Progressive Judaism Is Making Global Inroads
Judaism, Jewish culture, Jewish Community, Jewish Audio, Living Jewishly, Online Media, Politics of Religion, Reform April 15th, 2007
Over the last couple of weeks several interesting news stories have come my way all sharing one exciting theme. How Progressive Judaism is forging its way into new territory all around the globe and sharing a vision of Judaism that is more in sync with the modern world.
The following are a few snippets on the subject which have caught my attention and I thought other might also enjoy reading about.
With the help of donations from British Jews Russia gets its first and only community owned Reform synagogue.
In Poland “There’s been a tremendous resurgence of (Progressive) Jewish life,” said Rabbi Joel Oseran, vice president of international development with the World Union for Progressive Judaism in Jerusalem. “We see young people searching for Jewish meaning, people who have come anew to their own Jewish identities. And Poland is the best example of that.”
In March ABC Radio (Australia) aired an excellent documentary entitled “ Who is a Jew” discussing the status of progressive Judaism in both Australia and Israel. Featuring interviews with Rabbi Uri Regev head of the World Union for Progressive Judaism and Rabbi Jacqueline Ninio, Australia’s first (and I believe only) female pulpit rabbi. It’s definitely worth listening to and if you’re interested you can check out my uploaded copy here.
Now for something closer to home. In Berkeley Rabbi Yoel Kahn the rabbi-to-be at Berkeley’s Reform Congregation Beth El is saying “We don’t do Judaism as they do in the Bible, we don’t do Judaism as they did it in the Talmud and we don’t do it as they did in the Middle Ages. But each of those informed the Judaism we do today.”
And last but not least in Israel progressive and secular Jews are saying “It’s true, if you ask most secular Israelis if they believe in God, they would say yes,” says Rabbi Meir Azari, from Tel Aviv’s Beit Daniel, the city’s center for Reform Judaism. “But for secular Israelis, the question has become, why are the Orthodox the Jewish voice? We’re not less Jewish than they are.”
I realize that these stories reflect only tiny drops of change in a vast ocean, however nonetheless I view them as a positive sign and I am reassured by the potential they suggest. It is exciting to see that more of the world Jewry is hungry to embrace the Judaism that reflects the progressive values of equality, tolerance and modernity.
Be Well
Technorati tags: Progressive Judaism, Reform Judaism, Russia, Israel, Poland, Australia, World Union for Progressive Judaism, Women Rabbis
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April 15th, 2007 at 10:14 am
Pardon my ignorance, but, would you say that the differences between progressive and conservative Judaism are similar in nature to the differences found between progressive and conservative Christianity (excepting of course the general theological differences between the two faiths). I suppose I am thinking along the lines of being a “true” Christian, basic required beliefs/attitudes, the degree (or lack) of ecumenicism, etc., and whether there are similarities in Judaism. [I recall that one of the few times leaders of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam have gotten together to agree was when the more conservative elements were united in their stance against homosexuality. The counter to this was when (more progressive?) leaders of these and other faiths met for things like the Parliament of World Religions.] Considering that unlike Christianity (esp. Protestant Christianity) there seems historically to be a stronger, more recognizable cultural/ethnic aspect of Judaism, I suppose I was wondering if, from your perspective, you get the impression that there is a widespread view that might be summarized as “Jewish first, practicing/non-practicing, secular/religious, orthodox/reform/progressive second”, and if so, how that affects political debate.
April 15th, 2007 at 1:34 pm
While I am not Jewish nor do I consider myself even an amateurish Jewish scholar, I was somewhat aware of the complicated issues to which your eloquently refer (though probably not at any level deeper than the summary you graciously provided), largely owing to my Christian background and the philosophy of a church I attended that went with the idea that if you want to understand Jesus and his teachings, you need to have a basic grounding in Judaism. Of course, as with everything, the teachings were selective, and I learned a bit more later on thanks to friendly and knowledgeable people such as yourself (and living a couple of years in a heavily Jewish part of Pittsburgh didn’t hurt ;o) ). I suppose the bit that I was asking about was really answered by this:
I think the most important thing perceptually is not to try to compare it to other religions especially not Christianity in terms of denominational sectarianism.
