Jewish religious liberalism must strengthen the religious sense and faith in the future of German Jewry, who must recognize that the Jewish community is no longer something that has arisen out of the work of individuals, but rises above all individuals, speakers at the conference of Religious Liberal Jews of Germany declared.
Expressing complete faith in the mission of liberal Judaism in Germany and confidence in the survival of liberal Judaism there, Rabbi Dr. M. Dienemann formulated the following theses for the future program of the organization.
ENUMERATES VITAL POINTS
1. Jewish religious liberalism proceeds from the revelation of God, and evaluates it as a gift to man, which he should use with the force of his feeling and his reason and build it into his work.
2. Jewish religious liberalism stands aloof from dogmatic rigidness; confers upon the Jewish community super-individual rights and does not recognize the right of the individual to create the form of his religious life without association with the community.
3. The movement regards as an all-unifying order of religious life as indispensable.
4. Jewish religious liberalism aims at the development of religious life, but does not seek to decide Judaism from the political aspect and its day-by-day manisfestations.
5. While fully comprehending the idea of Palestine and Zionism, Jewish religious liberalism holds that life in the countries of the world is not of inferior value, but it recognizes that no matter where Jews live, they must live a life of activity in Judaism, and live together with the nations.
“We want to make a new start,” Rabbi Dienemann said. “We stand today where our fathers stood 100 years ago. At that time the call was from the community to the individual; today the call is to the community. The accept has shifted, but the basis is the same.”
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.
