Union of Progressive Jews in Germany

The Union of Progressive Jews in Germany ( UPJ ) is the umbrella organization of Reform Jewish majority communities and organizations in Germany. Its membership includes 22 municipalities and three organizations with a total of 4,500 members. The UPJ is a registered organization based in Hanover and office in Bielefeld. She is a member of the " World Union for Progressive Judaism ", is chairman Sonja Guentner.

History

Favored by the immigration of Jews from the countries of the former Soviet Union since the early nineties emerged in the fast-growing unit communities, the need for alternatives to the commonly Orthodox context service. As of 1995, were based in some places liberal Minyanim and communities. Characteristic of them are: streamlined liturgy, prayer texts in egalitarian language with native shares Desegregation in worship and equality of men and women in the rite. First regional meeting on this movement from 1995 to 2002, the Protestant Academy Arnoldshain in the Taunus.

Then the UPJ was founded in Munich and entered in the Register of Hanover in 1999 in June 1997. Founding Chairman, was the difference Jan Mühlstein in July 2011 out of office.

In the fall after the founding of the UPJ, she published her own prayer book ( Siddur and Machzor ) Seder ha - Tefillot. Published in 1998 a Passover Haggadah. In the years 1999-2004 Annette M. Boeckler translated the Torakommentar by Gunther Plaut into German.

The Central Council of Jews in Germany behaved towards the Union UPJ in the first years repellent. He insisted on the principle of a unified community, emphasizing its political claim to sole representation for the Jewish community in Germany.

In November 2000, the Union opened with the Abraham Geiger College at the University of Potsdam own, science-based rabbinical seminary. In the fall of 2001 a group of young Jewish adults from liberal congregations youth organization Young and Jewish Germany, a member of the worldwide Jewish- progressive youth movement Tamar Olami.

After the Federal Administrative Court had but liberal communities assimilated Jewish communities in a landmark decision, a re-orientation apparent in relation to the Central Council. Although there was initially a heated discussion about the State Treaty, the federal government had closed on 27 January 2003 with the Central Council. Main bone of contention was the distribution of related funding. Since the summer of 2004, the relationship between the Central and Union relaxed visibly. Liberal Jewish communities have since been involved in programs and projects of the Central and the Central Welfare Office of Jews in Germany and ask participants there also.

The framework for the children's and youth work of the Union municipalities forms UPJ Netzer (formerly Young and Jewish junior) and is linked with the international organization Netzer Olami. In May 2005, the progressive Zionist organization was founded Arzenu Germany in Munich, which was recorded in the same year in the Union as a member organization and therefore represents the Zionist values ​​of the UPJ. Arzenu Germany is a member of the Zionist Organization in Germany and the Arzenu World Union.

The National Union of Jewish Communities of Schleswig -Holstein and the National Association of the Jewish communities of Lower Saxony - both unite member communities of the UPJ and / or WUPJ - have been included in the Central on 20 November 2005. Some liberal communities outside of Schleswig -Holstein and Lower Saxony, however, wrestle through the legal system nor to their recognition by the regional state associations of Jewish communities and their participation in the treaties with the federal states.

The General Assembly of the UPJ decided on July 16, 2006, to join with their rabbis of the non-Orthodox rabbis generally Conference Germany ( ARK), one of the two rabbis conferences under the umbrella of the Central Council. About questions of a legal nature religion - especially the recognition of crossings to Judaism - future meets the religious court ( Beth Din) for municipalities of the Union of Progressive Jews binding decisions.

Reform congregations in Germany

The majority of its member organizations are Jewish communities direction that explicitly liberal Judaism or Progressive Judaism, represented only individual communities are Jewish unity and thus committed to the claim to unite all religious schools under one roof.

Liberal Jewish communities in Germany are in:

  • Ahrensburg - Stormarn: Jewish Community Ahrensburg - Stormarn
  • Bad Pyrmont Bad Pyrmont Jewish Community
  • Bad Segeberg: Jewish Community Bad Segeberg
  • Berlin: Beter Community Sukkat Shalom
  • Bielefeld: Bielefeld Jewish Community
  • Celle: Jewish Community Celle
  • Elmshorn Elmshorn Jewish Community
  • Freiburg im Breisgau: Egalitarian Jewish Chawurah Gescher
  • Göttingen: Göttingen Jewish Community
  • Hamburg: Liberal Jewish Community of Hamburg
  • Hameln: Jewish Congregation of Hameln
  • Hanover: Liberal Jewish Congregation of Hannover
  • Kiel: Kiel Jewish Community
  • Cologne: Liberal Jewish community Gescher LaMassoret
  • Munich: Liberal Congregation Beth Shalom
  • Neuwied: Jewish Community Neuwied - Middle Rhine
  • Northern Hesse: Liberal Jewish community Emet we Shalom Northern Hesse
  • Oberhausen: Liberal Jewish community Ruhr '' '' Perusch
  • Pinneberg: Jewish Community Pinneberg
  • Seesen: Jewish Community Seesen
  • Unna: Jewish Community haKochaw '' ''
  • Wolfsburg: Liberal Jewish community Wolfsburg / Region Braunschweig

Positions of the UPJ

After a judgment of the District Court of Cologne on the legality of a religiously motivated circumcision of a four year old boy in May 2012 protesting the World Union for Progressive Judaism (which claims to be " 1.8 million Jews in 45 countries and 1,200 communities on six continents around the world represents " ) against the judgment. ( ... "expresses their shock and outrage at the recent decision by a German court of ... We ask the courts and the government of Germany urgently to make this decision quickly reversed again and thus the fundamental threat it for the foundations represents our religious beliefs. "). This opinion signed and three other officials also Leslie Bergman, President, European Union for Progressive Judaism ( EUPJ ) and Sonja Guentner, Chairman, Union of Progressive Jews in Germany.

Social equality Abraham-Geiger-Kolleg Federal Administrative Court of Germany Lists of landmark court decisions Walter Homolka
792642
de