"Rethinking dues structures, using technology more effectively and sharing best practices are all worthy things to focus on for American Jewry’s largest religious movement. But what Reform needs most is an ideological reorientation that seeks to close the enormous gap between its stated ideals and the conventional practice of its adherents. Toward that end, Reform needs to retire once and for all the phrase that has become synonymous with the movement itself: “personal choice.”"
Friday, May 13, 2011
Wither Reform Redux: Op-Ed: Reform Judaism must move beyond ‘personal choice’ | JTA - Jewish & Israel News
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In response to Rabbi Leon A. Morris’s Comments:
ReplyDeletePeople want a religion that inspires them and links them to their heritage, but not one that inconveniences them or imposes standards upon them. People belong to a religious organization with the desire to be part of a larger community that gives them meaning and purpose. However, with belonging comes the obligation of group standards and the necessity of being a contributing member of the group, and this phenomena is seen across Jewish denominations; not only liberal Judaism. “Personal choice” has enabled formal affiliation on one’s own terms with minimal obligation and that is not so bad. However, in my view, personal choice is not really informed choice but self serving and discretionary, and to a large degree personal choice has remolded the liberal synagogue itself. Now, perhaps it is time for the synagogue to mold the individual through study, practice, and commitment to what Judaism stands for