Download or read book Contemporary Debates in American Reform Judaism written by Dana Evan Kaplan and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2013-01-11 with total page 276 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is a ground breaking collection of essays that takes a hard look at the Reform Movement today. Opening essays look at the problem of building a religous community, the competition in the "spiritual marketplace," and why people join or do not join a Reform synagogue. Other contributors look at a host of controversial issues including Patrilineal Descent, Outreach, Intermarriage, gender issues, gay and lesbian participation, and others.
Download or read book American Reform Judaism written by Dana Evan Kaplan and published by Rutgers University Press. This book was released on 2003-04-29 with total page 314 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The only comprehensive and up-to-date look at Reform Judaism, this book analyzes the forces currently challenging the Reform movement, now the largest Jewish denomination in the United States. To distinguish itself from Orthodox and Conservative Judaism, the Reform movement tries to be an egalitarian, open, and innovative version of the faith true to the spirit of the tradition but nonetheless fully compatible with modern secular life. Promoting itself in this way, Reform Judaism has been tremendously successful in recruiting a variety of people—intermarried families, feminists, gays and lesbians, and interracial families among others—who resist more traditional forms of worship. As an unintended result of this success, the movement now struggles with an identity crisis brought on by its liberal theology, which teaches that each Jew is free to practice Judaism more or less as he or she pleases. In the absence of the authority that comes from a theology based on a commanding, all-powerful God, can Reform Judaism continue to thrive? Can it be broadly inclusive and still be uniquely and authentically Jewish? Taking this question as his point of departure, Dana Evan Kaplan provides a broad overview of the American Reform movement and its history, theology, and politics. He then takes a hard look at the challenges the movement faces as it attempts to reinvent itself in the new millennium. In so doing, Kaplan gives the reader a sense of where Reform Judaism has come from, where it stands on the major issues, and where it may be going. Addressing the issues that have confronted the movement—including the ordination of women, acceptance of homosexuality, the problem of assimilation, the question of rabbinic officiation at intermarriages, the struggle for acceptance in Israel, and Jewish education and others—Kaplan sheds light on the connection between Reform ideology and cultural realities. He unflinchingly, yet optimistically, assesses the movement’s future and cautions that stormy weather may be ahead.
Download or read book Platforms and Prayer Books written by Dana Evan Kaplan and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2002 with total page 340 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Platforms and Prayer Books is a remarkable collection of essays that illustrates the Reform Jewish theological enterprise at work. Through lively discussions on theological and liturgical topics, noted scholars and rabbis trace the evolution of Reform Judaism, presenting innovative approaches and creative interpretations. Visit our website for sample chapters!
Download or read book Contemporary American Judaism written by Dana Evan Kaplan and published by Columbia University Press. This book was released on 2011 with total page 482 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: No longer controlled by a handful of institutional leaders based in remote headquarters and rabbinical seminaries, American Judaism is being transformed by the spiritual decisions of tens of thousands of Jews living all over the United States. A pulpit rabbi and himself an American Jew, Dana Evan Kaplan follows this religious individualism from its postwar suburban roots to the hippie revolution of the 1960s and the multiple postmodern identities of today. From Hebrew tattooing to Jewish Buddhist meditation, Kaplan describes the remaking of historical tradition in ways that channel multiple ethnic and national identities. While pessimists worry about the vanishing American Jew, Kaplan focuses on creative responses to contemporary spiritual trends that have made a Jewish religious renaissance possible. He believes that the reorientation of American Judaism has been a "bottom up" process, resisted by elites who have reluctantly responded to the demands of the "spiritual marketplace." The American Jewish denominational structure is therefore weakening at the same time that religious experimentation is rising, leading to the innovative approaches supplanting existing institutions. The result is an exciting transformation of what it means to be a religious American Jew in the twenty-first century.
Download or read book Teshuvot for the Nineties written by Central Conference of American Rabbis and published by CCAR Press. This book was released on 1997 with total page 436 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: With a blend of the old and new, traditional and modern Reform principles, Rabbis Plaut and Washofsky elucidate issues of the history and practice of Reform Jews. Topics range from synagogue matters to personal life; from guns on temple property to genome research; from private ordinations to apostasy. Topics also include the role of a humanistic congregation in the Reform Movement and the participation of Gentiles in Jewish worship. This is the latest volume in the vast collection of Reform Responsa from the CCAR.
Download or read book Contemporary American Reform Responsa written by Walter Jacob and published by CCAR Press. This book was released on 1987 with total page 356 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: More than 200 responsa offering practical guidance in all areas of life.
