autonomy.

------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: Reform's Position On...What is unacceptable practice?

   As one might imagine, the emphasis on freedom and autonomy in Reform
   Judaism could lead one to an "anything goes" position. However,
   anything doesn't go. The Reform Responsa literature is full of
   examples of unacceptable practice/practices; here are a few:
   
     * "Current medical fashions are irrelevant in this matter as we
       consider circumcision to be a religious rite, not a health
       measure. Unless ill health or serious medical problems prevent the
       circumcision of a male infant on the eighth day, he should be
       circumcised on that day. If such a child is not circumcised, he
       would nevertheless be considered a Jew [but] it would be incumbant
       upon such an individual to be circumcised later in life."
       [American Reform Responsa #54]
     * "For us in the Jewish community anyone who claims that Jesus is
       their savior is no longer a Jew and is an apostate... Such
       individuals should not be accorded membership in the congregation
       or treated in any way which makes them appear as if they were
       affiliated with the Jewish community..." [Contemporary American
       Reform Responsa, #68]
     * When asked if a Jewish lady could be a bridesmaid at a Christian
       wedding, the answer as "The young lady may attend as a bridesmaid
       but she may not kneel or do anything whicy may be considered as
       participation in a Christian worship service." [Contemporary
       American Reform Responsa, #168]
     * Contemporary American Reform Responsa, #118 implies that
       headstones in a Jewish cemetary must not have Christian symbols.
     * "Mind altering drugs... may not be used by Jews to induce a
       ``heightened sense of religious awareness'' or to seek a mystical
       experience." [Contemporary American Reform Responsa, #74]
       
   However, just because an individual does something unacceptable or
   holds a belief different than the movement's recommendation does not,
   a priori, make them no longer a Reform Jew. As Rabbi Plaut wrote
   "Persons of varying shadings of belief or unbelief, practice or
   non-practice, may belong to UAHC congregations as individuals."

------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: Reform's Position On...The necessity of belief in God?

   [Adapted from Rabbi Eugene Borowitz's Liberal Judaism]
   
   Belief in God is not a problem to some people. They simply know that
   God exists and nothing shakes their faith. Most of us are not like
   that. We'd like to believe in God, and sometimes think that we do,
   only to find ourselves questioning again. It is clear that in Judaism,
   belief in God has not usually meant complete and unwavering certainty.
   This is demonstrated throughout Torah. In Judaism, faith in God is
   dynamic; it is not an all-or-nothing, static state of being.
   
   So, does Reform require belief in God? There are no ideological tests
   administered; each person's belief is private. Yet in terms of the
   movement, Reform believes in God. This belief has been demonstrated
   from the earliest days of the movement; specifically, the Pittsburgh
   Platform in 1885 said "We hold that Judaism presents the highest
   concept of the God-idea as taught in our holy Scriptures." It was
   reaffirmed in 1937 in the Columbus Platform: "The heard of Judaism and
   its chief contribution to religion is the doctrine of the One, living
   God, who rules the world through law and love.". It was reaffirmed yet
   again in 1976: "The affirmation of God has always been essential to
   our people's will to survive.".
   
   The strength of this conviction at the level of the congregation was
   confirmed again recently. In 1990, a congregation in Cincinatti Ohio
   applied for membership in UAHC. This congregation practices "Judaism
   with a humanistic perspective". It had been briefly involved with the
   Society for Humanistic Judaism, but had found them to be too
   atheistic. The congregation sees itself as a Jewish group, but its
   liturgy deletes any and all mention of God, either in the Hebrew or in
   English. This liturgy doesn't include Kiddish or Kaddish, Barechu,
   Shema, Ve'ahavta, Amidah, or Aleinu. Their philosophy doesn't admit of
   either Covenant or commandments (as demonstrated by their haggadah,
   which in Echad Mi Yode'a, replaces the traditional "Two tables of the
   Covenant" with "two people in the Garden of Eden". The responsa
   committee, in response to this application, denied (although not
   unanimously) that this congregation was a Reform congregation. Rabbi
   Gunther Plaut, chair of the committee at the time, wrote:
   
     "Persons of varying shadings of belief or unbelief, practice or
     non-practice, may belong to UAHC congregations as individuals, and
     we respect their rights. But it is different when they come as a
     congregation whose declared principles are at fundamental variance
     with the historic God-orientation of Reform Judaism. ... But should
     we not open the gates wide enough to admit even such concepts into
     our fold? Are not diversity and inclusiveness a hallmark fo Reform?
     To this we would reply: yesh gevul, there are limits. Reform Judaism
     cannot be everything, or it will be nothing. The argument that we
     ourselves are excluded by the Orthodox and therefore should not keep
     others out who wish to join us has an attractive sound to it. Taken
     to its inevitable conclusion, however, we would end up with a Reform
     Judaism in which "Reform" determines what "Judaism" is and not the
     other way around."
     
   This position was reaffirmed at the UAHC Board of Trustees meeting in
   1994, which voted 115-13-4 to reject the application for membership.
   Note that in neither case was the rejection unanamous. Interested
   parties issued in the details of both sides of the argument should
   read the articles in the Winter 1994, Volume 23 Number 2, issue of
   "Reform Judaism" published by UAHC.

------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: Reform's Position On...The role of Israel?

   _[This section is still under construction] _

------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: Reform's Position On...Other Jewish movements?

   As can be seen by Reform's philosophy, as long as the participants in
   other Jewish movements feel their practice and beliefs bring them
   closer to God, there are no conflicts with Reform considering them
   Jewish movements.

------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: Reform's Position On...Homosexuality

   The following is a resolution from the Central Conference of American
   Rabbis with respect to Homosexual marriage:
   
     Judaism places great emphasis on family, children, and the future,
     which is assured by a family. However we may understand
     homosexuality, whether as an illness, as a genetically based
     dysfunction or as a sexual preference and lifestyle - we cannot
     accommodate the relationship of two homosexuals as a "marriage"
     within the context of Judaism, for none of the elements of qiddushin
     (sanctification) normally associated with marriage can be invoked
     for this relationship.
     
   However, the Reform movement in general is supportive of homosexuals
   (the individuals), even though it may not encourage the lifestyle.
   This is demonstrated in the following statements from UAHC in 1977:
   
     ... resolved that homosexual persons are entitled to equal
     protection under the law. We oppose discrimination against
     homosexuals in areas of opportunity, including employment and
     housing. We call upon our society to see that such protection is
     provided in actuality.
     
     ... resolved that we affirm our belief that private sexual act
     between consenting adults are not the proper province of government
     and law enforcement agencies.
     
     ... resolved that we urge congregations to conduct appropriate
     educational programming for youth and adults so as to provide
     greater understanding of relation of Jewish values to the range of
     human sexuality.
     
   In response to this, in 1987, UAHC resolved that it would:
   
    1. Urge its congregations and affiliates to:
         1. Encourage lesbian and gay Jews to share and participate in
            worship, leadership, and general congregational life of all
            synagogues.
         2. Continue to develop educational programs in the synagogue and
            community which promote understanding and respect for
            lesbians and gays.
         3. Employ people without regard to sexual orientation.
    2. Urge the Commission on Social Action to bring its recommendations
       to the next General Assembly after considering the report of the
       CCAR committee and any action of the CCAR pursuant to it.
    3. Urge the Committee on Liturgy to formulate liturgically inclusive
       language.
       
   Then, in 1989, UAHC resolved to:
   
    1. Reaffirm its 1987 resolution and call upon all departments of the
       UAHC and our member congregations to fully implement its
       provisions.
    2. Embark upon a movement-wide program of heightened awareness and
       education to achieve the fuller acceptance of gay and lesbian Jews
       in our midst.
    3. Urge our member congregations to welcome gay and lesbian Jews to
       membership, as singles, couples, and families.
    4. Commend the CCAR for its sensitive and thorough efforts to raise
       the consciousness of the rabbinate regarding homosexuality. We
       urge the CCAR to pursue its own mandate with vigor and complete
       its tasks as soon as possible in order to respond to the communal
       and spiritual aspirations of gay and lesbian Jews.
       

