I’ve been wanting to write on the notion of Informed Choice and what that means personally to me as a Jew for over a year now, but I just never seem to get around to it for one reason or another. Anyhow as someone who came to Judaism as an adult I can admit that at times it’s difficult to maintain a healthy sense of Jewish identity. Sometimes I believe this is because of the prejudices and attitudes of others and certainly at least in my case often it’s the result of self-inflicted wounds resulting from my own muddled thinking. However the more I read and learn, the more I meet people, the more I realize that I’m not alone because a lot of people struggle with their sense of Jewish identity.

As Reform Jews we are afforded a phenomenal amount of wiggle room when it comes to defining our sense of Jewishness. We are not halachickly bound by anything and were certainly not discouraged from embracing modernity. These are things I wouldn’t give up for the world but I also realize that while they may be among my greatest assets as a Jew, this looseness and acceptance also creates all sorts of obstacles. I can recall that as I went through the conversion process there was much discussion around the issue of Informed Choice but post conversion I often wonder if I’m actually taking this notion seriously.

To be honest in many ways I find denominationalism a huge hindrance to the overall health of the Jewish community. However when it comes to my own sense of Jewish identity no matter how far I stray in any direction there’s always this voice inside of me quietly saying “You are a Reform Jew”. I don’t believe that my feelings are rooted so much in a sense of institutional affiliation or commitment. Rather my sense of identification seems to be connected in more of a spiritual and intellectual way. It’s basically just this pervasive sense that I am a Reform Jew because I see my Jewishness as part of an ongoing process. It’s a process of ever deepening interconnections, evolution and mutual exchange between myself, G-D, Torah and the rest of the Tribe. I experience this relationship as something which is continually changing and adjusting not only everyday but with each thought and every breath. I’m increasingly coming to realize that for this type of dialogue to work I must engage the process from a place of Informed Choice. It’s not about making claims, it’s about committing to the process with a real sense of honesty, reflection and accountability. Because without these things I just don’t believe its Informed Choice and least not as it was intended to be applied.

I suppose that in some ways this post (and those to follow) is an attempt on my part to begin re-engaging with this concept of Informed Choice in a more conscious and systematic fashion. Basically what I’m planning to do with this series of posts is to go over point by point the CCAR’s 1999 Statement of Principles. I’m already very familiar with them but I think it would be valuable to go through them one at a time in order to see how they fit into and inform my ever-evolving sense of Jewishness.

I feel there’s a lot of material to cover and I want to do it as honestly as possible, so I’m probably going to limit things to one point per post. Also I am hoping to post at least once a week on the subject until I make it through the list. However knowing me I have no doubt that some weeks I will cover more than one and other weeks I may not even get to any at all. But I’m committed to working my way through the entire list. 

Lastly I thought I would provide the points made in this 1999 Statement of Principles for those of you who are unfamiliar but interested.

If you would like to see the entire document you can click here and if you’re interested in the official commentary just click here. 

Throughout our history, we Jews have remained firmly rooted in Jewish tradition, even as we have learned much from our encounters with other cultures. The great contribution of Reform Judaism is that it has enabled the Jewish people to introduce innovation while preserving tradition, to embrace diversity while asserting commonality, to affirm beliefs without rejecting those who doubt, and to bring faith to sacred texts without sacrificing critical scholarship.

This “Statement of Principles” affirms the central tenets of Judaism - God, Torah and Israel - even as it acknowledges the diversity of Reform Jewish beliefs and practices. It also invites all Reform Jews to engage in a dialogue with the sources of our tradition, responding out of our knowledge, our experience and our faith. Thus we hope to transform our lives through (kedushah), holiness.

God

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

We affirm that the Jewish people is bound to God by an eternal (b’rit), covenant, as reflected in our varied understandings of Creation, Revelation and Redemption.

We affirm that every human being is created (b’tzelem Elohim), in the image of God, and that therefore every human life is sacred.

We regard with reverence all of God’s creation and recognize our human responsibility for its preservation and protection.

We encounter God’s presence in moments of awe and wonder, in acts of justice and compassion, in loving relationships and in the experiences of everyday life.

We respond to God daily: through public and private prayer, through study and through the performance of other (mitzvot), sacred obligations — (bein adam la Makom), to God, and (bein adam la-chaveiro), to other human beings.

We strive for a faith that fortifies us through the vicissitudes of our lives — illness and healing, transgression and repentance, bereavement and consolation, despair and hope.

We continue to have faith that, in spite of the unspeakable evils committed against our people and the sufferings endured by others, the partnership of God and humanity will ultimately prevail.

We trust in our tradition’s promise that, although God created us as finite beings, the spirit within us is eternal.