Download or read book The New Reform Judaism written by Dana Evan Kaplan and published by U of Nebraska Press. This book was released on 2020-04-01 with total page 449 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is the book that American Jews and particularly American Reform Jews have been waiting for: a clear and informed call for further reform in the Reform movement. In light of profound demographic, social, and technological developments, it has become increasingly clear that the Reform movement will need to make major changes to meet the needs of a quickly evolving American Jewish population. Younger Americans in particular differ from previous generations in how they relate to organized religion, often preferring to network through virtual groups or gather in informal settings of their own choosing. Dana Evan Kaplan, an American Reform Jew and pulpit rabbi, argues that rather than focusing on the importance of loyalty to community, Reform Judaism must determine how to engage the individual in a search for existential meaning. It should move us toward a critical scholarly understanding of the Hebrew Bible, that we may emerge with the perspectives required by a postmodern world. Such a Reform Judaism can at once help us understand how the ancient world molded our most cherished religious traditions and guide us in addressing the increasingly complex social problems of our day.
Download or read book Reading Reform Responsa written by Mark Washofsky and published by CCAR Press. This book was released on 2024-03-04 with total page 312 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The responsa literature, in which rabbis answer questions about halachah (Jewish law), is a vast treasury reaching back nearly fifteen centuries; Reform rabbis have been writing responsa since the 1800s. In Reading Reform Responsa, Rabbi Mark Washofsky, PhD, presents a deep dive into this literature, boldly arguing that Reform Judaism is indeed a movement fundamentally based on halachah. By inviting and guiding readers to understand Reform responsa with a critical eye, he shows that our movement has always been informed by Jewish law as well as Reform history. A teacher and mentor of generations of students at Hebrew Union College–Jewish Institute of Religion, Rabbi Washofsky gives us a peek inside his classroom, making Reform responsa—and their history, framing, and context—engaging and accessible for all. Dr. Washofsky masterfully demonstrates the centrality of responsa for the continued vitality of Reform as an authentic stream of contemporary Judaism. Addressing himself to the everyday Jew-in-the-pew, he explains what halachah is, what responsa are, and what makes "Reform responsa" distinctive. ... More importantly, he draws on his expertise as a scholar both of our tradition and of legal and literary theory to teach the non-specialist reader to become a critical reader of responsa. —From the foreword by Rabbi Joan S. Friedman, PhD, Chair, CCAR Responsa Committee Rabbi Washofsky gifts us with a series of informed and sensitive discussions of how Reform Jews should think about and act on specific moral and ritual issues. In doing so, he graphically demonstrates that Reform Judaism's emphasis on personal autonomy is complemented by its insistence that Jewish tradition must play a role in individuals' choices if these decisions are to be not just one's own opinion, but also a recognizably Jewish one. —Rabbi Elliot Dorff, PhD, Past Chair, Committee on Jewish Law and Standards, Rabbinical Assembly Rabbi Mark Washofsky offers us a fascinating entry into and analysis of the Reform Movement's engagement with Jewish law, practice, and values. Where responsa analyze the issues and concerns implicit in a question of immediate practicality posed to a Jewish legal authority, Washofsky analyzes the body of over 1,300 Reform responsa promulgated since the early nineteenth century, pointing out the intellectual and ethical approaches employed, as well as the traditional, philosophical, and scientific resources marshalled to arrive at a persuasive answer. A wonderful read in its own right, this book provides an insider's look at modern liberal Jewish religious thought in action. —Rabbi Amy Scheinerman, author of The Talmud of Relationships Drawing on his deep mastery of classical halachic literature, Reform religious culture, and modern secular legal theory, Mark Washofsky offers insightful and compelling analyses of some of the Reform Movement's most important responsa. Washofsky's special ability to combine rigorous scholarship with his characteristic dry humor, engaging storytelling, and accessible writing style makes Reading Reform Responsa an essential study companion for anyone---clergy, academics, and laypeople alike---who is interested in learning or teaching Reform Judaism's rich tradition of halachic discourse. By inviting the reader to be not just an observer but also a participant in the reasoning and argumentation of responsa, Washofsky teaches us what it means to think halachically in a uniquely Reform way. —Rabbi A. Brian Stoller, Senior Rabbi, Temple Beth-El of Great Neck, NY Those curious about the tradition of responsa in the Reform tradition, or merely about the intersection of Jewish law and modern life, will find much here of interest. A substantial but accessible guide to reading and applying Reform responsa. —Kirkus Reviews
Download or read book Reform Responsa For the Twenty First Century written by Mark Washofsky and published by CCAR Press. This book was released on 2019-09-04 with total page 972 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Reform Responsa for the Twenty-First Century: Sh'eilot Ut'shuvot is the latest in an ongoing series of Reform Responsa. Drawing from the breadth of traditional and modern Jewish texts, law, and ideology, this two volumes set addresses over seventy contemporary topics, including conversion of adopted children, fertility treatments, patrilineal descent, issues of synagogue management, social justice activism, interfaith marriage and rituals of death and mourning. Published by CCAR Press, a division of the Central Conference of American Rabbis
Download or read book Making the Timeless Timely written by Samuel M. Stahl and published by Marion Koogler McNay Art Museum. This book was released on 1993 with total page 408 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Thoughts and reflections of a contemporary reform rabbi
Download or read book Jews and the American Public Square written by Alan Mittleman and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2002 with total page 396 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Jews and the American Public Square is a study of how Jews have grappled with the presence of religion, both their own and others, in American public life. It surveys historical Jewish approaches to church-state relations and analyzes Jewish responses to the religion clauses of the First Amendment. The book also explores how the contemporary sociological and political characteristics of American Jews bear on their understanding of the public dimensions of American religion. In addition to a descriptive and analytic approach. the volume is also critical and polemical. Its contributors attack and defend prevailing views, raise critical questions about the political and intellectual positions favored by American Jews, and propose new syntheses. This book captures the current mood of the Jewish community: both committed to the separation of church and state and perplexed about its scope and application. It provides the necessary background for a principled reconsideration of the problem of religion in the public square.
