Editing Reform Judaism (section)

==Practice==

===Liturgy===
The first and primary field in which Reform convictions were expressed was that of prayer forms. From its beginning, Reform Judaism attempted to harmonize the language of petitions with modern sensibilities and what the constituents actually believed in. [[Jakob Josef Petuchowski]], in his extensive survey of Progressive liturgy, listed several key principles that defined it through the years and many transformations it underwent. The prayers were abridged, whether by omitting repetitions, excising passages or reintroducing the ancient [[triennial cycle]] for reading the Torah; vernacular segments were added alongside or instead of the [[Leshon Hakodesh|Hebrew and Aramaic]] text, to ensure the congregants understood the petitions they expressed; and some new prayers were composed to reflect the spirit of changing times. But chiefly, liturgists sought to reformulate the prayerbooks and have them express the movement's theology. Blessings and passages referring to the coming of the Messiah, return to Zion, renewal of sacrificial practices, resurrection of the dead, reward and punishment and overt particularism of the People Israel were replaced, recast or excised altogether.

In its early stages, when Reform Judaism was more a tendency within unified communities in Central Europe than an independent movement, its advocates had to practice considerable moderation, lest they provoke conservative animosity. German prayerbooks often relegated the more contentious issues to the vernacular translation, treating the original text with great care and sometimes having problematic passages in small print and untranslated. When institutionalized and free of such constraints, it was able to pursue a more radical course. In American "Classical" or British Liberal prayerbooks, a far larger vernacular component was added and liturgy was drastically shortened, and petitions in discord with denominational theology eliminated.

"New Reform", both in the United States and in Britain and the rest of the world, is characterized by larger affinity to traditional forms and diminished emphasis on harmonizing them with prevalent beliefs. Concurrently, it is also more inclusive and accommodating, even towards beliefs that are officially rejected by Reform theologians, sometimes allowing alternative differing rites for each congregation to choose from. Thus, prayerbooks from the mid–20th century onwards incorporated more Hebrew, and restored such elements as blessing on [[Tefillin|phylacteries]]. More profound changes included restoration of the ''Gevorot'' benediction in the 2007 ''[[Mishkan T'filah]]'', with the optional "give life to all/revive the dead" formula. The CCAR stated this passage did not reflect a belief in Resurrection, but Jewish heritage. On the other extreme, the 1975 ''[[Gates of Prayer]]'' substituted "the Eternal One" for "God" in the English translation (though not in the original), a measure that was condemned by several Reform rabbis as a step toward [[religious humanism]].<ref>For a concise introduction, see: Dalia Marks, ''[https://www.academia.edu/35401476 (Jewish) Reform Liturgy: Then and now]'', in: ''A Life of Meaning: Embracing Reform Judaism's Sacred Path''. CCAR Press, 2017.</ref>

===Observance===
During its formative era, Reform was oriented toward lesser ceremonial obligations. In 1846, the Breslau rabbinical conference abolished the [[Yom tov sheni shel galuyot|second day of festivals]]; during the same years, the Berlin Reform congregation held prayers without [[Shofar blowing|blowing the Ram's Horn]], [[Tefillin|phylacteries]], [[Tallit|mantles]] or [[Kippah|head covering]], and held its Sabbath services on Sunday. In the late 19th and early 20th century, American "Classical Reform" often emulated Berlin on a mass scale, with many communities conducting prayers along the same style and having additional services on Sunday. An official rescheduling of Sabbath to Sunday was advocated by [[Kaufmann Kohler]] for some time, though he retracted it eventually. [[Get (divorce document)|Religious divorce]] was declared redundant and the civil one recognized as sufficient by American Reform in 1869, and in Germany by 1912; the laws concerning [[Kashrut|dietary]] and [[Tumah and taharah|personal]] purity, the [[Kohen|priestly]] prerogatives, [[Jewish views on marriage|marital ordinances]] and so forth were dispensed with, and openly revoked by the 1885 [[Pittsburgh Platform]], which declared all ceremonial acts binding only if they served to enhance religious experience. From 1890, converts were no longer obligated to be circumcised. Similar policy was pursued by [[Claude Montefiore]]'s Jewish Religious Union, established at Britain in 1902. The Vereinigung für das Liberale Judentum in Germany, which was more moderate, declared virtually all personal observance voluntary in its 1912 guidelines.