------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: Reform's Position On...Intermarriage

   In 1909 the CCAR held that intermarriage (interfaith marriage) is
   ``contrary to the traditions of the Jewish religion.'' The same
   position was restated in 1947, and amplified in 1973, when a
   substantial majority at the CCAR Convention in Atlanta ... declared
   its opposition to participation by its members ``in any ceremony which
   solemnizes a mixed marriage.''
   
   Outgoing UAHC president Alexander Schindler supports the stance
   because of the threat he believes intermarriage poses to the future of
   Judaism."
   
   Most rabbis justify their refusal to officiate at interfaith weddings
   by arguing that the Jewish conception of marriage is that of a
   covenant between two Jews. However, in the United States, there are a
   number of Reform rabbis that do perform such ceremonies, under the
   belief that it is better to not create an atmosphere of rejection,
   which can only serve to turn away and alienate the Jewish partner. If
   the Judaism of the Jewish partner is strong, the non-Jewish partner is
   often turned towards Judaism and the children are raised Jewish.
   
   It should be noted that few, if any, Reform/Progressive rabbis will
   perform an intermarriage in either Canada or the United Kingdom.

------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: Reform's Position On...Abortion

   [Based on material in Contemporary American Reform Responsa by Rabbi
   Walter Jacob, publ. by CCAR]:
   
   The Reform Movement has had a long history of liberalism on many
   social and family matters. Reform feels that the pattern of tradition,
   until the most recent generation, has demonstrated a liberal approach
   to abortion and has definitely permitted it in case of any danger to
   the life of the mother. That danger may be physical or psychological.
   When this occurs at any time during the pregnancy, Reform Judaism
   would not hesitate to permit an abortion. This would also include
   cases of incest and rape if the mother wishes to have an abortion.
   
   Twentieth century medicine has brought a greater understanding of the
   fetus, and it is now possible to discover major problems in the fetus
   quite early in the pregnancy. Some genetic defects can be discovered
   shortly after conception and more research will make such techniques
   widely available. It is, of course, equally true that modern medicine
   has presented ways of keeping babies with very serious problems alive,
   frequently in a vegetative state, which brings great misery to the
   family involved. Such problems, as those caused by Tay Sachs and other
   degenerative or permanent conditions which seriously endanger the life
   of the child and potentially the mental health of the mother, are
   indications for permitting an abortion.
   
   Reform Judaism agrees with the traditional authorities that abortions
   should be approached cautiously throughout the life of the fetus. Most
   authorities would be least hesitant during the first forty days of the
   fetus' life (Yeb. 69b; Nid. 30b; M. Ker. 1.1; Shulhan Arukah Hoshen
   Mishpat 210.2; Solomon Skola, Bet Shelomo, Hoshen Mishpat 132; Joseph
   Trani, Responsa Maharit 1.99, Noam 9 pp 213ff, etc.). Even the strict
   Rabbi Unterman permits non-Jews to perform abortions within the forty
   day periods (Rabbi Unterman, op. cit., pp 8ff).
   
   From forty days until twenty-seven weeks, the fetus possesses some
   status, but its future remains doubtful (goses biydei adam; San. 78a;
   Nid 44b and commentaries) as we are not sure of this viability. Reform
   Judaism must, therefore, be more certain of the grounds for abortion,
   but would still permit it.
   
   It is clear from all of this that the traditional authorities would be
   most lenient with abortions within the first forty days. After that
   time, there is a difference of opinion. Those who are within the
   broadest range of permissibility permit abortion at any time before
   birth, if there is serious danger to the health of the mother or
   child. Reform Judaism is in agreement with that liberal stance. Reform
   Judaism does not encourage abortion, nor favor it for trivial reasons,
   or sanction it "on demand".

------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: Reform's Position On...Mixed (Interfaith) Marriages

   [Adapted from American Reform Responsa, #146]
   
   Reform Judaism and the Central Conference of American Rabbis has
   opposed mixed marriages. Reform Judaism recognizes the problem as
   significant in every period of Jewish history. It has become more
   severe in 20th-century American, and therefore, Reform Judaism has
   made provisions for families of mixed marriages and their children.
   Such families are welcomed in Reform congregations, and Reform Judaism
   continues to urge them to convert to Judaism. The conference
   resolution of 1973 succinctly summarizes the position of Reform
   Judaism:
   
     The Central Conference of American Rabbis, recalling its stand
     adopted in 1909 that "mixed marriage is contrary to the Jewish
     tradition and should be discouraged," now declares its opposition to
     participation by its members in any ceremony which solemnizes a
     mixed marriage.
     
     The Central Conference of American Rabbis recognizes that
     historically its members have held and continue to hold divergent
     interpretations of Jewish tradition. In order to keep open every
     channel to Judaism and _K'lal Yisrael_ for those who ahve already
     entered into mixed marriage, the CCAR calls upon its members:
     
    1. To assist fully in educating children of such mixed marriages as
       Jews
    2. To provide the opportunity for conversion of the non-Jewish
       spouse; and
    3. To encourage a creative and consistent cultivation of involvement
       in the Jewish community and the synagogue.
       
     Most Reform Rabbis will not preform mixed marriages. There are some
     that do, based on the notion that to reject the non-Jewish partner
     can only serve to take the Jewish partner away from Judaism.
     However, if they perform the marriage, the both partners receive a
     positive impression of Judaism, and the option remains of educating
     the non-Jewish partner as to the meaning of Judaism (so that they
     choose to convert on their own). Further, couples with positive
     feelings towards Judaism often raise the children as Jews.

------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: Reform's Position On...The role of women

   The position of Reform on this issue is best characterized in Rabbi
   Alexander Schindler's letter in the UAHC 1993-1994 Yearbook, in which
   he says:
   
     Our long-standing commitment to openness and diversity is based on
     our tradition. When Moses gathered the elders to help him govern,
     two who were not included nonetheless received God's inspiration and
     "spoke in ecstasy." Although Joshua asked Moses to jail them, Moses
     replied: "Would that all God's people were prophets."
     
     As Reform Jews, we say:
     
     * All God's people--including women.
     * All God's people--including families in all their new
       constellations
     * All God's people--including lesbian and gay Jews
     * All God's people--including the intermarried and the unaffiliated
     * All God's people--including the hearing impaired and the
       wheelchair bound, and the disabled in body and spirit.
       

------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: Reform's Position On...Outreach

   Reform Jewish Outreach is a program that aims to:
   
     * Welcome those who seek to investigate Judaism.
     * Integrate Jews-by-Choice fully into the Jewish community.
     * Encourage intermarried couples to affiliate with a congregation
       and to meet the needs of those already in the congregation.
       
       Outreach seeks to enable intermarried couples to explore, study,
       and understand Judaism, thereby providing an atmosphere of support
       in which a comfortable relationship with Judaism can be fostered.
     * Educate and sensitize the Jewish community to be receiptive to new
       Jews-by-Choice and intermarried couples.
     * Encourage people to make Jewish choice in their lives through
       special discussion groups, community support, adult education and
       availablity of Jewish resources.
     * Assist young people in strengthening their Jewish identify and in
       examining the implications of interdating and intermarriage for
       themselves.
       
   For those conemplating conversion to Judaism (as well as those
   interested in learning more about Judaism), Outreach offers the
   following:
   
     * Introduction to Judaism classes on both the community and
       congregational levels. The class focuses on basic Judaism,
       including holidays, life-cycle events, history, theology, and
       Hebrew. Students learn what is means to live a Jewish life and how
       to begin to practice Judaism. The program may include a
       psycho-social component that deals with the personal implications
       of choosing Judaism.
     * Post-introduction programs and various workshops and discussion
       groups.
       
   For intermarried couples and couples contemplating intermarriage,
   Outreach offers the following:
   
     * An 8-week discussion group designed to clarify the Jewish
       partner's feelings about Judaism and to provide the non-Jewish
       partner with a greater understanding of Judaism and the Jewish
       community. Relevant personal issues discussed include: religious
       involvement while growing up, the religious and cultural
       differences each partner confronts in the relationship with each
       other and with extended family, holiday celebrations, and each
       couple's concerns about the religious upbringing and identity of
       their children.
       
       Although the program is from a Jewish perspective, there is no
       attempt to convert the non-Jewish partner. The program helps
       participants to articulate the differences between Judaism and
       Christianity.
       