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

Torah

We affirm that Torah is the foundation of Jewish life.

We cherish the truths revealed in Torah, God’s ongoing revelation to our people and the record of our people’s ongoing relationship with God.

We affirm that Torah is a manifestation of (ahavat olam), God’s eternal love for the Jewish people and for all humanity.

We affirm the importance of studying Hebrew, the language of Torah and Jewish liturgy, that we may draw closer to our people’s sacred texts.

We are called by Torah to lifelong study in the home, in the synagogue and in every place where Jews gather to learn and teach. Through Torah study we are called to (mitzvot), the means by which we make our lives holy.

We are committed to the ongoing study of the whole array of (mitzvot) and to the fulfillment of those that address us as individuals and as a community. Some of these (mitzvot), sacred obligations, have long been observed by Reform Jews; others, both ancient and modern, demand renewed attention as the result of the unique context of our own times.

We bring Torah into the world when we seek to sanctify the times and places of our lives through regular home and congregational observance. Shabbat calls us to bring the highest moral values to our daily labor and to culminate the workweek with (kedushah), holiness, (menuchah), rest and (oneg), joy. The High Holy Days call us to account for our deeds. The Festivals enable us to celebrate with joy our people’s religious journey in the context of the changing seasons. The days of remembrance remind us of the tragedies and the triumphs that have shaped our people’s historical experience both in ancient and modern times. And we mark the milestones of our personal journeys with traditional and creative rites that reveal the holiness in each stage of life.

We bring Torah into the world when we strive to fulfill the highest ethical mandates in our relationships with others and with all of God’s creation. Partners with God in ( tikkun olam), repairing the world, we are called to help bring nearer the messianic age. We seek dialogue and joint action with people of other faiths in the hope that together we can bring peace, freedom and justice to our world. We are obligated to pursue (tzedek), justice and righteousness, and to narrow the gap between the affluent and the poor, to act against discrimination and oppression, to pursue peace, to welcome the stranger, to protect the earth’s biodiversity and natural resources, and to redeem those in physical, economic and spiritual bondage. In so doing, we reaffirm social action and social justice as a central prophetic focus of traditional Reform Jewish belief and practice. We affirm the (mitzvah) of (tzedakah), setting aside portions of our earnings and our time to provide for those in need. These acts bring us closer to fulfilling the prophetic call to translate the words of Torah into the works of our hands.

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

Israel

We are Israel, a people aspiring to holiness, singled out through our ancient covenant and our unique history among the nations to be witnesses to God’s presence. We are linked by that covenant and that history to all Jews in every age and place.

We are committed to the (mitzvah) of (ahavat Yisrael), love for the Jewish people, and to (k’lal Yisrael), the entirety of the community of Israel. Recognizing that (kol Yisrael arevim zeh ba-zeh), all Jews are responsible for one another, we reach out to all Jews across ideological and geographical boundaries.

We embrace religious and cultural pluralism as an expression of the vitality of Jewish communal life in Israel and the Diaspora.

We pledge to fulfill Reform Judaism’s historic commitment to the complete equality of women and men in Jewish life.

We are an inclusive community, opening doors to Jewish life to people of all ages, to varied kinds of families, to all regardless of their sexual orientation, to (gerim), those who have converted to Judaism, and to all individuals and families, including the intermarried, who strive to create a Jewish home.

We believe that we must not only open doors for those ready to enter our faith, but also to actively encourage those who are seeking a spiritual home to find it in Judaism.

We are committed to strengthening the people Israel by supporting individuals and families in the creation of homes rich in Jewish learning and observance.

We are committed to strengthening the people Israel by making the synagogue central to Jewish communal life, so that it may elevate the spiritual, intellectual and cultural quality of our lives.

We are committed to (Medinat Yisrael), the State of Israel, and rejoice in its accomplishments. We affirm the unique qualities of living in (Eretz Yisrael), the land of Israel, and encourage (aliyah), immigration to Israel.

We are committed to a vision of the State of Israel that promotes full civil, human and religious rights for all its inhabitants and that strives for a lasting peace between Israel and its neighbors.

We are committed to promoting and strengthening Progressive Judaism in Israel, which will enrich the spiritual life of the Jewish state and its people.

We affirm that both Israeli and Diaspora Jewry should remain vibrant and interdependent communities. As we urge Jews who reside outside Israel to learn Hebrew as a living language and to make periodic visits to Israel in order to study and to deepen their relationship to the Land and its people, so do we affirm that Israeli Jews have much to learn from the religious life of Diaspora Jewish communities.

We are committed to furthering Progressive Judaism throughout the world as a meaningful religious way of life for the Jewish people.

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

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