Union for Reform Judaism
Union for Reform Judaism | |
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Cincinnati, Ohio | |
Congregations | 831 |
Members | ~880,000 affiliates 600,000–1,150,000 identifying |
Official website | www |
The Union for Reform Judaism (URJ), formerly known as the Union of American Hebrew Congregations (UAHC) until 2003, founded in 1873 by Rabbi
The URJ has an estimated constituency of some 880,000 registered adults in 831[3] congregations. It claims to represent 2.2 million, as over a third of adult American Jews, including many who are not synagogue members, state affinity with Reform, making it the largest Jewish denomination. The UAHC was a founding member of the World Union for Progressive Judaism, of which the URJ is the largest constituent by far.
Belief and practice
During its "Classical" era, roughly between the Civil War and the 1930s, American Reform rejected many ceremonial aspects of Judaism and the authority of traditional jurisprudence (
Another key aspect of American Reform, which it shares with sister movements in the WUPJ, is its approach to Jewish identity. Interfaith marriage, once a taboo – the CCAR penalized any involvement by its clergy in such ceremonies by ordinances passed in 1909, 1947 and 1962 – were becoming more prevalent toward the end of the 20th Century. In 1979, the URJ adopted a policy of embracing the intermarried and their spouses, in the hope the latter would convert. In 1983 it recognized Judaism based on patrilineal descent, affirming that offspring of a single Jewish parent (whether father or mother) would be accepted as inheriting his status if they would demonstrate affinity to the faith. Children of a Jewish mother who will not commit to Judaism were not to be considered Jewish. These measures made Reform the most hospitable to non-Jewish family members among major American denominations: in 2006, 17% of synagogue-member households had a converted spouse, and 26% an unconverted one. These policies also raised great tensions with the more traditional movements. Orthodox and Conservatives rejected the validity of Reform conversions already before that, though among the latter, the greater proclivity of CCAR rabbis to perform the process under halachic standards allowed for many such to be approved. Patrilineal descent caused a growing percentage of Reform constituency to be regarded as non-Jewish by the two other denominations.
Organizational structure
World Union for Progressive Judaism |
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Regional affiliates |
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The URJ incorporates 846 congregations in the United States and 27 in Canada. The Union consists of four administrative districts, West, East, South and Central, which in turn are divided into a total of 35 regional communities, comprising groups of local congregations; 34 are in the United States and one represents all those affiliated with the Canadian Council for Reform Judaism. The URJ is led by a board of trustees, consisting 253 lay members. This board is overseen by the 5,000-member General Assembly, which convenes biennially. It was first assembled in Cleveland on 14 July 1874, and the most recent biennial was held in
The URJ has an estimated constituency of 850,000 in the United States, 760,000 Jews and further 90,000 non-converted gentile spouses. A greater number identifies with Reform Judaism without affiliating with a synagogue. The 2013 Pew survey assessed that 35% of Jews in the United States consider themselves Reform (the 2001 AJC poll cited 38%); based on these figures, Steven M. Cohen estimated there were 1,154,000 identifying non-member adults in addition to those registered, not including children.[6] There are further 30,000 affiliated congregants in Canada. Citing those findings, the URJ claims to represent a total of 2.2 million individuals.[7]
Youth group and summer camps
NFTY exists to supplement and support Reform youth groups at the synagogue level. About 750 local youth groups affiliate themselves with the organization, comprising over 8,500 youth members.[8]
The URJ Camp & Israel Programs is the largest Jewish camping system in the world,[9] comprising 14 summer camps across North America, including specialty camps in science & technology, creative arts, and sports [10][11] and programs for youth with special needs.[12] Many of the camps have long provided the opportunity for high school pupils to travel to Israel through the program Yallah! Israel during the summer. The Union offers various Israel programs for seminarians and students. Including a youth convention every other year.