   For Jewish parents of intermarried couples, Outreach offers discussion
   groups to provide parents with a non-judgmental supportive setting
   where they can talk with others with similar concerns. This provides
   the opportunity to discuss the impact of the relationship on the
   family, and to develop constructive responses.
   
   For Jewish youth, Outreach has a number of programs that assist young
   people in examining the implications of interdating and intermarriage
   for themselves as well as for the future of the Jewish people.
   Outreach encourages youth to explore and strengthen their Jewish
   identity so that they will be advocates for Judaism in all their
   relationships.
   
   The ultimate goal of Outreach is to strengthen Judaism by helping
   individuals build their personal connectedness to Reform Judaism.
   
   If you want to find more information about the Outreach program, try
   dropping a note to Rabbi Arthur Nemitoff <apn@shore.net>. Rabbi
   Nemitoff is a member of the UAHC/CCAR Commission on Reform Jewish
   Outreach. There is also information on outreach available in the UAHC
   Section on shamash.org.

------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: Reform's Position On...How an individual's Jewish status is
         determined

   Reform's position is that the same requirements must be applied to
   establish the status of the child of a mixed (interfaith) marriage,
   regardless of whether the mother or the father is Jewish. Therefore,
   in 1983, the CCAR issued the following resolution:
   
     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 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.
     
     (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
     Shaarei Mitzvah (Gates of Mitzvah), A Guide to the Jewish Life
     Cycle, CCAR, New York, 1979. ISBN 0-916694-37-2.
     
   Note that this decision is sometimes called the "Patrilineal Descent"
   decision, although it does not say that Patrilineal Descent, as
   opposed to the more traditional Matrilineal Descent, is used. Rather,
   it says that a child of an interfaith couple must be raised with a
   continuing and positive association with Judaism to be Jewish.

------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: Reform's Position On...The Messiah

   Although Reform does not believe in the concept of a personal messiah,
   it does believe in the concept of a messianic age.

------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: Fallacy: Reform Jews (RJs) choose practice based solely on
         convenience

   The 1976 Centenary Statement
   (<http://www.netaxs.com/~expweb/100-1.html>), adopted in 1976 stated:
   
     "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
     Jew's 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; life-long 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 synagogue 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."
     

------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: Fallacy: Either patrilineal or matrilineal descent is accepted

   If you examine the Report of the Committee on Patrilineal Descent on
   the Status of Children of Mixed Marriages, you will see that, for the
   child of an interfaith marriage, merely having a Jewish parent is
   insufficient to make the child Jewish. Rather, the decision states
   that having only one Jewish parent gives the child a "presumption" of
   Jewish descent. The Jewish status, however, must be established
   through "appropriate and timely public and formal acts of
   identification with the Jewish faith and people."

------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: Fallacy: Reform Conversions take no study, and are for convenience
         only

   Reform Judaism welcomes all sincere converts without regard to racial
   or national origin or to their former religious faith. In Reform
   Judaism, it is sufficient for the prospective convert (ger) to
   declare, orally and in writing, in the presence of a rabbi and no less
   than two lay leaders of the congregation and community, acceptance of
   the Jewish faith and the intention to live in accordance with its
   mitzvot. This declaration takes place after a preparatory period of
   study. The length of the period of preparation is determined by the
   rabbi, taking into consideration the time needed by the candidate for
   conversion to obtain the necessary understanding and appreciation of
   Judaism in order to make a free-will decision with respect to his/her
   acceptance of the Jewish faith and identification with the Jewish
   people.
   
   Reform recommends that the period of study be reinforced by requiring
   and assisting the prospective convert's active participation in the
   various celebrations, observances, and worship services of Judaism and
   the Jewish people. It recommends that regular attendance at synagogue
   worship, as well as evidence of concern for Jewish values and causes
   in the home and community, should be required. The intent of this is
   to enable the rabbi and his/her associates to satisfy themselves not
   only that the candidate has a sufficient knowledge of Judaism, but of
   even greater importance, that the candidate is a person of sincere and
   responsible character, who is genuinely desirous of making a
   wholehearted commitment to synagogue affiliation and to the Jewish
   faith and people.
   
   Reform does not require male converts to undergo _b'rit milah_
   (circumcision) or _hatafat dam b'rit_ (the drawing of blood); nor does
   it require converts to have _tevilah_ (ritual immersion). However, it
   recognizes that there are social, psychological, and religious values
   associated with these rituals, and it recommends that the rabbi
   acquaint prospective gerim with the halachic background and rationale
   for b'rit milah, hatafat dam b'rit, and tevilah, and offer them the
   opportunity, if they so desire, to observe these additional rites. In
   the UK, the ULPS requires circumcision for male converts, but does
   accept a pre-existing medical circumcision.

------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: Fallacy: Reform Judaism encourages intermarriage

   Reform Judaism and the Central Conference of American Rabbis has
   repeatedly opposed mixed (interfaith) marriages. However, it does not
   feel that once the marriage has occured, the couple should be shunned,
   for this serves only to drive them further away from Judaism.

------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: Fallacy: Intermarried couples have exactly the same rights as non-
         intermarried couples in Reform Congregations

   Although congregational policies may differ by congregation, there are
   a number of Reform Responsa that address this question:
   
   In American Reform Responsa #10 (1982), it is asked if congregational
   membership can be extended to the non-Jewish member of an interfaith
   marriage. The conclusion of that responsa is that it should not; only
   the Jewish member should be considered a member for purposes of being
   a congregational leader, for it is inappropriate for non-Jews to lead
   the congregation.
   
   Some Reform congregations include non-Jewish spouses in family
   memberships, but many reserve certain religious roles, election to the
   board of trustees, or the holding of other offices for the member who
   is Jewish.

------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: Fallacy: Reform Judaism has Rabbis and congregations that don't
         believe in God

   Individual beliefs of Rabbis and congregations are personal, and not
   subject to scrutiny by the movement. However, there has been a case
   where a congregation was refused membership in UAHC because they
   removed all references to God from their liturgy, and refused to allow
   prayers mentioning God to be said in their santuary.

------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: Fallacy: There are few 3rd or 4th generation Reform Jews.

   Certainly, assimilation has been a problem for Judaism. Reform Judaism
   is especially subject to that problem because many assimilated
   Americans who want to identify as Jews, choose a Reform synagogue, not
   because they are Reform Jews, but because the Reform temple is the
   least judgmental of their assimilated practices (or in some cases,
   non-practices).
   
   Many of the children of these families do not remain Jewish, but in
   fact assimilation was already a generation old.
   
   To actually be a 3rd or 4th generation Reform Jew would require that
   one's ancestors, living in the 1800s, be Reform Jews. The major growth
   of Reform Judaism has been in the 20th century. So it is true. The
   majority of today's Reform Jews have ancestors who were O or C, but
   primarily because there was a limited pool of R on whom to draw. Yet
   there are 3rd, 4th, and even 5th generation Reform Jews (just look at
   the FAQ Maintainer's daughter).
   
   Note that Reform has invented and reinvented itself (and will
   undoubtedly continue to do so) in response to a changing world. By the
   1930s, it became clear that "classical Reform" wasn't speaking to the
   majority of RJs. As a result, the evolutionary changes that began in
   the 20s were formalized with the "Columbus Platform" of the 30's which
   led to Traditional (or Modern) Reform.

------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: Fallacy: An atheist could be considered a "good" Reform Jew

   A person's individual beliefs with respect to God are personal, and
   are not inspected by Reform. Even in traditional Judaism, there have
   been times when the greatest Jewish thinkers have questioned the
   existance of God. Judaism, in general, does not question one's belief;
   rather, it looks at one's adherance to the yoke of Mitzvah, as
   interpreted by the appropriate movement.

------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: Fallacy: Reform Jews don't have Bar Mitzvahs

   _They don't?_ Tell that to the person trying to schedule the social
   hall. Although Bar/Bat Mitzvah was originally rejected by the Reform
   movement, it has returned with a vengeance, with many congreagations
   having three or more Bar/Bat Mitzvah's per Shabbat.

