Reform Judaism

Under the name of Reform Judaism in the broader sense, the religious currents are summarized within Judaism that have changed as of orthodox Judaism designated and adapted to the changed conditions of life of the Jews in the modern world, different laws and practices; in the narrow sense are called Reform Judaism Jewish denominations, which are organized into the World Union for Progressive Judaism, in the strictest sense, only that which is referred to in North America as " Reform Judaism ".

The movement of Reform Judaism began in the early 19th century in Germany, has, for historical reasons, but mainly developed in the United States, from where it radiates to Latin America, Australia, Israel and Europe.

The different directions of Reform Judaism in the broader sense are usually referred to in German-speaking countries as Liberal Judaism and Progressive Judaism, in the U.S. and Canada, the Reform Judaism is divided into Conservative Judaism, Reconstructionist Judaism and Reform Judaism. The conservative direction, referred to in Israel as Masorti is not a member of the World Union for Progressive Judaism and occupies a middle position between Orthodox and Reform Judaism in the strict sense.

Central to the reform as well as for Orthodox Judaism is the Torah, the five books of Moses. However, in contrast to orthodox Judaism Reform Judaism assumes that the Torah indeed revealed by God, but was written by people, and the Jewish laws Halakha, were subject has always been historical changes.

History

The Jewish reform movement arose under the influence of the Enlightenment, as Jews were given the opportunity to leave the ghetto and to integrate into the majority society. From the need to bring the Jewish heritage with the new conditions of life in harmony, the hergebrachte Judaism was adapted to the new social and political requirements, the Jewish Enlightenment, the Haskalah, which sought emancipation and its flip side, modern anti-Semitism mitsichbrachten.

The first reforms were aimed initially at the outer form of worship, which was approximated to that of the Protestant Church. The liturgy was shortened, introduced a sermon and prayers in the local language and a choir accompanied by an organ. A short-lived Reform congregation was founded in 1797 in Amsterdam, the actual reform movement, inspired by laymen sat in Germany, however, until the beginning of the 19th century, in 1810 in Westphalia Seesen, five years later in Berlin and 1818 in Hamburg.

The first Reform congregations

As one of the founders of Reform Judaism is considered Israel Jacobson, a Westphalian businessman in Seesen and 1808 in Kassel, a Jewish school founded in 1801, were taught in both Jewish and secular knowledge, and in 1810 a training center for teachers and rabbis who set up. In the same year a new synagogue was opened in Seesen. The service, unlike traditional Jewish worship was the one adapted in the church and was festive and dignified, the choir was accompanied by an organ, transfer the prayers and songs in German, which was from the Torah read aloud Week section explains in German, the bar Mitzvah celebration was replaced by a Jewish Confirmation. After the collapse of the Kingdom of Westphalia Jacobson settled in Berlin, where in the spring of 1815 took place the first Reformed Jewish worship in his house, followed by a second in the house of the banker Jacob Herz Beer. The church services were banned after a short time, but could be continued during the reconstruction of the Berlin synagogue until 1823.

In Hamburg 66 Jewish householders had founded the New Israelite Temple Association in December 1817 and built in 1818 a first provisional synagogue in the southern Neustadt. The Prayer Book of the Israelite Temple Association trod such a union territory. Texts from the traditional liturgy have been changed, reduced or completely omitted. These changes related in particular to the prayers for a return to Israel, to the reintroduction of the temple service, or the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem. The number of visitors grew temple, and so in 1844 the new Israelite temple was inaugurated in the pool road. Until the 1860s into two services were held on Friday evening. The first was the usual " Kabbalat Shabbat " at nightfall, the second had been laid against it as a concession to the business at a late evening hour. In Leipzig Jews gathered during the Fair from Germany and Austria, where a temple worship was by members of the Hamburg Temple in 1820 designed by the Hamburg model. From there, many visitors to this worship took the idea back to their home communities. So a temple was established after 1821 in Vienna Hamburg model. There are also the Hamburg prayer and hymn book should be introduced. Isaac Noah Mannheimer accepted the position of rabbi for this to founding group. Born in Copenhagen in 1793, he led there a the confirmation, but also knew the private reform group in Berlin, the Hamburg Temple and the Synagogue of Leipzig. He was convinced that only on the exploitation of the established church, far-reaching reforms could be carried out. Then in 1826 the temple was opened in Vienna. Here the liturgy had been less radically altered, but provided for a maximum of two hours on Sabbaths and feast days, a German sermon and the confirmation were introduced. Wearing the dress death on New Year and Day of Atonement limited only to those who took over functions within the service.