"New Reform" saw the establishment and membership lay greater emphasis on the ceremonial aspects, after the former sterile and minimalist approach was condemned as offering little to engage in religion and encouraging apathy. Numerous rituals became popular again, often after being recast or reinterpreted, though as a matter of personal choice for the individual and not an authoritative obligation. [[Circumcision]] or [[Hatafat dam brit|Letting of Blood]] for converts and newborn babies became virtually mandated in the 1980s; [[Ritual washing in Judaism|ablution]] for menstruating women gained great grassroots popularity at the turn of the century, and some synagogues built [[mikveh]]s (ritual baths). A renewed interest in dietary laws (though by no means in the strict sense) also surfaced at the same decades, as were phylacteries, prayer shawls and head coverings. Reform is still characterized by having the least service attendance on average:<ref>[[Jack Wertheimer]], [[Steven M. Cohen]], [http://mosaicmagazine.com/essay/2014/11/the-pew-survey-reanalyzed/ "The Pew Survey Reanalyzed: More Bad News, but a Glimmer of Hope"], ''Mosaic Magazine'', 2 November 2014.</ref> for example, of those polled by [[Pew Research Center|Pew]] in 2013, only 34% of registered synagogue members (and only 17% of all those who state affinity) attend services once a month and more.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pewforum.org/2013/10/01/chapter-4-religious-beliefs-and-practices/|title=Chapter 4: Religious Beliefs and Practices|date=1 October 2013}}</ref>

The Proto-Reform movement did pioneer new rituals. In the 1810s and 1820s, the circles ([[Israel Jacobson]], [[Eduard Kley]] and others) that gave rise to the movement introduced [[confirmation]] ceremonies for boys and girls, in emulation of parallel Christian initiation rite. These soon spread outside the movement, though many of a more traditional leaning rejected the name "confirmation". In the "New Reform", [[Bar Mitzvah]] largely replaced it as part of the re-traditionalization, but many young congregants in the United States still perform one, often at [[Shavuot]]. Confirmation for girls eventually developed into the [[Bat Mitzvah]], now popular among all except strictly Orthodox Jews.

Some branches of Reform, while subscribing to its differentiation between ritual and ethics, chose to maintain a considerable degree of practical observance, especially in areas where a conservative Jewish majority had to be accommodated. Most Liberal communities in Germany maintained dietary standards and the like in the public sphere, both due to the moderation of their congregants and threats of Orthodox secession. A similar pattern characterizes the [[Movement for Reform Judaism]] in Britain, which attempted to appeal to newcomers from the [[United Synagogue]], or to the [[Israel Movement for Reform and Progressive Judaism]] (IMPJ) in Israel.

===Openness===
Its philosophy of continuous revelation made Progressive Judaism, in all its variants, much more able to embrace change and new trends than any of the other major denominations. 