------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: Fallacy: Reform totally ignores "Jewish" divorce (i.e., gets)

   The Central Conference of American Rabbis makes no provision for a
   religious divorce, and civil divorce is recognized as dissolving a
   marriage by most Reform Rabbis. Note that even if Reform were to
   introduce its own get, it would likely not be recognized by
   traditional Judaism as valid. However, many Reform Rabbis, if asked,
   would advise the couple regarding obtaining a get, and would likely
   direct them to the appropriate community organizations that could help
   them.

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Subject: Fallacy: All Reform Congregations Are Rich

   Reform congregations vary in size from a two member congregation in
   Port Gibson MS and a 3 member congregation in Laredo TX, to
   congregations with almost 2,000 members. Some have grandiose
   buildings; some meet in houses or rent space from organizations. Some
   have volunteer rabbis and volunteer staff, others have generous staff
   and rabbinic salaries. There is no universal characterization
   possible.

------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: Fallacy: Reform Rabbis do not study Halacha

   If you look at the course of study for the Reform Rabbinate, it does
   include Torah, Talmud, and other aspects of halacha.

------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: Fallacy: Reform Jews don't care about Jewish ideals & principles.

   As was noted in the Centenary Perspective in 1976, "the claims made
   upon [Reform Jews] 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; life-long 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 synagogue and community; and other activities
   which promote the survival of the Jewish people and enhance its
   existence."

------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: Fallacy: Reform Jews don't need to attend synagogue.

   As was noted in the Centenary Perspective in 1976, the obligations of
   Reform Jews include "public worship; ...; involvement with the
   synagogue and community..."

------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: Fallacy: Reform Jews don't believe in Zionism and don't support
         Israel.

   This couldn't be further from the truth. Reform Judaism has its own
   Zionist organization, ARZA, and is working strongly to support
   religious pluralism for all Jewish movements in Israel. Although
   Classical Reform was opposed to Zionism, modern Reform is very strong
   in its support of the State of Israel.

------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: Fallacy: Reform Jews have no concept of the Messiah.

   Although Reform does not hold with the concept of a personal messiah,
   it does hold with the concept of a messianic age.

------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: Fallacy: Reform Jews do not observe Shabbat

   Gates of the Seasons, the American Reform Movement's guide to the
   Jewish Year, views Shabbat as a unique Jewish contribution to
   civilization, and a central activity to surviving the forces of
   assimilation and corruption. As such, it calls out the following
   mitzvot for Reform Jews:
   
   A-1
          The Mitzvah of Shabbat Observance
          
          It is a mitzvah for every Jew, single or married, young or old,
          to observe Shabbat. The unique status of Shabbat is
          demonstrated by its being the only one of the holy days to be
          mentioned in the Ten Commandments. ... Shabbat observance
          involves both positive and negative mitzvot, i.e., doing and
          refraining from doing.
          
   A-2
          The Mitzvah of Joy
          
          IT is a mitzvah to take delight in Shabbat observance, as
          Isaiah said, "You shall call Shabbat a deligh". Oneg implies
          celebration and relaxation, sharing time with loved ones,
          enjoying the beauty of nature, eating a leisurely meal made
          special with conviviality and song, visiting with friends and
          relatives, taking a leisurely stroll, reading, and listening to
          music.
          
   A-3
          The Mitzvah of Sanctification
          
          It is a mitzvah to hallow Shabbat by setting it apart from the
          other days of the week. ... Shabbat must be distinguished from
          the other days of the week so that those who observe it may be
          transformed by its holiness.
          
   A-4
          The Mitzvah of Rest
          
          It is a mitzvah to rest on Shabbat. However, Shabbat rest
          (menuchah) implies much more than refraining from work. The
          concept of Shabbat rest includes both physical relaxation and
          tranquility of mind and spirit. On Shabbat, one deliverately
          turns away from weekday pressures and activities.
          
   A-5
          The Mitzvah of refraining from work
          
          It is a mitzvah to refrain from work on Shabbat...Abstinence
          from work is a major expression of Shabbat observance; however,
          it is no simple matter to define work today. Certain activities
          that some do to earn a living, others do for relaxation or to
          express their creativity. Clearly, though, one should avoid
          one's normal occupation or profession on Shabbat whenever
          possible and engage only in those types of activities that
          enhance the joy, rest, and holiness of the day.
          
   See Gates of the Seasons for additional details.

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Subject: Fallacy: Reform Jews ignore the laws of Kashrut

   [The following is based on Kashrut: A Reform Point of View in Gates of
   Mitzvah]
   
   Gates of Mitzvah, a guide to _mitzvot_ in a Reform context, states
   regarding Kashrut:
   
     Many Reform Jews observe certain traditional disciplines as part of
     their attempt to establish a Jewish home and life style. For some,
     traditional Kashrut will enhance the sanctity of the home and be
     observed as a mitzvah; for some, a degreee of kashrut (e.g., the
     avoidance of pork products and/or shellfish) may be meaningful; and
     sill others may find nothing of value in kashrut. However, the fact
     that kashrut was an essential feature of Jewish life for som any
     centuries should motivate the Jewish family to study it and to
     consider whether or not it may enhance the sanctity of their home.
     
   The basic Reform philosophy is that it is a Reform Jew's
   responsibility to study and consider kashrut so as to develop a valid
   personal position. For although "classic" Reform Judaism did reject
   kashrut (as noted in the Pittsburgh Platform of 1885), it did not
   prevent Reform Jews and Reform congregations from adopting and
   observing the dietary laws. The reasons for observing the laws by
   Reform Jews varied, from a desire to allow a wide variety of Jews to
   share in celebrations, to deeper meanings.
   
   In attempting to evolve a position on Kashrut, a Reform Jew has
   several options, for example, abstention from pork/shellfish products,
   not mixing meat and milk, etc. They might observe the laws at home,
   but not when eating out, or they might observe them all the time. They
   might eat only Kosher meat, or might become vegetarians in consonance
   with the principle of tzaar baalei chayim--prevention of pain or
   cruelty to animals. The range of options is from full observance to
   total nonobservance.
   
   The Torah commands Jews to observe the dietary laws as a means of
   making it kadosh--holy. Holiness has the dual sense of inner hallowing
   and outer separateness. There are many reasons that Reform Jews adopt
   some form of Kashrut:
   
    1. Identification and solidarity with worldwide Judaism
    2. The ethical discipline of avoiding certain foods or limiting one's
       appetite because of the growing scarcity of food in parts of the
       world.
    3. The avoidance of certain foods traditionally obnoxious to Jews,
       providing a sense of identification with past generations and
       their struggle to remain Jews.
    4. The authority of ancient biblical and rabbinic injunctions.
    5. The desire to have a home in which any Jew can eat.
       
   One or more of these reasons (or perhaps another reason) might lead a
   Reform Jew to adopt some form of Kashrut. Others might still choose to
   not observe Kashrut. But given the central nature of Kashrut to
   traditional practice, Reform Jews are encouraged to study it and
   consider carefully whether it would add kedushah, sanctity, to their
   home and their lives.

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Subject: Fallacy: Reform rejects most of Maimonides 13 Principles of Faith

   A common claim is the Reform rejects most of Maimonides 13 Principles
   of Faith. This isn't true, as demonstrated below. Note that
   individuals in the Reform Movement (as opposed to the overall position
   of the movement) may hold their own opinions.
   
    1. God exists and the existance transcends time.
       
       Reform agrees with this.
       
    2. God is one and there is nothing like God.
       
       Reform agrees with this.
       
    3. God has no semblance and is bodiless.
       
       Reform agrees with this.
       
    4. The existance of God preceeded creation.
       
       Reform agrees with this.
       
    5. God is eternal and prayer should be directed to God
       
       Reform agrees with this.
       
    6. God communicated with prophets
       
       Reform agrees with this, as it holds with divine inspiration.
       
    7. Moses is unique.
       
       Reform agrees with this.
       
    8. God gave the Torah to the Jews
       
       Reform agrees with this, although Reform views it as the product
       of divine inspiration written by men, as opposed to the literal
       writings of God.
       
    9. God will never change Torah.
       
       Reform actually agrees with this. However, Reform believes that
       what was written was expressed in the language/context of its
       time, and must be reinterpretated for the language/context of
       today.
       