As Rabbi Abraham Geiger in 1839 in Breslau, was a pioneer of the reform movement a space for further developments. This was followed by several rabbis conferences with reform-minded rabbis from Europe. , 1844, in Braunschweig, 1845 in Frankfurt am Main and in Breslau in 1846 in the conferences vertices have been defined and debated about the new self-understanding. The Conference of 1845 left Rabbi Zacharias Frankel in protest against the use of the Hebrew language in worship services. Frankel was later one of the founders of the conservative flow. Yet many rabbis had offices in the "unity communities " and have not been able to make every change because of its. At these conferences, even more radical approaches have been expressed. So Abraham Geiger spoke out against circumcision of Jewish boys. In the communities, these approaches were not pursued, only the reform groups in Berlin and Frankfurt followed more radical approaches. 1854 Abraham Geiger published a new prayer book, which was a lot more than its traditional counterpart Hamburg.

Through emigration, the core ideas of the reform movement reached the USA, but there took the reform movement a different development than in Europe, which was due to the completely different, more favorable situation of the Jews in the United States. In the U.S., there was no unified community whose existence was encouraged or required by the state. Also, the pressure to assimilate was less significant than it was the case in Europe. Researchers such as Prof. Karl Heinz Schneider, according to American Jews took the German Reform Judaism as a model and established new communities with the ideas, which they brought from Central Europe. In fact, already in 1824 founded the first Reform congregations in the United States. On November 21, 1824 founded former parishioners of the church " Beth Elohim" in Charleston (South Carolina) a separate municipality with reforms in their rite, the " Reformed Society of Israelites ." This community also published the first Reform prayer book of the United States, " The Sabbath Service and Miscellaneous Prayers Adopted by the Reformed Society of Israelites ." Died in 1833 one of the leaders of the group and then the other members of the community joined again the community, " Beth Elohim " and translated here by many of the changes. In fact, in the 30s of the 19th century migrated more and more German -speaking immigrants to the U.S. and met here to open conditions for the development of their religious views. There were other large church planting, 1842, the temple " ' Har Sinai " in Baltimore (now in the suburb of Owings Mills ). 1845 was followed in New York City of Temple Emanu -El. 1858 originated in Chicago as the third American Reform congregation, the " Sinai Congregation ."

In the U.S., taught Rabbi of the Reform movement rabbi a regular conferences. On the Philadelphia of 1869 formulated the thought leaders of American Reform Judaism - David Einhorn, Samuel Hirsch and others - their first principles. Because this resolution was soon found to be insufficient, it came in 1885 at a conference in Pittsburgh ( " Pittsburgh Platform" ) to another, even more powerful statement. In addition, the American Reform Judaism was also influenced by rationalist influences, including, for example, founded by Felix Adler " Ethical Culture ". Among the organizations that founded the strength of the reform movement were the " Union of American Hebrew Congregations " (since 1873), the reform of Union College / Jewish Institute of Religion ( since 1875 ) and the " Central Conference of American Rabbis " ( since 1889 ). A public forum was the reform movement in 1854 by Isaac Mayer Wise in Cincinnati founded the weekly magazine " The Israelites ," which was published under the new title "The American Israelite " soon. Reform Judaism was further developed later by personalities such as Judah Magnes and Emil Leon Hirsch.

Socially, there was a substantial performance of Reform Judaism in the far-reaching approximation of the Jewish daily life and even the liturgy to non-Jewish - especially Protestant - practices. The chances of American Jews on social integration increased so enormously. While Reform Judaism in the 19th century and especially in the U.S., many traditions of Judaism abolished in the 20th century, radically altered or put in the decision of individuals, today many of these traditions are carried out again. In addition, formed in Germany and later in the United States with the conservative Judaism is a flow out, which occupies a middle position between Orthodoxy and Reform Judaism.

Characteristics of Reform Judaism

Striking differences of Reform Judaism against the orthodox Judaism are:

• Special emphasis on the ethical aspects of Judaism ( at the expense of strict adherence to formal bids )
• Observance of Shabbat in the sense of a thoughtful broad abstention from work ( as a reward acquisition ) and financial transactions
• The use of the local language, at least in more or less large sections of worship
• Full equality and equal treatment of women in worship and other rituals
• ( :) only officially recognized in America Jewish descent by the father ( patrilineage )
• A reduction of the service
• The installation of an organ
• The use of mixed choirs (women and men, Jews and non - Jews )
• Free conscience for each Reform Jews about what ritual laws he wants to keep and which are not
• No fear of contact with other religions
• Abolishing the Kol Nidre recitation ( historical )

Reform congregations in Germany

Until the Holocaust existed in Germany, the Jewish Reform Congregation in Berlin, who had performed more extensive changes in the liturgy. Otherwise, the Jewish communities that belong in the German speaking this direction of Judaism, a liberal call.

Israel

In Israel and non- orthodox head of Jewish communities are recognized as rabbis since 2012, but not assimilated, culture - not paid for by the Ministry of Religion Orthodox rabbis.