Reform Judaism is considered to be the first major Jewish denomination to adopt gender equality in religious life{{Citation needed|date=June 2022}}. As early as 1846, the Breslau conference announced that women must enjoy identical obligations and prerogatives in worship and communal affairs, though this decision had virtually no effect in practice. [[Lily Montagu]], who served as a driving force behind British Liberal Judaism and WUPJ, was the first woman in recorded history to deliver a sermon at a synagogue in 1918, and set another precedent when she conducted a prayer two years later. [[Regina Jonas]], ordained in 1935 by later chairman of the Vereinigung der liberalen Rabbiner Max Dienemann, was the earliest known female rabbi to officially be granted the title. In 1972, [[Sally Priesand]] was ordained by [[Hebrew Union College]], which made her America's first female rabbi ordained by a rabbinical seminary, and the second formally ordained female rabbi in Jewish history, after Regina Jonas.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://ejewishphilanthropy.com/americas-first-female-rabbi-reflects-on-four-decades-since-ordination/|title=America's First Female Rabbi Reflects on Four Decades Since Ordination - eJewish Philanthropy|date=8 May 2012}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.lib.usm.edu/spcol/exhibitions/item_of_the_month/iotm_june_2013/|title=University of Southern Mississippi|website=www.lib.usm.edu}}</ref><ref name="Zola20">{{cite book | url= https://books.google.com/books?id=_qkP-xe7Lp4C&pg=PA20| title=Women Rabbis: Exploration & Celebration: Papers Delivered at an Academic Conference Honoring Twenty Years of Women in the Rabbinate, 1972–1992 | publisher=Hebrew Union College Press | editor=Zola, Gary Phillip | year=1996 | page=20 | isbn=0-87820-214-5}}</ref> Reform also pioneered family seating, an arrangement that spread throughout American Jewry but was only applied in continental Europe after World War II. Egalitarianism in prayer became universally prevalent in the WUPJ by the end of the 20th century.

Religious inclusion for [[LGBT]] people and ordination of LGBT rabbis were also pioneered by the movement. Intercourse between consenting adults was declared as legitimate by the [[Central Conference of American Rabbis]] (CCAR) in 1977, Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion accepted its first open LGBTQ students in 1990 (Leslie Bergson, Stephen Roberts and Burt Schuman) and the CCAR openly gay clergy were admitted in 1990.<ref>{{cite news |title=Reform Jews open door to gay clergy: FIN Edition |work=Toronto Star |agency=Torstar Syndication Services |publisher=Toronto Star Newspapers |date=1990-06-26}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Goldman |first=Ari L. |last2=Times |first2=Special To the New York |date=1990-06-26 |title=Reform Judaism Votes to Accept Active Homosexuals in Rabbinate |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/06/26/us/reform-judaism-votes-to-accept-active-homosexuals-in-rabbinate.html |access-date=2025-05-04 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The Acceptance of Openly Gay and Lesbian Rabbinic Students at HUC-JIR |url=https://www.ccarnet.org/ccar-resolutions/acceptance-openly-gay-and-lesbian-rabbinic-student/ |access-date=2025-05-04 |website=Central Conference of American Rabbis |language=en-US}}</ref> Same-sex marriage was sanctioned by the year 2000.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Reform rabbis affirm same-sex unions |journal=The Christian Century |date=19 April 2000 |volume=117 |issue=13 |url=https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A62023939/EAIM?u=usaskmain&sid=bookmark-EAIM&xid=ab5f7cbf |access-date=9 January 2024}}</ref> In 2015, the URJ adopted a Resolution on the Rights of [[Transgender]] and Gender Non-Conforming People, urging clergy and synagogue attendants to actively promote tolerance and inclusion of such individuals.<ref>{{cite web |last1=McDonald |first1=James |title=Reform Judaism Just Became the Country's Most Trans-Inclusive Religious Group |url=https://www.out.com/news-opinion/2015/11/05/reform-judaism-just-became-countrys-most-trans-inclusive-religious-group |website=Out |publisher=Pride Publishing |access-date=9 January 2024}}</ref>

American Reform, especially, turned action for social and progressive causes into an important part of religious commitment. From the second half of the 20th century, it employed the old rabbinic notion of ''[[Tikkun Olam]]'', "repairing the world", as a slogan under which constituents were encouraged to partake in various initiatives for the betterment of society. The [[Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism]] became an important lobby in service of progressive causes such as the rights of minorities. ''Tikkun Olam'' has become the central venue for active participation for many affiliates, even leading critics to negatively describe Reform as little more than a means employed by Jewish liberals to claim that commitment to their political convictions was also a religious activity and demonstrates fealty to Judaism. [[Dana Evan Kaplan]] stated that "''Tikkun Olam'' has incorporated only leftist, socialist-like elements. In truth, it is political, basically a mirror of the most radically leftist components of the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]] platform, causing many to say that Reform Judaism is simply 'the Democratic Party with Jewish holidays'."<ref>''Contemporary Debates'', pp. 122–123. See also: Darren Kleinberg, ''[https://www.academia.edu/28603703 Reform Judaism and the Jewish "Social Gospel"]{{Dead link|date=April 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}''. CCAR Journal: The Reform Jewish Quarterly, Fall 2009.</ref> In Israel, the [[Israel Religious Action Center|Religious Action Center]] is very active in the judicial field, often using litigation both in cases concerning civil rights in general and the official status of Reform Judaism within the state, in particular.<ref>[[Aviad Hacohen|Aviad haCohen]], ?בית המשפט ובג"ץ: תל פיות לתנועה הרפורמית, in: Rosenak ed., pp. 439–479.</ref>

