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Discussion Guide For

The Reform Judaism Reader:
North American Documents
By Michael A. Meyer and W. Gunther Plaut

Discussion Guide written by
Daniel Bronstein

1. Reform Judaism, in both Germany and North America, has been portrayed as a reaction to or attack on Orthodox Judaism. However, as the authors point out in their introduction, nineteenth- century German Reform Judaism was as much-if not more-a response to the profound and powerful forces of secularism then threatening the perpetuation of Jewish life as a whole. How are the statements of preeminent German Reform thinkers, ranging from Israel Jacobson in 1810 to Ismar Elbogen in 1931, expressive of ongoing concerns about the negative consequences of secularism upon German Jews?

2. How were the early German Reformers' notions of God and revelation different from traditional conceptions? Similarly, how do these thinkers' attitudes toward sacred texts such as the Bible and the Talmud conflict with those of traditionalists? In what sense do "universal" human concerns play a central theological role for the early Reformers?

3. How did Zacharias Frankel's approach to religious reform differ that of other more radical reformers? How are these differences reflective of the differences between the contemporary Conservative and Reform Movements?

4. Are Ismar Elbogen's concerns about Reform Judaism in the 1930s still relevant for contemporary Reform Jews? Have Elbogen's concerns been addressed since he raised them almost a quarter-century ago?

1. As expressed in this selection of documents, why was the Union of American Hebrew Congregations (UAHC) originally established, and how have the objectives evolved and changed? How is the enshrined principle of congregational autonomy within the UAHC reflective of American culture?

2. Although the Hebrew Union College (HUC) and Jewish Institute of Religion (JIR) were both considered to be Reform seminaries, they remained separate institutions until the middle of the twentieth century. How do the selections from the HUC and JIR catalogues demonstrate the ideological differences between the two seminaries?

3. An examination of Isaac Mayer Wise's and Jack Stern's addresses to the Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR) shows that the welfare of the Reform rabbi has remained the CCAR's central mission over the course of a century. How do these documents reveal the evolution of the role of the North American Reform rabbi and, likewise, rabbis' changing self-perceptions after 100 years?

1. How were efforts to create and nurture modern theologies of Judaism vital to the growth of Reform Judaism in the twentieth century? Why has the Reform Movement, from the late nineteenth century through the present, been such fertile ground for theological inquiry, unlike other trends and movements in Judaism? Why, in the long span of Jewish history, was the last century in particular such a fruitful time for theological exploration?

2. Which themes and questions have remained constants in Reform theology, from Isaac M. Wise through contemporary theologians? How have the questions and theological problems changed over time?

3. What sort of crisis of belief were covenant theologians attempting to address, and how was the Holocaust connected to these crises?

4. In what ways have feminist theologians parted from earlier thinkers? In a broad sense, how has feminist theology added new texture, along with new questions, to Reform theology?

1. According to the authors, "nowhere else is the development of American Reform Judaism more visible than in the various prayer books and guides it has produced." What might be some of the reasons for the visibility of the evolution of the American Reform Movement within the framework of worship, as opposed to other areas of religious life such as religious practice and study?

2. Specifically, how does the authors' examination of such issues as the minyan, the wearing of kippot, and the language of prayer demonstrate the tension between ongoing Reform innovation in religious practice and the commitment and respect toward tradition?

3. How might you explain the history of the Reform Movement through the study of Reform prayer books?

4. How, according to Rabbi Lawrence Hoffman, is Reform liturgy a reflection of both the broader American culture and Jewish self-perceptions?

1. Why has the continued observance of Shabbat been so difficult for so many post-Emancipation Jews? Similarly, what might be some of the reasons for the ongoing observance of certain holidays?

2. How would you evaluate the successes, or failures, of the late Friday night and Sunday morning services?

3. What are examples of how Reform holiday observance has become more expansive and, in some respects, more traditional? What trends have facilitated the revival of such rituals as Rosh Chodesh observance?

4. How might Reform Judaism be especially equipped to create new rituals for modern observances such as Yom HaShoah and Yom HaAtzma-ut?

1. How has the Reform approach toward traditional rituals, such as b'nei mitzvah, going to the mikveh, or the traditional wedding ceremony, to name but a few examples, changed over the last one hundred years?

2. What might be some of the reasons for the different attitudes of Reform leaders toward rituals in the late nineteenth century and current times?

3. Why might the observance of life-cycle events be more compelling to contemporary Reform Jews than worship services?

4. How has the Reform observance of life-cycle events been affected and spurred on by feminism as well as by feminist Reform rabbinical and lay leadership???

1. The authors state that "Reform Judaism began as a movement to reform halachah and not the religion of Judaism." What is the difference between reforming Jewish law, or halachah, as opposed to reforming Judaism itself? What might be some of the reasons that Reform scholarly efforts "have rarely had an impact on the movement as a whole?"

