Vital theological issues concerning Reform Judaism were discussed today at the Institute on Reform Jewish Theology held here under the auspices of the Central Conference of American Rabbis. The Institute, which is being attended by more than 60 rabbinical scholars and educators, will conclude tomorrow with a declaration restating the basic religious convictions of the Reform movement.
Dr. Leo Baeck, president of the World Union for Progressive Judaism, addressing a symposium on Jewish theology, “tentatively” defined Jewish theology as the way in which “at any time Jewish tradition tries to express itself anew.” Rabbi Samuel S. Cohon, Professor of Jewish Theology at Hebrew Union College, said that the Reform movement, like the older expressions of Judaism, must continually reorient itself in the ever-varying cultural and intellectual climate of the times.
Rabbi Moses Cyrus Weiler, president of the Jewish Reform movement of South Africa, addressing a session of the Institute, said that Liberal Jews the world over look to organized American Reform Jewry as the fountainhead of the movement. He emphasized the responsibility which rests on those who participate in the Institute. He was greeted by Dr. Nelson Glueck, president of the Hebrew Union College.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.