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Reform Judaism Outreach refers to the organizational and educational efforts by the Union for Reform Judaism (formerly Union of American Hebrew Congregations) and the Reform Movement as a whole to draw into Jewish life the non-Jewish spouses of interfaith families and seekers who are looking for a new religious home in Judaism.
Reform Outreach was first proposed by Rabbi Alexander M. Schindler, then president of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations (UAHC), the congregational arm of Reform Judaism in North America, at a meeting of the organization's Board of Trustees on December 2, 1978 in Houston, Texas. Deploring the rising rate of intermarriage, which he regarded as a threat to Jewish survival, Rabbi Schindler urged Reform congregations to intensify their educational programs and to do "everything possible to draw into Jewish life the non-Jewish spouse of a mixed marriage." [1]
Rabbi Schindler further called on the Reform Movement "to launch a carefully conceived Outreach Program aimed at all Americans who are unchurched and who are seeking roots in religion." He envisioned a "dignified and responsible approach" aimed at "those reared in non-religious homes or those who have become disillusioned with their taught beliefs, the seekers after truth who require a religion which...encourages all questions, and...who need the warmth and comfort of a people will known for its close family ties and of an ancient, noble lineage." [2]
Concerned about a possible Christian backlash, Rabbi Balfour Brickner, then director of the UAHC's Department of Interreligious Affairs, sent a letter to thirty-one prominent Protestant and Catholic clergy asking for their reactions to Rabbi Schindler's proposal to reassert Judaism's missionary legacy. The eighteen who responded reportedly "applauded Schindler's initiative as an affirmation of American religious pluralism, but several cautioned that a missionary drive might embolden Christian groups that target Jews for conversion." [3]
The strongest criticism came from within the Jewish community. Rabbi Moshe Sherer, then president of Agudath Israel of America (Orthodox) called Reform Outreach to non-Jews "a further step to undermine the identity and continuity of the Jewish people." Rabbi Ismar Schorsch, then chancellor of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America (Conservative), complained, "At a time when...Jewish financial resources are stretched even thinner, it borders on the incredulous to hear of a proposal to put serious money into bringing Judaism to the non-Jewish world." Jack Wertheimer, professor of history, Jewish Theological Seminary of America, warned, "The Jewish community may pay dearly for Reform's bid at proselytizing. Bold pronouncements about missionizing are like a red flag waved in front of a charging bull." [4]
Though Orthodox, Rabbi Emanuel Rackman, then president of Bar Ilan University, was amenable to Rabbi Schindler's Outreach proposals: "To stem the tide of intermarriage today, our present attitude [aversion to conversions and converts] is as helpful as aspirin is for cancer...We need not engage in missionary activity; but when a positive attitude regarding conversion is likely to do more to insure the future of the Jewish people than a negative attitude, we must act accordingly." [5]
In 1979, the UAHC's General Assembly adopted an Outreach resolution in line with Rabbi Schindler's proposals, making the welcoming of Jews-by-choice an organizational priority. In partnership with the Central Conference of American Rabbis, the rabbinical arm of the Reform Movement, the UAHC established the Commission on Reform Jewish Outreach to oversee Outreach programming. The principal educational Outreach avenues are Introduction to Judaism, a 16- to 20-week course in partnership with local congregations, and A Taste of Judaism, a free 3-session class for Jews or people from different faith backgrounds who are interested in learning the basics of Judaism with an eye toward possible conversion. According to an Outreach survey of 429 men and women who had completed Introduction to Judaism courses in 1983-1984, 78% of the non-Jews had either converted to Judaism or planned to convert, and some 90% of all those enrolled said they intended to raise their children as Jews. [6]
Addressing the UAHC General Assembly in 1989, Rabbi Schindler declared Outreach "the single innovation in present-day Reform Judaism for which I would like to be remembered." In the same speech, he broadened the Outreach principle by calling for full inclusion of gay and lesbian Jews in synagogue life. "In all of this," he said, "I am working to make the Reform Jewish community a home: a place where loneliness and suffering and exile end..." [7]
Rabbi Schindler's successor as UAHC president, Rabbi Eric Yoffie, continued to champion Outreach. "In the absence of Outreach," he said, "tens of thousands of intermarried couples who are now members of our congregations would have been forever lost to the Jewish people." As Rabbi Schindler had done before him, Rabbi Yoffie encouraged Reform Jews to ask, but not pressure, non-Jews already part of Reform congregational life to consider converting to Judaism. [8]
Rabbi Richard Jacobs, the current president of the Union for Reform Judaism, also affirmed Outreach. "We practice Outreach," he told delegates at the 2013 URJ Biennial,"because it is good for the Jewish people." Focusing on the next generation, Rabbi Jacobs urged Reform congregations to practice what he termed "audacious hospitality," because "the majority of [millennials] will be the children of intermarriages, and potentially our leaders." [9] Audacious Hospitality is now among the URJ's three top priorities, along with strengthening congregations and tikkun olam (healing the world).