History
19th century
Reform-like ideas in the United States were first expressed by the Reformed Society of Israelites, founded in
The Society, numbering several dozens, dissipated and merged back into Beth Elohim during 1833, but they did not cease being a factor. In 1836, the reunified congregation hired
A year before that,
Einhorn gradually gained the upper hand, though the conflict-laden synergy between him and Wise would lay the foundation of American Reform. The
It was the arrival of Rabbi Alexander Kohut in 1885 which forced an unambiguous stance. Kohut, a follower of Zecharias Frankel and his Positive-Historical School, attacked the UAHC for abandoning traditional Judaism. A series of heated exchanges between him and Reform's chief ideologue, Rabbi Kaufmann Kohler, encouraged the latter to convene an assembly which accepted the Pittsburgh Platform on 19 November. Embodying the spirit of "Classical Reform", it added virtually nothing to the theoretical foundation of the movement but elucidated it clearly. It was declared that to-day we accept as binding only the moral laws, and maintain only such ceremonies as elevate and sanctify our lives. A small group of conservatives withdrew from the UAHC in protest, joining Kohut, Morais, and their supporters in founding the Jewish Theological Seminary. At first unifying almost all non-Reform currents, it developed into the center of Conservative Judaism. In 1889, Wise founded the Central Conference of American Rabbis.
20th century
"Classical Reform" soon faced a more pressing challenge. The massive immigration from Eastern Europe, bringing over two million Jews who had strong traditional sentiments in matters of religion even when personally lax, dwarfed the UAHC constituency within a generation. In the 1910s and 1920s, the CCAR rabbis gradually reintroduced many elements once discarded in an effort to appeal to the newcomers. The influx, and the growth of interwar antisemitism, also brought a renewed stress on Jewish particularism and peoplehood, ritual, and tradition.
In contrast with the coolness toward Zionism expressed by Classicists – emanating both from their rejection of old Messianic belief, involving a restoration of the sacrificial cult in Jerusalem, and commitment to emancipation – many new clergymen, like Abba Hillel Silver and Stephen Wise, were enthusiastic and influential Zionists. These tendencies were codified in the 1937 Columbus Declaration of Principles, influenced by rabbis Samuel S. Cohon, Solomon Freehof and others from Eastern Europe. Anti-Zionist Reform rabbis broke away during WWII to found the American Council for Judaism,[14] which declined in activity following the Six-Day War.
In 1950, HUC merged with the Jewish Institute of Religion, a Reform rabbinical college founded in 1922 by Rabbi Stephen Wise. The selective "return to tradition" encouraged many Americanized Eastern-European-descended Jews to flock to Reform congregations in the postwar years, rapidly swelling the membership ranks of the UAHC. This factor, along with the URJ's commitment to Outreach, diversity ("big tent Judaism"), and a welcoming attitude labeled "Audacious Hospitality" by URJ president, Rabbi Richard Jacobs, have all contributed to the Reform Movement's emergence as the largest Jewish religious denomination in North America.
The HUC, as a member of the
In 1990, the Union of American Hebrew Congregations and other major Jewish-American organizations asked that Nelson Mandela clarify his pro-Palestinian views prior to his visit to New York City. The UAHC's senior vice president Albert Vorspan said that "We are hoping to clear the air and defuse the situation so that Mandela's visit...is what it ought to be: a great welcome for a liberation hero without a lot of marginal controversy." In a meeting in Geneva that included representatives from the Union of American Hebrew Congregations, the Anti-Defamation League, the American Jewish Committee, the American Jewish Congress, and other organizations, Mandela apologized for offending the Jewish-American establishment, expressed appreciation for South African Jews who opposed apartheid, praised certain Israeli leaders, and agreed that the State of Israel had a right to exist. [16][17][undue weight? ]
KESHER
- KESHER should not be confused with various U.S. synagogues incorporating the word Kesher into their names.
