Reflecting On Reform Judaism

I was born into a family that practices Reform Judaism. I also identify with the religion and continue to practice Judaism from a reform standpoint. According to reformjudaism.org, “Reform Judaism…has enabled the Jewish people to introduce innovation while preserving tradition…” In agreement to this quote, I believe it is important to keep the traditions alive while remaining liberal in appropriate practices. For example, a reform Jew such as myself, can have a traditional Bat Mitzvah but may not necessarily keep kosher or go to synagogue on a regular basis. While reform Jews focus on inclusion and preserving tradition the website does not come across as demanding nor does it appear strict. Reform Judaism is an evolving movement that started 130 years ago and seems as though it is open-minded in various areas. For example, Reform Jews “promote justice to all, no matter what race, sect, or class.” Non-Jews are also welcome to participate in various activities in the Jewish community. Before I was exposed to class discussions and readings, I was not aware of the complete openness in certain areas of Reform Judaism such as openness to non-Jews. The website also gives a more liberal approach in that it reaches out to the homosexual world as well. When reading deeper into the websites’ content I came across the topic of charity. I was previously aware that Reform Judaism was a large advocate of philanthropy. Because I am a Reform Jew I was taught that charity is a main contributor to “preserving place of prayer.” Through observation I also learned that it is important to give back to Israel and the Jewish people to ultimately keep the tradition alive.