Union for Reform Judaism: the congregational arm of Reform Judaism in the United States and Canada (and formerly known as the Union of American Hebrew Congregations), [10] which has an estimated constituency of some 880,000 registered adults in nearly 900 congregations. (http://www.urj.org) Central Conference of American Rabbis: the organization of Reform rabbis. (https://www.ccarnet.org)
Reform Judaism, also known as Liberal Judaism or Progressive Judaism, is a major Jewish denomination that emphasizes the evolving nature of Judaism, the superiority of its ethical aspects to its ceremonial ones, and belief in a continuous search for truth and knowledge, which is closely intertwined with human reason and not limited to the theophany at Mount Sinai. A highly liberal strand of Judaism, it is characterized by lessened stress on ritual and personal observance, regarding halakha as non-binding and the individual Jew as autonomous, and great openness to external influences and progressive values.
NFTY: The Reform Jewish Youth Movement is the organized youth movement of Reform Judaism in North America. Funded and supported by the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ), 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.
Conversion to Judaism is the process by which non-Jews adopt the Jewish religion and become members of the Jewish ethnoreligious community. It thus resembles both conversion to other religions and naturalization. The procedure and requirements for conversion depend on the sponsoring denomination. Furthermore, a conversion done in accordance with one Jewish denomination is not a guarantee of recognition by another denomination. Normally, though not always, the conversions performed by more stringent denominations are recognized by less stringent ones, but not the other way around. A formal conversion is also sometimes undertaken by individuals whose Jewish ancestry is questioned or uncertain, even if they were raised Jewish, but may not actually be considered Jews according to traditional Jewish law.
The Union for Reform Judaism (URJ), known as the Union of American Hebrew Congregations (UAHC) until 2003, founded in 1873 by Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise, is the congregational arm of Reform Judaism in North America. The other two arms established by Rabbi Wise are the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion and the Central Conference of American Rabbis. The current president of the URJ is Rabbi Rick Jacobs.
The Synagogue Council of America was an American Jewish organization of synagogue and rabbinical associations, founded in 1926. The Council was the umbrella body bridging the three primary religious movements within Judaism in the United States. It included:
"Who is a Jew?" is a basic question about Jewish identity and considerations of Jewish self-identification. The question pertains to ideas about Jewish personhood, which have cultural, ethnic, religious, political, genealogical, and personal dimensions. Orthodox Judaism and Conservative Judaism follow Jewish law (Halakha), deeming people to be Jewish if their mothers are Jewish or if they underwent a halakhic conversion. Reform Judaism and Reconstructionist Judaism accept both matrilineal and patrilineal descent as well as conversion. Karaite Judaism predominantly follows patrilineal descent as well as conversion.
The Israel Movement for Reform and Progressive Judaism is the organizational branch of Progressive Judaism in Israel, and a member organization of the World Union for Progressive Judaism. It currently has 40 communities and congregations around the state of Israel, 13 of which are new congregations, referred to as "U'faratztah" communities, and two kibbutzim, Yahel and Lotan.
The World Union for Progressive Judaism (WUPJ) is the international umbrella organization for the various branches of Reform, Liberal and Progressive Judaism, as well as the separate Reconstructionist Judaism. The WUPJ is based in 40 countries with 1,275 affiliated synagogues, of which 1,170 are Reform, Progressive, or Liberal and 105 Reconstructionist. It claims to represent a total of some 1.8 million people, both registered constituents and non-member identifiers. The WUPJ states that it aims to create common ground between its constituents and to promote Progressive Judaism in places where individuals and groups are seeking authentic, yet modern ways of expressing themselves as Jews. It seeks to preserve Jewish integrity wherever Jews live, to encourage integration without assimilation, to deal with modernity while preserving the Jewish experience, and to strive for equal rights and social justice.