It had seemed to me that such a comparison to Christianity in terms of “progressive/liberal” and “orthodox/conservative” might not be adequate, but I can also appreciate that a non-Jew hearing about a progressive Jewish movement or a conservative Jewish movement might make a correlation in their heads to the same labels used for Christian denominations. In that regard, perhaps a better breaking down of question might be: “What is a progressive Jew and how might a more conservative Jewish group react to him/her in contrast to how a conservative Christian group might react to a liberal Christian?”
April 15th, 2007 at 2:16 pm
Before I go any further let me state for the record that I’m far from a Jewish scholar or expert and at best I can offer my opinion as a member of the tribe.
To be honest I think the best would be to simply redirect you to a couple of links.
Having said that let me break things down for you but keep in mind not everyone would agree with the following.
I divide Judaism into two streams halachick and non-halachick.
Essentially halachick Judaism, which covers all of the Orthodox expressions view themselves as bound by the 613 commandments or Mitzvot.
Non-halachick Judaism pretty much in my opinion covers everything else and refers to organizations which place less emphasis and authority in the 613 Mitzvot.
Basically the non-halachick streams of Judaism consist of.
The conservative movement which is furthest to the right and considers itself to be a halachick organization. However I myself do not consider them to be halachick in any legitimate sense. Having said that they do fall outside of what many would consider to be Progressive Judaism.
That leaves the Reform, Reconstructionist and Renewal movements which all arguably can sit under the umbrella of Progress of Judaism.
If you’re interested in learning more I recommend the following Wikipedia links below.
Orthodox
Conservative
Progressive
Reform
Reconstructionist
Renewal
April 15th, 2007 at 3:29 pm
I’d be most wary of this article on Poland . . .
After extensive time spent in the Jewish community there, I have first hand knowledge of what goes on.
Is it difficult to live a Jewish/orthodox life in Poland? Yes. But it is not impossible -the same challenge of acquiring kosher meet faces Jews all over the world, starting Shabbos at three is tough (we did it, though being a yeshivah student makes things easier) but in terms of a job, starting at three and starting at five are both things that must be worked around.
Concerning the community of Warsaw, there is a big problem of intermarriage, but that does not stop people from attending the local orthodox community -I know people who go and are married to non-jews. I know people who pray in the Nozik synagogues, and are not Jewish themselves . . . I find it suspect that this Ludmila was discouraged by the heads of the community.
The Polish Jewish community is sitting on a fortune of Jewish property and war restorations . . . which is the heart behind any conflict between the ‘orthodox’, ‘progressive’, and ’secular’ communities.
April 15th, 2007 at 4:18 pm
Hey Mottel
I certainly can’t speak to your direct experience in Poland and I believe you when you write of how difficult it is to be an Orthodox Jew there. I also can’t say I disagree completely when you say that control of money and land are an issue between the various strains in Poland.
However, I certainly find it rather pessimistic to suggest that what is at heart behind the issues dividing the various communities is control of money and land. I have no doubt that such things do play a part but I suspect that people at least some people have loftier motives than land or cash.
I would argue that at least some (if not much) of the division between the halachick and progressive organizations is much more rooted in the debate between pre-and post modern attitudes towards Torah and Jewish identity as a whole. I would suspect that an increasing number of Jews there want a Judaism which reflects an ability to embrace modernity in a way that the Orthodox simply cannot. One with less Jewish ethnocentrism and more tolerance, not to mention a respect for diversity. A Judaism that promotes better equality between the sexes, if not full and equal participation for women in religious life.
I’m sure there are other reasons but those are a few that sound good to me.
Anyhow as always thanks for sharing your thoughts.
April 16th, 2007 at 2:15 am
I actually mentioned those aspects because they are unique to Poland and Eastern Europe (Though they come into play in other places as well -look at Israel, money and who deserves it often comes into play . . . )
In Russia for example, the Joint will not fund Chabad’s soup kitchens there. Why? Because despite making an effort for many of its soup kitchens to be kosher, or at least offer a Kosher alternative (why they don’t make it all 100% kosher is beyond me . . . it’s almost cruel to give people chullent and gefilte fish on shabbos when they aren’t kosher!) The CIS has the third largest Jewish community in the world, and Chabad is an extremely powerful entity (The chief Rabbi of Russia is a Lubavitcher etc.) . . . The Joint can not stand it, and therefor will not support the humanitarian needs that Chabad tries to meet.
Sigh.
