The creation of one Progressive Judaism is long overdue

By Rabbi Baroness Julia Neuberger DBE

I am a passionate believer in the need to unite the two Progressive Jewish movements in the UK. Indeed, I have form.

Back in the 1980s, I was chairing the Liberal Rabbinic Conference and we made a valiant attempt to merge, or at least shape a partnership between, Reform and Liberal Judaism.

It did not succeed, but the reasons were not ones of principle. They were to do with personalities, position, asking power and a fear that funders might drift away.

Some of those concerns still apply, but far fewer, and to far less an extent than 40 years ago. The differences between the two movements are now vanishingly small, more of style than substance.

I grew up Reform (at West London Synagogue, where my father was a warden and taught at religion school). I discovered Liberal Judaism at the South London Liberal Synagogue (SLLS) as a Student Rabbi. I then served SLLS as Rabbi from 1977 to 1989. Later, I returned to West London as their Senior Rabbi.

I loved – and still love – the intellectual honesty of the early Liberal movement, and the excitement of creating a Jewish style that fitted more with the nonconformist churches than with High Anglicanism. And, of course, much of early Reform Judaism in the 1840s was to model the style of High Anglicanism – hence the focus on decorum, the decision to have an organ and the emphasis on particular kinds of social action, in fields such as social housing and the education of girls, which were popular with the Anglican church of the time.

In my day at South London Liberal Synagogue, there was no Bar or Bat mitzvah; only confirmation at 16. I still think something at 16, parallel to GCSEs, is a good thing, but I was the Rabbi who brought Bar and Bat Mitzvah to SLLS back in the day, for sentimental and emotional reasons. I still think that was right.

Today, an embrace of Bar and Bat Mitzvah is just one of the many similarities our movements share. Both recognise – in very slightly different ways – patrilineal Jews. Both welcome LBGTQI+ Jews. Both support Leo Baeck College. Both favour decorum. Attitudes to personal practice remain much the same… it’s personal.

Conversion is similar in both movements, and is growing, something a combined movement could and should really emphasise and foster.

If you asked anyone inside, or outside, our movements they would be hard pushed to find a difference. In fact, public perception is that we are the same.

There are three more important reasons to come together.

Firstly, there is already considerable difference in style between congregations within the current movements – and those differences will be embraced and celebrated within a new Progressive Judaism.

Second, if we look at the United States, home of by far the largest Progressive movement worldwide, both its Union for Reform Judaism and Central Conference of American Rabbis are happily partners to both UK Liberal and Reform Judaism. And American rabbis are equally mystified by what our differences are! We need that American partnership given that we want to be, as they are, the most substantial Jewish voice on a national platform.

Finally, clergy train together and move freely between movements – I started Reform, then served a  Liberal community, then served Reform, and am happy in both. We need a vibrant, welcoming and energetic style of leadership which includes us all.

So I am a huge fan of the proposed merger. It’s long overdue. It will emphasise a permissive approach, allowing variation and difference in style to flourish, and bring a new vibrancy to the Progressive, prophetic Jewish voice for us all.