Eric H. Yoffie is a Reform rabbi, and President Emeritus of the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ), the congregational arm of the Reform movement in North America, which represents an estimated 1.5 million Reform Jews in more than 900 synagogues across the United States and Canada. He was the unchallenged head of American Judaism's largest denomination from 1996 to 2012. Following his retirement in 2012, he has been a lecturer and writer; his writings appear regularly in The Huffington Post, The Jerusalem Post, and Haaretz.
Interfaith marriage in Judaism was historically looked upon with very strong disfavor by Jewish leaders, and it remains a controversial issue among them today. In the Talmud and all of resulting Jewish law until the advent of new Jewish movements following the Jewish Enlightenment, the "Haskala", marriage between a Jew and a gentile is both prohibited, and also void under Jewish law.
Jewish outreach is a term sometimes used to translate the Hebrew word kiruv or keruv. Normative Judaism forbids seeking converts to Judaism from other religions, although all denominations do accept those who follow through their conversion with a sincere commitment. Outreach efforts are instead directed at Jews who have "gone astray", or who have been born Jewish in a non-observant family.
The baal teshuva movement is a description of the return of secular Jews to religious Judaism. The term baal teshuva is from the Talmud, literally meaning "master of repentance". The term is used to refer to a worldwide phenomenon among the Jewish people.
Alexander Moshe Schindler was a rabbi and the leading figure of American Jewry and Reform Judaism during the 1970s and 1980s. One of the last European-born leaders of American Reform Jewry, he served as president of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations (UAHC) for 23 years.
Temple Emanuel Sinai is a medium-sized Reform (progressive) Jewish synagogue located in Worcester, Massachusetts, New England's second largest city.
The first openly lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender clergy in Judaism were ordained as rabbis and/or cantors in the second half of the 20th century.
Women of Reform Judaism (WRJ), formerly known as the National Federation of Temple Sisterhoods, is the women's affiliate of the Union for Reform Judaism. As the primary women's organization in the Reform Jewish Movement, WRJ represents tens of thousands of women in hundreds of Reform congregations all over North America and worldwide. WRJ cultivates sisterhood by empowering Reform Jewish women to find strength, joy, and connection in their communities. WRJ inspires spiritual growth by enriching contemporary life with Jewish rituals, traditions, culture, and opportunities for lifelong learning. Leading with the principle of Tikkun Olam WRJ mobilizes collective action on a variety of social justice causes to create a more just and compassionate world for people of all backgrounds and identities. Through its YES Fund, WRJ raises funds to support its youth programs, educate congregational leaders, empowering women worldwide and uplifting diverse Jewish communities.
Proactive conversion is a term used to refer to measures by various promoters of Judaism to provide outreach to non-Jews. It is distinguished from proselytizing, or active attempts of persuasion and solicitation toward conversion, but it is distinguished from the traditional rabbinical policies regarding prospective proselytes in that programs for conversion are opened to first-time inquirees.
Albert Vorspan was an American author and long-time leader of Reform Judaism. He was director emeritus of the Commission on Social Action of Reform Judaism. and served as senior vice president of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations, the predecessor organization of the Union of Reform Judaism, at the time of his retirement in 1993.
Jane Evans (1907–2004) was the executive director of the National Federation of Temple Sisterhoods from 1933 to 1976. She was its first full-time Executive Director, as from 1913 until 1933 the National Federation of Temple Sisterhoods was led by volunteer presidents. Evans also became president of the National Peace Conference in 1950. Evans supported ordination for women. On April 29, 1957, she spoke to 1,000 delegates at a biennial general assembly meeting of the Union for Reform Judaism in favor of ordaining women, a speech which the New York Times called a "strong plea," though the UAHC took no action. While Evans was still executive director of the National Federation of Temple Sisterhoods in 1963, it approved a resolution at its biennial assembly calling on the UAHC, the Central Conference of American Rabbis, and the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion to move forward on the ordination of women.
Maurice Nathan Eisendrath was a leader of American Reform Judaism, the head of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations from 1943 until his death, an author, and an activist, particularly active in the U.S. Anti-war Movement of the 1960s. The Maurice N. Eisendrath Bearer of Light Award, one of the highest honors bestowed by the American Reform Movement, is named in his honor.