===Jewish identity===
While opposed to [[Interfaith marriage in Judaism|interfaith marriage]] in principle, officials of the major Reform rabbinical organisation, the [[Central Conference of American Rabbis]] (CCAR), estimated in 2012 that about half of their rabbis partake in such ceremonies. The need to cope with this phenomenon – 80% of all Reform-raised Jews in the United States wed between 2000 and 2013 were [[Intermarried Jews in the Holocaust|intermarried]]<ref name="Cohen"/> – led to the recognition of [[Matrilineality in Judaism|patrilineal descent]]: all children born to a couple in which a single member was Jewish, whether mother or father, was accepted as a Jew on condition that they received corresponding education and committed themselves as such. Conversely, offspring of a Jewish mother only are not accepted if they do not demonstrate affinity to the faith. A Jewish status is conferred unconditionally only on the children of two Jewish parents.

This decision was taken by the British Liberal Judaism in the 1950s. The North American [[Union for Reform Judaism]] (URJ) accepted it in 1983, and the British [[Movement for Reform Judaism]] affirmed it in 2015. The various strands also adopted a policy of embracing the intermarried and their spouses. British Liberals offer "blessing ceremonies" if the child is to be raised Jewish, and the MRJ allows its clergy to participate in celebration of civil marriage, though none allow a full Jewish ceremony with ''[[chupah]]'' and the like. In American Reform, 17% of synagogue-member households have a converted spouse, and 26% an unconverted one.<ref name="Co2"/> Its policy on conversion and Jewish status led the WUPJ into conflict with more traditional circles, and a growing number of its adherents are not accepted as Jewish by either the [[Conservative Judaism|Conservative]] or the [[Orthodox Judaism|Orthodox]]. Outside North America and Britain, patrilineal descent was not accepted by most. As in other fields, small WUPJ affiliates are less independent and often have to deal with more conservative Jewish denominations in their countries, such as vis-à-vis the Orthodox rabbinate in Israel or continental Europe.

===Conversion===
Conversion within Reform Judaism has been seen as controversial by the Orthodox and Masorti sects. Due to the Reform movement's progressive views on what it means to be a Jew, the conversion process has been criticized and often unrecognized by more conservative sects, yet conversions through the Reform movement are legally recognized by the Israeli government and thus entitled to citizenship under the Law of Return.<ref>Frank, L. (2023) ''Reform Movement Statement on Conversion Issue / Law of Return Grandchild Clause''. Union for Reform Judaism. https://urj.org/press-room/reform-movement-statement-conversion-issue-law-return-grandchild-clause</ref> 

Converts through Reform Judaism are accepted based on their sincerity, regardless of their background or previous beliefs. Studying with a rabbi is the norm and can take anywhere from several months to several years. The process focuses on participation in congregational activities and observation of holidays and Halakha. Conversions are finalized with a meeting of the Beit Din and usually a Brit Milah and a Tevilah, though the extent to which the practice of Brit Milah is observed varies from country to country.<ref>''Reform Judaism: The Tenets of Reform Judaism''. Jewish Virtual Library. https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/the-tenets-of-reform-judaism#Belief</ref> Furthermore, the acceptance of Reform converts by other sects is rare, with many Orthodox and Masorti temples rejecting Reform Converts.