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To Reform . . .

After the French Revolution and other political and social movements across the globe, many Jews began to modify certain religious and ceremonial practices, and a new movement in Judaism emerged. The principal and innovative difference was the belief that the Bible was not divine. From this major alteration in philosophy came changes in the rituals and practices of Judaism, some quite drastic (at one point, some Jews even celebrated the Sabbath on Sunday instead of Saturday).

Religious services began to be conducted in the local language instead of strictly in Hebrew; men and women were seated together; musical instruments provided accompaniment to the cantor and congregation; and restrictions on diet and on Sabbath activities were relaxed.

The Reform movement originated in Germany during the early nineteenth century. It then began to flourish among German Jewish immigrants to the United States. The Union for Reform Judaism estimates that over one million Reform Jews are affiliated with approximately nine hundred congregations in North America.

Today, Reform Judaism is a combination of traditional practice and modification of that practice, and it emphasizes a need to interpret the Jewish tradition from a modern and individual perspective. Complete equality of the genders is the rule, and many female rabbis and cantors lead Reform congregations. (My second marriage was performed by a female rabbi and a female cantor.) New chants, hymns, and melodies are continually added to the traditional prayers and sacred music of worship services, and these prayers are written in language that is gender-neutral.

While at one time the Reform movement did away with traditional prayer garb, it now encourages worshipers to follow their own beliefs and to wear prayer shawls and head coverings if they wish to do so.

Reform Judaism places decisions regarding rituals and observances more on the individual than Orthodox or Conservative Judaism does. With this individual religious autonomy, many Reform Jews shape a spiritual life for themselves by choosing from among the many holidays, rituals, and “rules” and by finding, over a period of time, which ones allow them to lead the Jewish life and lifestyle that is most comfortable for them. One rabbi I know stresses “informed choice”: first study, then choose.