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the authentic Jewish voice is maintained through an unmediated engagement with Jewish texts and tradition
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We are there to engage with people and facilitate the individual journey, which can take many different forms and paths.
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'The mission of the Movement for Reform Judaism is to reach out to people and meet them ‘where they are’ in the world of the 21st century -
We see the Torah as our foundation document and love Jewish learning.
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Different interpretations are welcomed, and critical thinking encouraged.
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What unites us is our sense of Jewish identity, our determination to give it meaning and purpose, our openness and inclusivity, our commitment to the Jewish journey.
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each of us is responsible for his or her personal Jewish journey and there are many of them, many paths, many ways
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Reform Judaism is Judaism’s most positive response to the terrain of the last 200 years.
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There is no one pathway that everyone must follow to be authentic
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While men and women are not necessarily seen as identical, they are treated equally in terms of access to leadership, learning and engagement
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We share a recognition that there are many ways of experiencing the faith of Judaism, understanding Torah and loving Israel.
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We include Jews whom the outside world might call secular – Jews who have major questions about belief and who do not express their spirituality through prayer
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Efforts are made to welcome people and help them deepen their Jewish commitments and learning, without expending energy on defining the boundaries of who is in and who is out.
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Reform Jews are those who don’t underestimate the challenge of modernity but can also see that it offers new ways of understanding and thinking
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We understand that there are few values greater than humility in the truth claims we make and working with others to repair the world.
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we serve God not just through prayer and ritual but in the way we behave towards our fellow human beings
What is Reform Judaism?
The journey of the Jewish people begins 3,750 years ago in the ancient Middle East with Abraham and Sarah. Judaism is what gives the journey meaning and purpose. The faith and values which drive the journey provide a compelling vision of where we want to get to and offer such direction and signposting as we can make out.
Reform Judaism is Judaism’s most positive response to the terrain of the last 200 years. When the Jewish people emerged from the ghettos of Europe, some were – or became – so frightened of what they found that they have rebuilt the ghetto ‘walls’. Some recognise the new reality but are determined not to be changed by it. Reform Jews are those who don’t underestimate the challenge of modernity but can also see that it offers new ways of understanding and thinking which help us grow and add to the meaning and purpose of the journey.
So Reform Judaism is Judaism for those who wish to journey on, carrying with us the wisdom we have acquired over nearly four millennia and continuing to be enriched, as we always have been in the past, by the best of what we encounter on the way.
Reform Judaism is living Judaism. It is a religious philosophy rooted in nearly four millennia of Jewish tradition, whilst actively engaged with modern life and thought. This means both an uncompromising assertion of eternal truths and values and an open, positive attitude to new insights and changing circumstances. It is a living, evolving faith that Jews of today and tomorrow can live by.
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