Download or read book Redefining Judaism in an Age of Emancipation written by Christian Wiese and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2006-11-30 with total page 461 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The first comprehensive comparative interpretation of Samuel Holdheim’s radical Reform philosophy in the context of the intellectual, cultural, and political experience of mid-nineteenth century German Jewry, provided by leading international scholars in the field of Jewish intellectual history.
Download or read book Reform Judaism for the Rest of Us written by Alexander Maller and published by iUniverse. This book was released on 2012 with total page 270 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Reform Judaism has been tested by the spiritual torments and ideological upheavals of the last two centuries. Now, Reform Judaism for the Rest of Us brings into discussion key tenets and opinions that shape current thinking within the faith and introduces ideas for its future development. Author Alexander Maller believes that the core message of Reform Judaism, a modern faith inspired by the Jewish heritage and the Jewish and American Enlightenment, is entering a new phase in its history. Free from the defunct extremist ideologies of the last centuries, American Reform Judaism can expand its reach into the new millennium if it strengthens its grassroots appeal to be of, by, and for the Reform congregants. It must also have a strong Jewish divine faith orientation, be open-minded to the realities of modern living, bear a deep love of Zion, and uphold a strong defense of the Constitution. The arguments brought forth in this study stem from the author's position as a lay congregant. They also arise from the fact that he is a participant in and an observer of the continuous dialogue between rank-and-file congregants and clergy, as well as among congregations and various denominations of faith. Reform Judaism for the Rest of Us encourages congregants to adopt a sustainable, modern, deity-based orientation inspired by Jewish heritage and the American spirit.
Download or read book A People Divided written by Jack Wertheimer and published by . This book was released on 1993-09-07 with total page 296 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Studies American Jews as a religious group, rather than an ethnic group, discussing the history, philosophy, and vital statistics of each of the major branches--Reform, Orthodox, Conservative, and Reconstructionist; the conflicts among rival groups; patterns of religious behavior and how they correlate with broader trends in American life; and such issues as rampant intermarriage and declining rates of affiliation among younger Jews. Annotation copyright by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR
Download or read book The Cambridge Companion to American Judaism written by Dana Evan Kaplan and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2005-08-08 with total page 490 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume provides readers with a comprehensive introduction to the most important and interesting historical and contemporary facets of Judaism in America. Written by twenty-four leading scholars from the fields of religious studies, American history and literature, philosophy, art history, sociology, and musicology, the book adopts an inclusive perspective on Jewish religious experience. Three initial chapters cover the development of Judaism in America from 1654, when Sephardic Jews first landed in New Amsterdam, until today. Subsequent chapters include cutting-edge scholarship and original ideas while remaining accessible at an introductory level. A secondary goal of this volume is to help its readers better understand the more abstract term of 'religion' in a Jewish context. The Cambridge Companion to American Judaism will be of interest not only to scholars but also to all readers interested in social and intellectual trends in the modern world.
Download or read book Rabbinic Authority written by Elliot Stevens and published by CCAR Press. This book was released on 1982 with total page 138 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Prominent rabbis from both the pulpit and academia examine how the rabbinate is affected by halacha, personal charisma, semichah, Reform minhag and the rabbi's own religious views.
Download or read book A Life of Meaning written by Rabbi Dana Evan Kaplan, PhD and published by CCAR Press. This book was released on 2017-11-28 with total page 656 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Reform Judaism is constantly evolving as we continue to seek a faith that is in harmony with our beliefs and experiences. This volume offers readers a thought-provoking collection of essays by rabbis, cantors, and other scholars who differ, sometimes passionately, over religious practice, experience, and belief. Its goal is to situate Judaism in a contemporary context, and it is uniquely suited for community discussion as well as study groups.
