The Movement for Reform Judaism

He pledged to put the Assembly on the Jewish map of Britain, saying ‘Despite the many talented individuals within it - including Rabbis Tony Bayfield and Lionel Blue - collectively the Assembly has not made its mark on the Jewish public'.

He outlined a four-fold mission for the next  two years : first, to instill a greater sense of confidence and purpose among the rabbinate; second, to tackle the major issues facing British Jewry, using a more inclusivist approach to stem those dropping out or marrying out.

A third aim would be to provide an alternative Jewish voice to that of Orthodoxy, working together in common areas but being unafraid to offer different solutions where appropriate, such as status issues, medical ethics or the involvement of women.

His fourth goal is for the Reform rabbinate to play a national role and speaking out on moral issues and social values that affect the life of the country as a whole.

Until now, the Assembly has worked largely behind the scenes, serving as trade union for rabbis and dealing with internal matters, although it is also responsible for runnning the Reform Beth Din and producing new liturgy. Rabbi Romain's chairmanship heralds a new age and more pro-active agenda.
       

For further details, please contact Andrea Newman

To view Rabbi Romain's new 'Ask the Rabbi' column, click here

To view an article by Rabbi Romain setting out his agenda, click here

TrackBack URI for this entry

Comments (0)

Subscribe to this comment's feed