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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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we serve God not just through prayer and ritual but in the way we behave towards our fellow human beings
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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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We see the Torah as our foundation document and love Jewish learning.
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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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Different interpretations are welcomed, and critical thinking encouraged.
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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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the authentic Jewish voice is maintained through an unmediated engagement with Jewish texts and tradition
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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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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 are there to engage with people and facilitate the individual journey, which can take many different forms and paths.
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There is no one pathway that everyone must follow to be authentic
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Reform Judaism is Judaism’s most positive response to the terrain of the last 200 years.
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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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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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'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
Who are Reform Jews?
Reform Jews are, potentially, the majority of Jews today.
We include Jews who feel most comfortable within “minhag Anglia”, the Judaism that they remember from their grandparents, loving its customs and its tunes, but who cannot accept certain key aspects of the Jewish past – its treatment of women, its prejudice against sexual minorities, its impulse to separation.
We include Jews who believe passionately in God and prayer but whose understanding of God is very different from the medieval view of the King who rewards the righteous and zaps the wicked.
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. Many have a strong sense of Jewish identity and resonate with a Judaism expressed through ethical behaviour and a commitment to the repair of the world. Many find a love of Israel the dominant feature of their Jewish identity. Many feel a special bond with other Jews and just know intuitively that the Jewish story is their story.
The majority of Reform Jews are Jews because they were born on the journey. Reform Judaism has rediscovered the old Jewish impulse to inclusivity, despite past experiences of persecution and exclusion. So our communities contain many who have chosen the Jewish journey. Some have done so simply because they find it compelling. Some began their Jewish journey because they had become part of a Jewish family. Others have memories of Jewish ancestors.
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.
We share a recognition that there are many ways of experiencing the faith of Judaism, understanding Torah and loving Israel.
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