   10. God knows humanity's thoughts and deeds
       
       Reform's High Holy Day liturgies retain these concepts.
       
   11. God rewards and punishes
       
       Reform's High Holy Day liturgies retain these concepts.
       
   12. God will send a messiah.
       
       Reform holds with a concept of a messianic age, as opposed to an
       individual.
       
   13. God will revive the dead.
       
       In the literalist interpretation, this is not a Reform belief.
       However, Reform does hold with alternate approaches to fulfilling
       the underlying prophesies.
       
   Thus, Reform holds with 12.5 of the 13 principles.

------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: Question: Why does Reform liturgy say "m'chayey hakol" [who gives
         life to all] instead of m'chayey meytim" [who gives life to the
         dead] ?

   There are individual Reform Jews who believe in resurrection
   "_m'chayey meytim_". However, the Reform movement does not have any
   creed which would require such a belief. By changing _m'chayey meytim_
   to the more generic _m'chayey ha-kol_, the prayer becomes equivocal.
   This allows the believer in resurrection to understand the prayer as
   resurrection while allowing those with the more conventional Reform
   belief to relate to the prayer with intellectual integrity.
   
   Note that, in the United Kingdom, the Union of Liberal and Progressive
   Synagogues has produced a new prayerbook, Siddur Lev Chadash. This
   prayerbook has reverted to _Mechayeh hamaytim_. Rabbi Andrew
   Goldstein, who was on the editorial committee, tried to explain it as
   a new understanding of the Amidah prayer as covering all life,
   including death, and the reintroduction as a way of reverting to a
   tradition, having spent many years disassociating it from its
   traditional feelings of a prayer for the dead.

------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: Question: What other changes to liturgy reflect Reform ideals?

   The Reform Movement has repeatedly revised the traditional liturgy, in
   order to shorten the service by dispensing with some of the
   repetitions (for example, there is only one reader's Kaddish), and to
   bring the doctrinal content of the liturgy into accord with Reform
   thought by omitting or recasting passages expressive of beliefs that
   are not part of Reform (e.g., a personal Messiah as distinct from a
   messianic age, ressurection of the dead, restoration of the
   sacrificial cult, and the existance of angels).
   
   As an example of this, consider the _Shema_ and _Tefillah_.
   Traditionally, the Shema consists of three Scriptural passages: Deut.
   6.4-9, Deut. 11.13-21, and Num. 15:37-41. In Reform siddurs, the
   second paragraph is often omitted because of the doctrine of
   retribution, and the third because of the commandment regarding
   fringes. Reform does include Num. 15.40f. With respect to the
   _Tefillah_, there are more significant changes. The Tefillah
   traditionally consists of 18 benedictions, to which, perhaps in the
   2nd or 3rd century CE, a 19th was added. It can be broken into three
   parts: the first three benedictions, an intermediate thirteen
   benedictions, and a final three benedictions. These are traditionally
   said three times daily, and appear (in a modified form) in the weekday
   service in the Reform siddur (although most Reform congregations do
   not hold weekday services, there are congregations and study groups
   that do, and hence, a service is provided for them). On Shabbat and on
   festivals, only the first three and the last three are said; the
   intermediate benedictions are replaced by ones peculiar to the
   appropriate day.
   
   First Grouping:
   
   1.
          The first benediction, _Ancestors/Avot_, is retained mostly
          unchanged, except for referring to our fathers and our mothers.
          Most Reform siddurs change the text to read "redemption"
          instead of "a redeemer.". A recent trend has been to include
          Sarah, Leah, Rachel, and Rebecca in addition to Abraham, Isaac,
          and Jacob. This goes with the egalitarian nature of Reform.
          
   2.
          The second benediction, _Powers/Gevurot_, is amended to affirm
          that God is the source of all life, and that God has implanted
          within us eternal life. Traditionally, the main theme of this
          benediction was resurrection of the dead, a doctrine not
          accepted by Reform Judaism. These words were expressed in the
          traditional siddur as "...and revivest the dead with great
          mercy..". In the Reform prayerbook, this is changed to "...with
          great compassion give life to all."
          
   3.
          The third benediction, _Holiness of God/Kedushat Hashem_, has
          also been changed slightly. The Hebrew that might more
          literally be rendered as "holy beings" (angels) has been
          changed to "those who strive to be holy".
          
   Intermediate Benedictions:
   
   1-4.
          The first (_Understanding/Binah_), second
          (_Repentence/Teshuvah_), third (_Forgiveness/Selichah_), and
          fourth (_Redemption/Ge-u-lah_) of the thirteen intermediate
          benedictions are retained, although they are rendered in a
          gender-neutral language (that is, God is referred to as a
          Soverign or a Ruler, as contrasted to a Father or a King).
          
   5.
          The fifth intermediate benediction, _Healing/Refuah_, is
          changed slightly. The traditional "who heals the sick of His
          people Israel" is changed to "Healer of the sick", a
          potentially older version found in J. Ber. 2.4 and Sifrei to
          Deut. 33.2. The change was made because the older version is
          more comprehensive.
          
   6.
          The sixth intermediate benediction, Blessing of the Years _, is
          also changed slightly: one phrase ("Bless our year like other
          years") is omitted.
          
   7.
          The seventh intermediate benediction, Ingathering of the
          Exiles/Kibbuts Galuyot_, is rewritten. The Reform version
          begins the same way as the traditional text, but in place of
          the petition for the ingathering of the exiles goes on to
          emphasize the hope for universal freedom. Thus, "...bring our
          exiles together and assemble us from the four courners of the
          earth..." becomes "...inspire us to strive for the liberation
          of the oppressed, and let the song of liberty be heard in the
          four corners of the earth..."
          
   8.
          The eight intermediate benediction, _Justice/Birkat Mishpat_,
          is also rewritten. The first half, which traditionally voices
          the hope for the restoration of Israel's judges, is reworded to
          express the hope for universal justice (based on passages such
          as Isa 40.23; Ps. 148.11; Joel 3.1; Zech 12.10, and so on). The
          second half is almost identical with the traditional.
          
   9.
          The ninth intermediate benediction, a malediction against
          slanderers or informers (originally heretics), is omitted.
          
   10.
          The tenth (traditional, ninth in Reform) intermediate
          benediction, _Blessing for the Righteous/Birkat Hatsadikim_, is
          abridged (i.e., "...upon the righteous and faithful of all
          peoples, and upon all of us.")
          
   11.
          The eleventh (traditional, tenth in Reform) intermediate
          benediction, _Builder of Jerusalem/Bonei Yerushalayim_, is
          rewritten. Traditionally, this benediction beseeches God to
          rebuild Jerusalem and to reestablish the Davidic monarchy.
          Partly for doctrinal reasons, and partly because the
          traditional theme is repeated by the subsequent benediction,
          the Reform version is altered to be a prayer for the present
          and continuing welfare of the land and people of Israel. The
          Reform version also contains an allusion to the connection
          between Zion and the messianic hope, expressed by a reference
          to Zion and Jerusalem as the source of enlightenment to all
          humanity.
          
   12.
          The twelfth (traditional, eleventh in Reform) intermediate
          benediction, _Blessing concerning David, Birkat David_, is also
          rewritten. In the Reform version, the hope for restoration of
          the Davidic commonwealth is broadened into a concept of a
          Messianic Age.
          
   13.
          The thirteenth (traditional, twelfth in Reform) intermediate
          benediction, _Who Harkens to Prayer/Shomei-a Tefillah_, is
          abridged.
          
   Final three benedictions:
   
   1.
          The first of the last three benedictions, _Worship/Avodah_, is
          modified. The traditional references to sacrificial worship are
          omitted; instead, a throught on the theme of God's nearness to
          all who seek God with sincerity is used.
          
   2.
          The second of the last three benedictions,
          _Thanksgiving/Hoda-ah_, uses the complete text, but is rendered
          in a gender-neutral fashion.
          
   3.
          The last of the three benedictions, the _Priestly
          Benediction/Birkat Kohanim_, is retained relatively unchanged
          from the traditional version, although some of the translations
          are more freely done.
          

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Subject: Question: Why does Reform generally celebrate Rosh Hashanah for one
         day?

