Quite an insufferable and repetitive piling-on as regards the medieval oppression of Orthodox praxis and belief. Doesn't seem to take into much account the sensibilities and openness of, e.g., the Chabad movement. Nor to the ever more relentlessly obvious downsides of liberal everything!
The problem, as I see it, is too much division and too many choices. Liberals are not for unity. They thrive on division. They are for 36 flavors, plus sugar or waffle cones. Every group has to have their own, yet they do not belong to anything. I grew up "Conservative" with strong Orthodox leaning. Reform filtered from the West Coast to the East. The first time I went to a Reform temple, I wore my yarmulke. I was looked at like a devil with horns. How do you attend services at a shul without head covering-- the sign that you are humbled before G-d? Then came the "Reconstructionist", whatever they are, and still other flavors. Now we have Jews for Jesus, or whatever they are called. Are they even Jews when they worship Christ as the Messiah? Too much division, too much individualism, too many flavors. Do you want equality, unity, survival? Just suck it up. Be an Orthodox Jew. Honor your religion, honor your heritage.
As someone who grew up reform, and has attended many reform shuls, but is much more orthodox leaning (I was apalled by the decision to allow rabbinical students with non Jewish spouses), I am shocked by your description of a reform congregation looking at you "like a devil with horns" for wearing a kippah.
This has never been my experience, and I am shocked it was yours.
I am a reform Jew, not because it is the easier option, but because I find orthodox Judaism to be too quick to outsource critical thinking. I think the assertion that an electrical circuit is the same as fire is assinine. I would never light Havdallah with an electric candle!
I do think reform Judaism has lost its way, but I do not think Modern Orthodox (or G-d forbid Haredi) is an appropriate alternative.
As an aside, Jews for Jesus, or two testament Jews, or any form of messianic Judaism has nothing to do with reform. It's just Christians in cos-play, and is irrelevant to this discussion.
As a Reform Liberal Jewish woman who is a mom, grandmother , aunt and a sister I know the struggle is real and I have hope. Many of my Jewish family and friends have a strong Jewish identity. My daughters and grandchildren grew up in North Carolina. To be Jewish here, takes work and intention. In smaller Jewish communities we learn together and are together. I grew up in a major city with a large Jewish population. It was “easy “ to be Jewish but that was it. Moving to NC in the early 1970s I had to find the Jewish community. We have a thriving community that has Orthodox, Conservative, Reform and secular Jewish peoples. Jewish life is centered around the Temples and Synagogues, the JCC, and other Jewish places.
The places to learn in the liberal community are growing. They are growing in person, online and with purpose.
The article you sent is actually a pretty negative piece of work. I am not religious because someone else has defined the course; i am engaged because I see a heritage and practices that are moral and correct and share a bit of God in the every day life. I do not base my religion on a negative experience I had when I was 13 years old. The women in my life were independent, opinioned, intelligent and accomplished, people whom I admired and enjoyed, friends of my parents who provided an additional layer of guidance and reinforcement for why we were part of a Jewish community. I read your article and foujnd a series of negative expierences that seem to be foundational for you. That is a shame. The social dynamic you describe is real, with the non-affiliated, non-religious communities dispersing and assimilating; the causalities vary; and the solutions are very obscure and difficult. With all that happening, basing your life on negative experiences is a seriously difficult proposition to start from. You could have said all the important things about how to recover or redirect the non-religous to an affiliated life without any of those unncessary negative references.
Though well written and clearly capturing today's reality of Jewish life, I am dismayed that Jews holding a sophisticated caliber of edification, still fail the most indispensable fact. Even today post 10/7.
Quite an insufferable and repetitive piling-on as regards the medieval oppression of Orthodox praxis and belief. Doesn't seem to take into much account the sensibilities and openness of, e.g., the Chabad movement. Nor to the ever more relentlessly obvious downsides of liberal everything!
The problem, as I see it, is too much division and too many choices. Liberals are not for unity. They thrive on division. They are for 36 flavors, plus sugar or waffle cones. Every group has to have their own, yet they do not belong to anything. I grew up "Conservative" with strong Orthodox leaning. Reform filtered from the West Coast to the East. The first time I went to a Reform temple, I wore my yarmulke. I was looked at like a devil with horns. How do you attend services at a shul without head covering-- the sign that you are humbled before G-d? Then came the "Reconstructionist", whatever they are, and still other flavors. Now we have Jews for Jesus, or whatever they are called. Are they even Jews when they worship Christ as the Messiah? Too much division, too much individualism, too many flavors. Do you want equality, unity, survival? Just suck it up. Be an Orthodox Jew. Honor your religion, honor your heritage.
As someone who grew up reform, and has attended many reform shuls, but is much more orthodox leaning (I was apalled by the decision to allow rabbinical students with non Jewish spouses), I am shocked by your description of a reform congregation looking at you "like a devil with horns" for wearing a kippah.
This has never been my experience, and I am shocked it was yours.
I am a reform Jew, not because it is the easier option, but because I find orthodox Judaism to be too quick to outsource critical thinking. I think the assertion that an electrical circuit is the same as fire is assinine. I would never light Havdallah with an electric candle!
I do think reform Judaism has lost its way, but I do not think Modern Orthodox (or G-d forbid Haredi) is an appropriate alternative.
As an aside, Jews for Jesus, or two testament Jews, or any form of messianic Judaism has nothing to do with reform. It's just Christians in cos-play, and is irrelevant to this discussion.
As a Reform Liberal Jewish woman who is a mom, grandmother , aunt and a sister I know the struggle is real and I have hope. Many of my Jewish family and friends have a strong Jewish identity. My daughters and grandchildren grew up in North Carolina. To be Jewish here, takes work and intention. In smaller Jewish communities we learn together and are together. I grew up in a major city with a large Jewish population. It was “easy “ to be Jewish but that was it. Moving to NC in the early 1970s I had to find the Jewish community. We have a thriving community that has Orthodox, Conservative, Reform and secular Jewish peoples. Jewish life is centered around the Temples and Synagogues, the JCC, and other Jewish places.
The places to learn in the liberal community are growing. They are growing in person, online and with purpose.
The article you sent is actually a pretty negative piece of work. I am not religious because someone else has defined the course; i am engaged because I see a heritage and practices that are moral and correct and share a bit of God in the every day life. I do not base my religion on a negative experience I had when I was 13 years old. The women in my life were independent, opinioned, intelligent and accomplished, people whom I admired and enjoyed, friends of my parents who provided an additional layer of guidance and reinforcement for why we were part of a Jewish community. I read your article and foujnd a series of negative expierences that seem to be foundational for you. That is a shame. The social dynamic you describe is real, with the non-affiliated, non-religious communities dispersing and assimilating; the causalities vary; and the solutions are very obscure and difficult. With all that happening, basing your life on negative experiences is a seriously difficult proposition to start from. You could have said all the important things about how to recover or redirect the non-religous to an affiliated life without any of those unncessary negative references.
Though well written and clearly capturing today's reality of Jewish life, I am dismayed that Jews holding a sophisticated caliber of edification, still fail the most indispensable fact. Even today post 10/7.
Judaism is comprised of 3 basic inseparables:
G-D, Torah, and (all!) Jews are truly one entity.
Divorce one and you are left with nothing.