Reformed

I don't normally rely on fourth-graders as the basis for my understanding of theological principals. Not until we begin to reach adulthood can we attempt to truly delve into the complexities of our philosophical beliefs. It takes maturity and life-learning to know how to separate one ideology from another in any nuanced way.

Fourth-graders are great at believing and repeating, nearly verbatim, exactly what their parents and society around them has told them to think. And so, I rely on them for a glimpse into the success, or lack thereof, of Reform theology.

I was invited to partake in an "Ask the (Almost) Rabbi" session yesterday with Beth Elohim's fourth-graders. Upon entering the uncomfortably-warm classroom I was bombarded with questions:

What's the point of prayers? Why do you want to be a rabbi? Why do some people hate Jews? Why did Christians say we killed Jesus? Are you really Jewish? Are you really really Jewish?

The cacophony of questions and interesting statements was entertaining, to say the least. But then, amidst the expected statements of ten year-olds trying to establish their religious identity, a conversation began centering around the idea of Reform.

"What makes you Reform?" I asked. Too much for young children? Perhaps. But their answers we so telling.

I'm reformed. Are you reformed? Reform means not Orthodox. Reform means we don't do everything. Reform means we don't... Reform means we aren't...

I need not go on. You get the picture.

Can we define Reform without using the words "don't" and "Orthodox?" I sure hope so. I challenged the students to come up with a definition as such and, after some time and with much prodding, we arrived at the idea of free-choice.

Maybe I'm extrapolating too much, but I assume that these students' parents would have, at first at least, provided the exact same definitions of Reform Judaism as had their children. "We don't observe." "We're not Orthodox." Two entirely unhealthy and unproductive definitions of self.

Reform can define itself positively. It's about looking at theology and tradition and history and observance in a particularly liberal way. It's about relating to Jewishness in a particularly open-minded and progressive manner. It's not about not doing. It's not about not being something else.

So where do we go from here? Start positively identifying ourselves. What do we do? What do we stand for? What is a positive Reform theology?

Start creating. Start selling. I promise that I will too.

Comments

[Allison]

I get no shout out?

[Emma]

Start selling?

[BZ]

Why do they think you're not Jewish?

[Rachel]

Maybe the solution is to bring the national buzzwords to the local level. Mention the phrase choice through knowledge in my temple and you get blank stares. If Sunday School kids studied religion through a choice through knowledge framwork, they could positively define who they are as Reform Jews. The other, boring and robotlike solution is to give kids a series of talking points about a bunch of "Reform" ideas. It would work but it would sort of miss the point. Sounds sort of like what we do now actually.

[zach]

Do you really think that their parents are the only ones to blame?

I've been pretty involved in the Reform Movement and especially NFTY, and I can tell you, the number of times that I've heard Rabbis/Educators speak words like 'we don't do this because we're Reform', is tremendous!

If we want to change how the Reform Movement is perceived by our children, parents, lay leaders, and other denominations, maybe we've got to start informing those in our numerous leadership positions.

[Rachel]

I couldn't agree more Zach. So now we have a problem and we have a reasonablle solution. Anyone want to seriously figure out a way to act on it so it doesn't remain hidden in a blog to be read only by those who already understand?

[zach]

Re: NFTY Study Theme Proposal - Tihyeh Shofeit L'Atzmecha - You Be The Judge (Pluralism and Interdenominational Relations - Exposing NFTYites to a multiplicity of practices)

To be posted soon on a NFTY website near you.

[zach]

Ooops, I didn't mean to post that here. Well, whatever.

[Lori Bolotin]

I assure you, you're 100% Jewish.