   In North America, some Reform congregations do observe two days; but
   the general trend is to only observe one. Two days was the custom in
   the diaspora, where it was difficult to determine with accuracy the
   first day. Given current time determination techniques, most
   congregations today observe only one day. A detailed explanation may
   be found in Gates of Understanding II, page 26.
   
   In Israel, the Progressive Movement observes two days, based on the
   fact that the holiday is referred to as _yamim nora'im_, the _days_ of
   awe.

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Subject: Question: How does a Reform conversion differ from an Orthodox
         conversion?

   The biggest difference is implicit. Both conversions require
   acceptance of the yoke of the mitzvot. However, the interpretation of
   that phrase differs substantially from Orthodoxy (where it implies
   acceptance of the authority of Rabbinic law as well as all 613
   commandments as written) to Reform (where it is autonomy and choice
   based on study). Other than that, Reform has different requirements
   for witnesses. Reform in the United States does not require ritual
   immersion, and does not mandate b'rit mila for males (although it is
   strongly recommended); Reform in Canada and Israel require both
   milah/hatafah and tevilah.

------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: How does one become a Reform Rabbi?

   While there are several small seminaries whose rabbis claim to be
   Reform, the following applies only to becoming a part of the Central
   Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR).
   
   Study for the Reform Rabbinate is typically done at the Hebrew Union
   College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR), although one could
   also become a Conservative or Reconstructionist Rabbi and then
   petition to join the Reform Rabbinate. There are also foreign Reform
   Seminaries, such as Leo Baeck, whose ordinations are acceptable to the
   CCAR.
   
   HUC-JIR was founded in 1875 in Cincinnati Ohio, and is the oldest
   rabbinical seminary in the United States ordaining rabbis to serve the
   Reform movement and the Jewish community. It was founded by Rabbi
   Isaac M. Wise, who also established UAHC (1873) and CCAR (1889). In
   1922, Rabbi Stephen S Wise founded the Jewish Institute of Religion in
   New York, which merged with HUC in 1950. The Los Angeles campus
   (located next to USC) was opened in 1954, and the Jerusalem ISRAEL
   branch was established in 1963. The Jerusalem branch serves as the
   center for study of Biblical Archaeology. Thus, there are now four
   campuses.
   
   HUC-JIR's Rabbinic School has a five-year program of full-time
   graduate study leading to the degree of Master of Arts in Hebrew
   Letters (MAHL) and ordination. The sequence is as follows:
   
    1. Have an accredited bachelor's degree from a quality school, with a
       B to B+ average and high GRE scores. Apply to HUC-JIR; 34 to 45
       students over all 3 US campuses are admitted annually. The
       admissions process also includes interviews and psychological
       evaluation.
    2. If accepted at HUC-JIR, the path to ordination is as follows:
         1. One year in Israel in which one attends the Jerusalem campus.
            Study includes Biblical Hebrew, Modern Hebrew, archeology,
            and immersion in Israeli culture. [This year is occasionally
            waived for those who can demonstrate fluency in the language
            and texts.]
         2. Four years at one of the USA campuses in NYC, LA, or
            Cincinnati. Note: LA does not ordain. Those attending the LA
            campus must transfer after two years either to NYC or
            Cincinnati. [Occasionally, the 4 years can be compressed to 3
            years if the person can exempt enough courses.] This course
            of study includes Bible, Midrash, Talmud, Codes, Homiletics,
            History, Education, Liturgy, Philosophy, Human Relations,
            Hebrew, and Aramaic.
         3. Internship: Serve a congregation (usually small solo pulpits
            that can't afford full-time rabbis) for at least one year.
    3. Degree awarded: Master of Hebrew Letters (usually after the 4th
       year) and ordination after the 5th year.
       
   For more information, you can write directly to HUC-JIR at one of the
   following addresses:
   
   National Office of Admission            Office of Admissions
   HUC-JIR                                 HUC-JIR, Brookdale Center
   3101 Clifton Avenue                     One West 4th Street
   Cincinnati OH 45220                     New York NY 10012
   USA                                     USA

   Office of Admissions                    Office of Admissions
   HUC-JIR                                 HUC-JIR
   3077 University Avenue                  13 King David Street
   Los Angeles CA 90007                    Jerusalem
   USA                                     ISRAEL


------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: What is the course of study for the Rabbinate?

   Biblical Hebrew, Modern Hebrew, archeology, Israeli culture, Bible,
   Midrash, Talmud, Codes, Homiletics, History, Education, Liturgy,
   Philosophy, Human Relations, Hebrew, Aramaic.
   
   There are also coures in professional development: working in a
   professional setting, education principles and techniques, the
   principles of counseling, making hospital calls, helping people with
   crisis.

------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: How does one become a Reform Cantor?

   Cantors in the Reform Movement are trained by HUC-JIR's School of
   Sacred Music (SSM), established in New York in 1948. SSM's campus is
   adjacent to NYU, and offers the degree of Master of Sacred Music (MSM)
   to students who, upon graduation, receive formal investiture as Cantor
   and are eligible for membership in the American Conference of Cantors.
   
   In order to be accepted to the SSM, applicants must demonstrate:
   
   Musical Competence:
          A trained singing voice, an undergraduate degree (preferrably a
          BA with a major in music), competency in sight reading, ear
          training, keyboard harmony, and music theory.
          
   Hebrew Competence.
          All cantorial students participate in the first-year Hebrew
          immersion program at the HUC-JIR campus in Jerusalem. However,
          prior Hebrew competence is necessary, and all candidates should
          read Hebrew, and are encouraged to study classical Hebrew
          grammar and syntax in college.
          
   Personal characteristics.
          Candidates for admission are expected to be committted Jews and
          to possses the necessary character and personality traits. They
          should enjoy public performance, engaging others in the act of
          worship, teaching adults and children, and dedicated to a life
          of learning and discovery.
          
   To apply, applicants require a autobiographical perspective on their
   life and the reasons for selecting the cantorate in addition to the
   usual transcripts, references, and medical forms. The process also
   includes an audition and a formal interview, as well as a
   psychological assessment.

------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: What is the course of study for cantors?

   The course of study is four years. The first year is in Jerusalem, and
   involves 18 hours per week of Hebrew instruction. There are also
   classes that introduce classical texts. Students also study
   cantillation, the Jewish Choral literature, and the liturgical modes
   on which traditional Nusach is based.
   
   In years two through four, there is indepth study of the year and life
   cycle musical liturgy, as well as the history, structure, and theology
   of the liturgy. The Reform musical heritage is studied, as well as
   study of art music in Ladino, Yiddish, and Hebrew; the art and content
   of Jewish concert programming; music for all ages in the religious
   school. There is also study of Judaica: the traditional Jewish texts
   in light of the scientific investigation of modern times. There is
   study of theology: Buber, Kaplan, Heschel, Rosenzweig, and others.
   There is study of history: talmudic, medieval, or modernity. There are
   also coures in professional development: working in a professional
   setting, education principles and techniques, teaching and integration
   of music, organizing and directing volunteer choirs, the principles of
   counseling, making hospital calls, helping people with crisis. In the
   second and third years, students also have fieldwork opportunities.
   
   For more information, write:
   
    HUC-JIR Brookdale Center
    School of Sacred Music
    Office of the Director
    One West 4th Street
    New York NY 10012
    USA
    

------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: What other courses of study are available?

   In Los Angeles, the HUC-JIR Irwin Daniels School of Jewish Communal
   Service offers the following programs:
   
    1. DOUBLE MASTERS
          + Master of Arts in Jewish Communal Service and Master of
            Social Work (24 months, 90 credits). Joint with USC or
            Washington Univ, St. Louis)
          + Master of Arts in Jewish Communal Service and Master of
            Public Admin. (24 months, 82 credits)
          + Master of Arts in Jewish Communal Service and Master of
            Science in Gerontology (24 months, 86 credits)
          + Master of Arts in Jewish Communal Service and Communications
            Management (24 months, 82 credits)
    2. SINGLE MASTERS
          + Master of Arts in Jewish Communal Service (54 credits). A
            concentration in synagogue management is also available.
    3. JOINT MASTERS
          + Master of Arts in Jewish Communal Service and Master of Arts
            in Jewish Education (24 months, 110 credits)
          + Master of Arts in Jewish Communal Service and Master of Arts
            in Judaic Studies (24 months, 110 credits)
   
       The two programs above also require a year's residency in Israel.
       
