Reform, Liberal and Progressive Jews Express Willingness to Work out Differences with Orthodox Jewry

Reform, Liberal and Progressive Jews from 20 countries, meeting here all last week, sounded an overwhelming and unprecedented willingness to work out their differences with Orthodox Jewry, while agreeing also not to shy away from their opposition to many ultra-Orthodox practices.

The 23rd international meeting of the World Union for Progressive Judaism (WUPJ), the umbrella body of the world’s 1.4 million Reform, Progressive and Liberal Jews, produced what organizers are hailing as consensus on a number of key issues.

Over 250 delegates from Canada, the U.S., Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand, France, Holland, Switzerland, South Africa, West Germany and other nations, came out of the six-day meeting with emotions ranging from disappointment to euphoria.

“I’m upset at a number of things,” said one delegate from Britain. “We didn’t make our language clear enough on many issues. Basically, we agreed to agree. I think our messages should have been stronger.”

“I’m very, very pleased with the whole thing,” noted a South African delegate. “Coming together like this and being able to agree on so many things shows the world how committed Progressives are to Judaism and to Jewish unity.”

THE IMPORTANCE OF UNITY

Over the course of the meeting, delegates discussed a number of matters facing Reform Jewry today: patrilineal descent, the challenge of ultra-Orthodoxy, conversions, divorce, oppressed Jewry in Syria and the Soviet Union, aliya, women’s issues, apartheid and the arms race.

But the convention’s focus was how to live with those elements of Orthodoxy that have discounted or rejected outright the Jewishness of Reform, and how to challenge Orthodoxy’s growing control over day-to-day life in Israel.

“For us, unity has been the most important thing,” WUPJ executive director Rabbi Richard Hirsch said after final resolutions were adopted unanimously.

“I’m very pleased with the documents that say there’s a new openness on our part,” said Hirsch, who in his keynote address earlier in the conference had warned of “an unholy alliance” of religious fanatics and political extremists whose “dark forces of reaction” are threatening the foundations of Judaism and Zionism.

Regarding the Orthodox challenge, Hirsch said what came out of the conference is that “We’re saying to Orthodoxy, ‘You have problems with us. We have problems with you. Let’s not fight this out in the press. Let’s sit down and discuss it.’ They will have to respect our right to exist.”

Indeed, it was noted several times during the meetings that the WUPJ is the only Jewish religious movement in the world that is headquartered in Jerusalem. It represents a substantial number of Jews and has found allies in the Conservative and Reconstructionist movements, all of which makes it hard to ignore. That’s not to say delegates were ready in the end to kiss and make up with Orthodoxy.

“We shall continue to be separated from (Orthodoxy) by our respective attitudes toward halacha. They hold the halacha as the supreme divinely-bestowed standard, subject to varying interpretations, but unchangeable,” Hirsch said. “We consider halacha as a venerated guide, but subject to modification and even rejection if it does not conform to our ultimate values and purposes.”

Hirsch renewed a call for Conservative and Reform Jews in Israel to merge to fight for their “common struggle for a just society in Israel.”

Reform Jews do not have it easy in Israel, the delegates were told, mainly by Israeli delegates.

Once considered nothing short of heretics, especially in Israel, Reform Jews there today can boast of two Reform Kibbutzim, 15 congregations and three ordained rabbis.

A MYRIAD OF PROBLEMS

But their problems are many: marriages and divorces performed by non-Orthodox rabbis are not recognized, children of these marriages are considered illegitimate and conversions performed by non-Orthodox rabbis are ruled invalid. All these add up to huge problems when Reform Jews make aliya.

But, delegates heard, they present problems outside Israel as well. In Perth, Australian representatives noted, Jewish day schools are welcoming gentile children but refuse to register children of women converted by non-Orthodox rabbis.

But in the end, delegates voted unanimously to support in principle a blue ribbon commission report drawn up by Rabbi Gunther Plaut of Toronto, who received a standing ovation for his work on the document.

After four drafts and 224 recommendations, Plaut’s report underlined the fact that “respect for Orthodox sensitivities and institutions must be a hallmark of Progressive policy.”

PRINCIPLES OF A BLUE RIBBON COMMISSION

With some minor revisions and changes in style still to come, the report serves as a blue print for Reform philosophy. Among its stated objectives are:

Because Reform Jews are “deeply distressed that nearly everywhere in the world a growing and dangerous polarization is taking place in Jewish life,” and that not all Orthodox Jews are against them, Reform must achieve “a united front in a single, strong Progressive movement and that we seek allies in the broad spectrum of Jewish life.”

Acknowledging the fact that Reform has some friends in Orthodoxy and that Orthodoxy is not monolithic.

To seek out these allies in the Conservative and Reconstructionist movements, whose interpretations of halacha “often resemble” those of Reform, and with each local Reform or Progressive community urged to develop its own patterns of cooperation.

To recognize the strengths of Reform, Progressive Judaism “has saved uncounted numbers of Jews for the Jewish people and has prevented their assimilation and disappearance.” However, Reform Jews have not adequately used the movement’s resources. Increased involvement in the WUPJ was urged.

To push for increased aliya among Progressives, who currently account for less than one percent of religious immigrants to Israel.

Finally, delegates reaffirmed that they will remain “open and accessible to all and appeal to those who would hear us to establish a firm foundation for communal cooperation, for civil discourse and mutual understanding.”

The final resolutions did not contain any reference to the most controversial issue facing many Reform Jews today: patrilineal descent–the decision by U.S. Reform leaders to recognize as Jews children born of a Jewish father but non-Jewish mother. Because not all Progressive Jews recognize the U.S. decision, the matter was dropped in drawing up the final list of resolutions.