There are of course the essential philosophical differences that stand in all places, but since it is a far lengthier subject, and one which is discussed in many places at length, I did not mention those factors.
April 16th, 2007 at 10:36 am
Hey Mottel
Anyhow, I am not going to go down this road any further with you. Bottom line is at least from my POV its nice to see modern, progressive and inclusive expressions of Judaism finding their way into these places
April 16th, 2007 at 1:15 pm
I shied away from the full subject in the first place to keep away from that road.
L’chaim
April 16th, 2007 at 1:49 pm
Hello,
I’m glad progressive Judaism is strong. Sometimes it’s hard to discern how things really are. Heck, sometimes it’s hard for me to tell where I reall am Jewishly.
I thought, that after reading/skimming each description of the different denominations in Judaism that you linked to, it would be easy to place myself in a Jewish “box” if you will. I actually learned a lot and realized there are things within each that sound good to me and I was also suprised at some of what I read and how it didn’t mesh with me.
Mostly I was suprised that what I thought was a tradition of ritual observance intertwined with liberal views; Reconstructionism-was far from that. I was really suprised to learn that there are some things within reconstructionism that just don’t mesh with my beliefs.
I started to think,”I wonder if I listed what I do believe in, and then compare it to the lists of each movement, where would that leave me?”. Frankly, it leaves me where I am, confused. I guess I don’t come from one tradition. My mom was a very left wing liberal who sent me to Reform synagogues, who treasured the family traditions of Judaism but religion was not a big focus. Living with my father I went to a conservative synagogue and those beliefs are surely embedded within some of my basic beliefs. As an adult I started aquainting myself with Chasidism and starting embracing some of the more traditional ways of Judaism such as keeping a kosher home (though eating out vegetarian, definitely not orthodox there). Where does that leave me? STILL CONFUSED
Let’s see. I’m definitely liberal in my social views, including issues around homosexuality and my belief that women are capabale of holding non-traditional roles within Judaism. I don’t think someone without a Jewish mother is not Jewish. I guess I consider them half. Though, if one’s mother is Jewish I consider them fully Jewish. I know that sounds bad and is obviously something from the Conservative synagogue I went to early on. I also don’t feel it’s the bigger issue that is important to me. I believe that tzedakah and helping others and the environment are important parts of being Jewish. Growing up we often donated to “Trees for Israel”. It was a big deal as a kid and both my parents instilled love and respect of nature early on.
More or less I seem to fall into Conservative Judaism though I struggle with a few things. And where I don’t fall into Conservatism I seem to go to the Renewal side. I do believe that halacha is meant to be a guide for our lives. I believe in modernity for sure. I believe in critical text studies.The belief that it’s ok to have a range of Jewish beliefs makes sense to me. I am surely monotheistic but accept the fact that there are varying beliefs about G-d. I also believe that G-d inspired our religious texts and definitely don’t believe they are all directly the words of G-d but more G-d inspired. I also believe that the texts were put together over many years from multiple sources. I believe in divine intervention. I don’t believe in coincidences and I do believe that G-d is a force in my life whether I notice it or not. On Jewish law I do believe it is ever changing and growing. I struggle with the word “binding” because if it is binding, in my head, that means it is exactly as written and there is no room for interpretation. Personally, I guess I believe that halacha is meant as a guide to be better people, better Jews, to simply work at personal improvement that in turn improves our world.
Ok, this is WAY too LONG. Sorry. The thoughts were flowing and you gave me so much to work with.
P.S. The progressive link isn’t working but I found one on wiki that does http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Progressive_Judaism
April 16th, 2007 at 6:23 pm
Mottle, no offense intended but you didn’t shy away from anything. As far as I can tell you’re original comment avoided touching on any of the positives brought up in my post. It instead seemed to focus on reducing the situation in Poland to one of a lack of kosher foods and money/land grabbing. Like I said no offense intended but I’m calling it the way I see it.
Tamara, interesting and insightful comment but because I see you’ve turned it into a post of your own, I will do a more in-depth comment over there.
April 20th, 2007 at 12:18 am
I meant that I didn’t engage you in the validity of the Progressive movement . . . I have my opinion on the matter, you have yours. That’s great.
I merely said that I find most actions in that part of the world to be suspect. If progressive is right or not is not important here . . . only that there is more then meets the eye going on behind the actions of virtually all groups there -Orthodox and otherwise.