   Courses in these programs include the Jewish Family and Jewish
   Community; Jewish Communal Institutes; Biblical and Rabbinic Sources;
   Jewish History; Fund Raising and Financial Resource Development;
   Trends in Modern Judaism; Contemporary Jewish Isuses; the Development
   of the American Synagogue; Management Information Systems; Organizing
   and Facilitating Support Groups; Understanding Communal Themes Through
   Traditional Sources; Leadership and Organizational Management;
   Planning, Allocating, and Decision Making in the Jewish Community;
   Fiscal Management; Jewish Components of Community Practics; Jewish
   Social and Political Policy; Boundaries of Normative Jewish Behavior;
   and other similar courses.
   
   Graduates of these programs work in federations, centers, Jewish
   family services, camps, Bureaus of Jewish education, congragations,
   etc.
   
   For those interested in education, the HUC-JIR Rhea Hirsch School of
   Education offers a course of study designed for those interested in
   careers in Jewish education.
   
   For information on either of these programs, write to:
   
    HUC-JIR
    3077 University Avenue
    Los Angeles CA 90007-3796
    
   In addition, the Cincinatti branch of HUC-JIR is home for the School
   of Graduate Stuides, which is a leading center for study and research
   in the areas of the Bible, ancient Near Eastern languages, Hellenistic
   studies, Jewish religious thought, philosophy and history. For more
   information, write:
   
    HUC-JIR
    3101 Clifton Avenue
    Cincinnati OH 45220
    USA
    

------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: Can Reform Rabbis be sanctioned for their beliefs

   No. There is no ideological sanction process in the CCAR, although
   some in the CCAR would like to institute one for rabbis who
   co-officiate with Christian clergy at weddings. Of course, there is
   always the community. Rabbis usually have beliefs in congruence with
   the congregation or community that continues to pay their contract. In
   congregations, belief differences often lead to heated temple board
   meetings, and potentially, the Rabbi moving to a different community.
   

------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: How do I contact the main organizations in Reform Judaism?

   In North America:
   
    Union of American Hebrew Congregations
    Central Conference of American Rabbis
    
    838 Fifth Street
    New York NY 10021-7064
    +1 212 249 0100
    
        REGIONAL COUNCILS               VOICE                   FAX
        Canadian Council                +1 905 709 2275 / +1 905 709 1895
        Great Lakes Council             +1 312 782 1477 / +1 312 782 1642
        Mid-Atlantic Council            +1 202 232 4242 / +1 202 483 6550
        Midwest Council                 +1 314 997 7566 / +1 314 997 1401
        New Jersey/W. Hudson Council    +1 201 599 0080 / +1 201 599 1085
        New York Fed. of Ref. Syn.      +1 212 249 0100 / +1 212 439 1530
        Northeast Council               +1 617 449 0404 / +1 617 449 0419
        NE Lakes Council Detroit Fed.   +1 216 831 6722 / +1 216 831 2737
        Northern Calif. Council         +1 415 392 7080 / +1 415 392 1182
        Pacific Northwest Council       +1 206 224 4518 / +1 206 313 9110
        Pacific Southwest Council       +1 213 653 9962 / +1 213 653 9236
        Pennsylvania Council            +1 215 563 8183 / +1 215 563 1549
        Southeast Council               +1 305 592 4792 / +1 305 477 7866
        Southwest Council               +1 214 960 6641 / +1 214 960 6655

    World Union for Progressive Judaism
    838 Fifth Avenue
    New York, NY 10021
    phone: (212)650-4090
    fax: (212)650-4099
    e-mail: Rabbi Cliff Kulwin <5448032@mcimail.com>, Director of
    International Development
    
    Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion
    
   HUC-JIR                                 HUC-JIR, Brookdale Center
   3101 Clifton Avenue                     One West 4th Street
   Cincinnati OH 45220                     New York NY 10012
   USA                                     USA
   +1 513 221-1875                         +1 212 674 5300

   HUC-JIR                                 HUC-JIR
   3077 University Avenue                  13 King David Street
   Los Angeles CA 90007                    94101 Jerusalem
   USA                                     ISRAEL
   +1 213 749 3424                         +972 2 232 444

   In the United Kingdom:
   
    Union of Liberal and Progressive Synagogues (ULPS)
    The Montague Centre
    21 Maple Street
    London, W1P 6DS
    ENGLAND
    +1 0171-580-1663 (Voice)
    +1 0171-436-4184 (FAX)
    
   Reform Synagogues of Great Britain
   <http://www.knowledge.co.uk/xxx/rsgb/>
   
   In Australia and New Zealand: The Australian and New Zealand Union for
   Progressive Judaism (<http://www.tmx.com.au/join/anzupj/anzupj.htm>).
   

------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: How do I find a Reform congregation?

   If you are in Northern America, contact your local regional council.
   You might also check the Reform Home Page on Shamash. This page
   contains a (growing) collection of home pages from Reform
   Congregations throughout North America.
   
   Outside of North America, contact the World Union for Progressive
   Judaism. They will be happy to provide the names and addresses of
   synagogues anywhere in the world in response to inquiries. In those
   places where there may be no liberal synagogue, they will be happy to
   send whatever information they have, from other sources. Please
   contact their office, preferably by mail, fax or e-mail, at:
   
    World Union for Progressive Judaism
    838 Fifth Avenue
    New York, NY 10021
    phone: (212)650-4090
    fax: (212)650-4099
    e-mail: 5448032@mcimail.com
    
   Note: The email address belongs to Rabbi Clifford M. Kulwin, WUPJ's
   Director of International Development.

------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: Are there any Reform Rabbis on the network who will answer
         questions?

   Yes. Here is a list of Rabbis willing to answer questions:
   
   Rabbi Michael Feshbach <RABBIF@Aol.Com>
          Temple Anshe Hesed, Erie, Pennsylvania, USA
          
   Rabbi Mark Glickman <MGLICKMAN@Desire.Wright.Edu>
          Temple Israel, Dayton, Ohio, USA
          
   Rabbi Mark Aaron Kline <RabbiMarc@aol.com>
          Beth Israel Congregation, Florence, South Carolina, USA
          
   Rabbi Howard Jaffe <HLJaffe@Aol.Com>
          Mtn. Jewish Comm. Ctr., Warren, New Jersey, USA
          
   Rabbi Arthur Nemitoff <Arthur_P._Nemitoff@bcsmac.org>
          Temple Israel of Columbus, Columbus, Ohio, USA
          
   Rabbi Kerry Olitzky <OLITZKYK@Acfcluster.Nyu.Edu>
          Hebrew Union College
          
   Rabbi Harry Rosenfeld <JSHLR@Acad1.Alaska.Edu>
          Cong. Beth Shalom, Anchorage, Alaska, USA
          
   Rabbi John Sherwood <ao692@lafn.org>
          Rabbi Emeritus, Temple Emet, Woodland Hills, California, USA
          
   Rabbi Don Weber <75065.263@Compuserve.Com>
          Temple Rodeph Torah, West Monmouth, New Jersey, USA
          
   Rabbi Stephen Weisman <sweisman@s850.mwc.edu>
          Fredricksburg, Virginia, USA
          
   Rabb Jim Egolf (<RavJim@aol.com>
          Congregation Beth Shalom of the Woodlands, Texas, USA
          
   Reform rabbis who want to be added to this list should let me know.

------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: How do I start the conversion process?

   This varies from place to place and rabbi to rabbi. Most larger cities
   have a community class. Smaller cities rely on the rabbi. In any case,
   contact the rabbi at your congregation or a local congregation. If
   there is no rabbi contact the local congregation and they will put you
   in touch with someone.
   