2. How does Solomon Freehof explain the development of minhag, or Jewish custom, and how does this differ from the development of Jewish law? Why does Freehof describe minhag as being of particular importance to Reform Judaism?

3. How do Rabbis Jacob and Washofsky distinguish between traditional halachah and Reform halachah? Why do both argue that Reform halachic efforts are still grounded in the traditional process of Jewish law? How do the UAHC's and CCAR's statements on abortion illustrate the Reform dialectic between tradition and modern demands?

4. How do Rabbis Schaalman, Gittelsohn, and Polish differ in their approaches to the mitzvah system? In what ways do they share a general outlook toward halachah?

1. What were the main reasons for late-nineteenth-century Reform opposition to Zionism? Conversely, how did the early Reform supporters of Zionism attempt to integrate the two ideologies?

2. How does Rabbi Abba Hillel Silver distinguish between Judaism and the Jewish people, and how does he explain their interaction? How did Reform lay and rabbinical leadership integrate support for Jewish settlement in Palestine into Reform doctrine?

3. How does the Reform Zionism of the 1970s differ from that in the 1930s? How does the 1976 ARZA statement explain Reform Judaism's relationship to the state of Israel?

4. Why has ARZA/World Union placed such importance on the Reform Movement's full engagement with the world Zionist movement? According to ARZA's 1997 statement, which historical forces have shaped Reform Zionism? Likewise, how does this statement explain the significance of Reform Zionism for Diaspora Jewry as well as for Judaism in Israel?

1. What is the relationship between the philosophy of prophetic Judaism and the Reform Movement's commitment to social justice? How have historical forces influenced Reform social action efforts?

2. How does the 1955 UAHC statement link Jewish tradition and modern social action? In what sense was the Reform Movement's opposition to the Vietnam War, as exemplified by Maurice Eisendrath's imaginary letter, characteristic of prophetic Judaism?

3. Why has the Reform Movement's language of social action shifted to a more traditional tone? In your opinion, are Reform social action efforts too expansive?

4. How have Reform social justice efforts sometimes affected relations with other branches of Judaism as well as with other non-Jewish North American groups? Given these conflicts, why has social action remained central to Reform Judaism?

1. How does the Reform approach to outreach attempt to mediate between diverging views of intermarriage within the Reform Movement? What primary objections to intermarriage are outlined in the 1983 rabbinical statement? Likewise, what reasoning is put forth in the 1985 rabbinical statement in favor of performing intermarriages?

2. What are Rabbi Alexander Schindler's arguments in favor of an aggressive outreach effort? How does he view the role of non-Jewish relatives in Jewish religious life?

3. According to Rabbi Eric Yoffie, how does Jewish history and theology undergird Reform outreach efforts? What is his approach in delineating boundaries between Jews and non-Jews in terms of participating in Jewish communal life? How does this differ from the 1994 CCAR statement on the role of the non-Jew in the synagogue?

4. How does the 1988 CCAR statement attempt to bridge differences over how to conduct outreach efforts? In what way do supporters of outreach argue that such efforts will strengthen the Jewish community?

1. How has Reform education differed from traditional modes of Jewish learning? How did Emanuel Gamoran propose to make Reform education relevant to modern Jewish life? Why is relevance particularly important for Reform educational efforts?

2. Why might have the Reform Movement eschewed the day-school system until recent decades? How has NFTY, the Reform youth movement, played in educational role for the movement as a whole?

3. How does Robert Alter historically frame the Reform Movement in his 1982 review of the Plaut Torah commentary?

4. How does Michael Meyer distinguish between Jewish education at the beginning of the Emancipation and contemporary educational goals? Meyer argues that Jewish education should serve both to undergird self-knowledge and to equip Jews for interaction with humanity as a whole. Explain why you agree or disagree. Why, according to Eric Yoffie, must Torah play a central role in the Reform agenda?

1. How do the different platforms differ in language and style, and what is the significance of such differences? What do these distinctions say about the historical context and Jewish concerns for each era?

2. How do the platforms differ in terms of belief in God, the Jewish people, non-Jews, and the modern world as a whole?

3. In your view, are platforms responses to existent realities or do platforms play a proactive role?

4. In your opinion, do platforms play a significant role in Reform life? Do you believe that platforms should serve as authoritative statements on Reform doctrine? If you were writing a new platform for the Reform Movement, what would you want to include or make sure not to include?

Rabbi Daniel Bronstein was ordained in 1986 from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. He is a Ph.D. candidate in Jewish history at The Jewish Theological Seminary and teaches history at Solomon Schechter High School of Nassua County.