KESHER (from
There are no longer any official college programs run by the URJ.Its directors included Paul Reichenbach (-1995), David Terdiman (1995-7), Rabbi Jonathan Klein (1997-2000), Rabbi Andrew Davids, Rabbi Marc Israel, Lisa David (-2006); Nicole Rand was the latest acting director. There had been two program associates and an Israeli shaliach.
KESHER worked with organizations like
See also
- Reform Judaism (magazine) – the Union's former official magazine
References
- ^ "Board of Trustees". Central Conference of American Rabbis.
- ^ "Leadership & Governance". Union for Reform Judaism.
- ^ URJ congregations, 10 per page.
- ^ "Zionism-Israel Information Center Historical Source Documents - Pittsburgh Platform of 1885 - Declaration of Principles - Columbus Platform 1937 - Reform Judaism and Zionism". zionism-israel.com. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
- ^ "URJ BIENNIAL 2019 is a wrap!". Archived from the original on 2020-03-09.
- Jewish Daily Forward, 5 November 2015.
- ^ "Nearly 2.2 million Americans and Canadians identify as Reform Jews": The Reform Movement, urj.org.
- ^ "About NFTY". Retrieved January 9, 2012.
- ^ "URJ Camp & Israel Programs". Archived from the original on 2012-02-04.
- ^ "URJ 6 Points Sports Academy". Archived from the original on January 15, 2012. Retrieved January 9, 2012.
- ^ "Kutz: NFTY's Campus for Reform Jewish Teens". Retrieved January 9, 2012.
- ^ "URJ Camp & Israel Programs Special Needs Programs". Archived from the original on February 4, 2012. Retrieved January 9, 2012.
- ProQuest 409563645.
- ^ Wertheimer, J. "What Does Reform Judaism Stand For?", Commentary Magazine, June 2008 Archived August 29, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, (accessed February 2, 2009)
- ^ "Julius and Ethel Rosenberg". My Jewish Learning. Retrieved 2023-04-29.
- ^ "Mandela Regrets Offending Jews, Says He is Ready to Visit Israel". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. 20 March 2015. Retrieved 2023-03-23.
- ^ "U.S. Jews Go to Geneva To Meet With Mandela". The New York Times. 8 June 1990. Retrieved 2023-03-27.
- ^ "Campus Life 202: Making Your Jewish Way On Campus". www.collegeresourceassoc.com. College Research Associates. Retrieved 2021-11-29.
- ^ "URJ Kesher Group 561: Taglit-Birthright Israel Journey From LA To Israel". 7 July 2015. Retrieved 2021-11-29.
- ^ "Birthright Israel allows students to connect with their heritage". The Brown and White. 2016-02-12. Retrieved 2021-11-29.
- ^ "How Orthodox Groups Are Taking Over Birthright, and Using It to Target Young U.S. Jews". Haaretz. Retrieved 2021-11-29.
- ^ "Kesher College". Archived from the original on 2007-12-20.
External links
- Union for Reform Judaism Official Website
- ReformJudaism.org—Comprehensive information about Reform Judaism
- RJ.org±—The Blog of the Reform Movement Archived 2005-11-25 at the Wayback Machine
- Central Conference of American Rabbis
- American Conference of Cantors
- Hebrew Union College Jewish Institute of Religion
- Reform Judaism Magazine Home Page
- URJ Camps
- NFTY: The Reform Jewish Youth Movement (formerly the North American Federation of Temple Youth)
- Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism
- URJ Youth: Go Kesher Official Website Archived 2019-10-22 at the Wayback Machine
- "KESHER - KESHER Home". KesherCollege.org. 2011-07-25. Archived from the original on 2011-07-25. Retrieved 2021-11-29. 2011 archive of KesherCollege.org
- "College Life | ReformJudaism.org". Union of Reform Judaism. 2018-12-30. Archived from the original on 2018-12-30. Retrieved 2021-11-29. 2018 archive of Union of Reform Judaism college life page