   If you need help, or are unsure about walking into the synagogue,
   there are some rabbis on the net who will be glad to talk to you about
   this important step. You can contact any of the rabbis listed in
   18.07.3 above; in particular, you might want to contact Rabbi Arthur
   Nemitoff <apn@shore.net>. Rabbi Nemitoff is the immediate past chair
   of the CCAR Committee on Conversion and a member of the UAHC/CCAR
   Commission on Reform Jewish Outreach. He can also be reached at:
   
    Temple Ohabei Shalom
    1187 Beacon Street
    Brookline, Massachusetts, 02146 USA
    617-277-6610 Voice-synagogue
    617-277-7881 FAX
    
   Another rabbi who has expressed interested in talking to individuals
   interested in conversion is Rabbi John Sherwood <ao692@lafn.org>.
   Another resource is Rabbi Don Weber <75065.263@compuserve.com>, +1 908
   972-2595. Rabbi Weber is on the UAHC Regional Outreach Committee, and
   has spoken on conversion at HUC and at meetings of the Reform
   Rabbinate. He is a member of the NJARR beit din, and says that he
   follows quite traditional practices regarding conversion.

------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: I'd like to do some further reading. Where do I start?

   The best place to start is with the Reform Reading List, available as:
   
  ftp://shamash.org/israel/lists/scj-faq/reading-lists/reform


------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: Archival and Credits

  Anonymous FTP:
  
   All portions of the FAQ and of the reading lists are archived on
   shamash.org [192.77.173.13] and on rtfm.mit.edu, and are available
   for anonymous FTP. On shamash.org, the parts of the FAQ are stored in
   the israel/lists/scj-faq/FAQ directory. On rtfm.mit.edu, these FAQs
   are stored in the pub/usenet/news.answers/judaism/FAQ directory. Note
   that the archived versions of the FAQ are the posted versions; that
   is, they are each one large ASCII file.
   
   The following is the mapping of sections to files:
   
   01-FAQ-intro
          Section 1: Network and Soc.Culture.Jewish Information
          
   02-Who-We-Are
          Section 2: Who We Are
          
   03-Torah-Halacha
          Section 3: Torah
          Section 4: Halachic Authority
          
   04-Observance
          Section 5: Jewish Holidays
          Section 6: Jewish Dietary Law and Kashrut
          Section 7: Sabbath and Holiday Observance
          Section 8: Woman and Marriage
          
   05-Worship
          Section 9: Jewish Worship
          Section 10: Conversion, Intermarriage, and "Who is a Jew?"
          Section 11: Miscellaneous Practice Questions
          
   06-Jewish-Thought
          Section 12: Jewish Thought
          
   07-Jews-As-Nation
          Section 13: Jews as a Nation
          
   08-Israel
          Section 14: Jews and Israel
          
   09-Antisemitism
          Section 15: Churban Europa (The Holocaust)
          Section 16: Antisemitism and Rumors about Jews
          Section 17: Countering Missionaries
          
   10-Reform
          Section 18: Reform/Progressive Judaism
          
   11-Miscellaneous
          Section 19: Miscellaneous
          Section 20: References and Getting Connected
          
   12-Kids
          Section 21: Jewish Childrearing Related Questions
          
   mail-order
          Mail Order Judaica
          
   On shamash.org, the parts of the reading lists are stored in the
   israel/lists/scj-faq/reading-lists directory. On rtfm.mit.edu, the
   reading lists are stored in the
   pub/usenet/news.answers/judaism/reading-lists directory. Note that the
   archived versions of the reading lists are the posted versions; that
   is, they are each one large ASCII file.
   
   The following is the mapping of reading lists to files:
   
   general
          Introduction and General. Includes book sources, starting
          points for beginners, starting points for non-Jewish readers,
          General Judaism, General Jewish Thought, General Jewish
          History, Noachide Laws, Torah and Talmud, Mishnah and Talmud,
          Torah and Talmudic Commentary, Midrash, Halachic Codes,
          Becoming An Observant Jew, Women and Judaism, and Science and
          Judaism.
          
   traditional
          Traditional Liturgy, Practice, Lifestyle, Holidays. Includes
          Traditional Liturgy; Traditional Philosophy and Ethics; Prayer;
          Traditional Practice; The Household; Life, Death, and
          In-Between; and The Cycle Of Holidays.
          
   mysticism
          Kabbalah, Mysticism, and Messianism. Includes Academic and
          Religious treatments of Kabbalah, Sprituality, and the Jewish
          notion of the Messiah.
          
   reform
          Reform/Progressive Judaism
          
   conservative
          Conservative Judaism
          
   reconstructionist
          Reconstructionist Judaism
          
   humanistic
          Humanistic Judaism (Society for Humanistic Judaism)
          
   chasidism
          Chassidism. Includes general information on historical
          chassidism, as well as specific information on Lubavitch
          (Chabad), Satmar, Breslaw (Breslov), and other approaches.
          
   zionism
          Zionism. Includes Zionism and The Development Of Israel, The
          Founders, Zionistic Movements, and Judaism in Israel.
          
   antisemitism
          Antisemitism. Includes sections on Antisemitism, What Led to
          The Holocaust, Medieval Oppression, Antisemitism Today
          (Including Dealing with Hate Groups), Judaism and Christianity,
          and Judaism, Freemasonry and other rumors.
          
   intermarriage
          Intermarriage. Includes sections on "So You're Considering
          Intermarriage?", The Traditional Viewpoint, Conversion, and
          Coping With Life As An Intermarried.
          
   periodicals
          Periodicals. Includes Topical General Interest Periodicals,
          General Interest Periodicals focused on Tradition and Home,
          General Interest Periodicals focused on Jewish Scholarship,
          Other General Interest Periodicals, Publications Targeted For
          Specific Movements, Rabbinic Journals, and Local Publications.
          
   childrens
          Books for Jewish Children. Includes.
          
  Mail:
  
   The files may also be obtained via Email by sending a message to
   faigin@shamash.org with any number of the following commands in the
   body of the mail message:
   
   send faq _portionnames_
   send rl _portionnames_
   
   The "send faq" version is used to obtain portions of the FAQ; the
   "send rl" version is used to obtain portions of the reading list.
   "_portionnames_" should be replaced by the names of the files to be
   retrieved, separated by spaces. The special file name "list" will
   retrieve a list of all files that make up the FAQ or reading list; the
   special file name "all" will retrieve all files on the appropriate
   list.
   
   Examples:
   send faq all
   send faq list
   send faq 01-FAQ-intro
   send rl all
   send rl general
   
   Alternatively, you may send a message to mail-server@rtfm.mit.edu with
   the following line in the body of the message:
   
   send usenet/news.answers/judaism/(portionname)
   
   Where (portionname) is replaced by the appropriate subdirectory and
   filenames; for example, to get the first part of the reading list, one
   would say:

        send usenet/news.answers/judaism/reading-lists/general

  WWW:
  
   The FAQ and reading lists are available as a full hypertext tree on
   shamash.org. The URL is:
   
   http://www.shamash.org/lists/scj-faq/HTML/index.html

------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: Credits for the Reform/Progressive FAQ

   The Reform FAQ portion of the S.C.J FAQ was developed and is
   maintained by Daniel Faigin. Other contributors include Nicholas
   Aleksander, J. T. Galkowski, Ruth Heiges, Chris Newport, Tony Reese,
   Rabbi Harry Rosenfeld, Rabbi Ian Morris, Rabbi Josh Segal, and Rabbi
   John Sherwood. This posting is dedicated to Rabbi Mordecai Soloff ZT"L
   and Rabbi Alfred Wolf: two men responsible for my committment to
   serious Reform Jewish.
   
   Comments and corrections are welcome. Please send them to the
   maintainer, faigin@shamash.org or faigin@pacificnet.net; do not post
   them. Unlike other portions of the S.C.J FAQ, this posting reflects
   the viewpoint of the Reform Movement of Judaism. However, to the best
   of the maintainer's knowledge, the posting does not contain any
   "bashing" of other Jewish movements.

------------------------------------------------------------
--
Please mail additions or corrections to me at faigin@pacificnet.net.


End of SCJ FAQ Part 10 (Reform) Digest
**************************
-------
-- 
faigin@pacificnet.net   Moderator, Mail.Liberal-Judaism (mlj@shamash.org)
   |  @shamash.org      Maintainer, S.C.J FAQ/Reading List * Advisor S.C.J.P
   |  @aero.org         Daddy, Erin Shoshana  misc.kids Albums 95pg48 96pg27
   v  @acm.org          Home Page: http://www.pacificnet.net/~faigin/
