Reform Books

Jewish Living: A Guide to Contemporary Reform Practice

Mark Washofsky

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 5 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

The Best of its Kind 5 out of 5 stars.
17 of 17 people found this review helpful.

Dr. Washofsky outlines contemporary Reform Jewish practice within the context of Jewish tradition. His explanations are clear and informative, the topics covered nearly exhaustive. This work far exceeds any other attempts to define a Reform Jewish practice thus far. This is a "must have" for every Reform household.

Excellent Guide to Reform Judaism's Halacha 5 out of 5 stars.
7 of 7 people found this review helpful.

This is the best reference available for Reform Halacha. Halacha refers traditionally to Jewish law, and it has been argued that the Reform movement is "non-Halachic" but Rabbi Washofsky counters this view, positing that there is such a thing as Reform Halacha, interpreted to be "practice." It covers the expected areas of prayer and synagogue life and holiday observance, as well as areas generally considered to be outside the concern of Reform -- such as the dietary laws. Other topics are: life cycle, conversion, medical ethics, between Jews and non-Jews, Reform Judaism in relation to the Jewish Community at large, Judaism and Society. Over all, it really is an excellent guide to Jewish practice as it affects all aspects of life, from the most significant of times to the seemingly everyday.

Editorial Review:

This definitive guide for Reform Jewish practice is a complete source for those who wish to incorporate Jewish practice into their everyday life. Mark Washofsky, a highly respected professor at Hebrew Union College, leads the reader to an understanding of the whole of Jewish life-from blessings to bar/bat mitzvah, Havdalah to haftarah, and tikkun olam to tikkun Leil Shavuot. This user-friendly compendium for living a Jewish life is a wonderful tool for those seeking an understanding of current Reform Jewish practice.

Definitive source for Reform Jewish practice
Easy- to-use format
Excellent resource for study or reference

Paradigm Shift: From the Jewish Renewal Teachings of Reb Zalman Schachter-Shalomi

Ellen Singer

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Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi is one of the most innovative and inspiring rabbis in the Jewish world today. Often considered the grandfather of the Havurah movement and the most influential advocate of the rapidly growing movement of Jewish Renewal, Reb Zalman (as he is known by his countless students and admirers) has earned a reputation as a courageous, profoundly spiritual contemporary master. Jewish Renewal, as Reb Zalman explains it, is based on Kabbalah, Hasidism, and other forms of Jewish mysticism. Jewish Renewal does not want to abandon sacred and cherished traditions, teaches Reb Zalman. Rather, the paradigm shift advocates of Jewish Renewal call for asks that we recognize - as we have in the past - that there are newly emerging ways of looking at reality. Just as humankind had to adjust to the knowledge that the earth is not the center of the universe, so too do we today have to recognize that our understanding of our world has undergone significant change. Reb Zalman teaches that we must let go of the old paradigms rather than cling to these obsolete ways of thinking. In this book, Reb Zalman Schachter-Shalomi offers what he calls the journey of my own recontextualization of Judaism as helped by Jewish mysticism. Reb Zalman points out that Judaism has undergone several paradigm shifts throughout its long history, such as the period after the destruction of the First and Second Temples, when, as Reb Zalman explains, all of our practice and belief had to be reframed. Paradigm Shift: From the Jewish Renewal Teachings of Reb Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, in addition to being a record of the major teachings of Reb Zalman over the past thirty years, is a call for Jewish renewal once again. A passionate teacher of kabbalistic tradition, Reb Zalman offers a unique blend of Jewish mystical ideas as they encounter the forces and sensibilities of today.

A Vision of Holiness: The Future of Reform Judaism

Richard N. Levy

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Editorial Review:

Where is Reform Judaism heading in the twenty-first century? This was the question before the Central Conference of American Rabbis as it undertook to write a Statement of Principles, the fourth in a series of comprehensive statements that the Reform rabbinate has adopted throughout its history to help inspire the thought and practice of Reform Judaism. A Vision of Holiness is an explication of the Pittsburgh Principles’ vision, as seen through the lens of the rabbi who guided the process and shaped the document. It is a personal reflection of a communal vision, an attempt to explore the implications of the 1999 document. A Vision of Holiness will change all of its readers, Reform or not, to reflect on the nature of their religious lives and deepen their relationships with God, their absorption in Torah, and their critical commitment to the destiny of the Jewish people and the Jewish state. A Vision of Holiness illumines the manner in which this vibrant group of Jews envisions its purpose in the world and sets forth challenges for Reform Judaism’s ongoing engagement with mitzvot.

Whose Torah?: A Concise Guide to Progressive Judaism (Whose Religion? Series)

Rebecca Alpert

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Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Noted scholar and groundbreaking rabbi Rebecca Alpert discusses what the Torah actually says about sex, war, poverty, the environment, and other major contemporary issues.

"Jews believe in a God whose main interest was to take a bunch of rebellious slaves and set them free from oppression—who could top that?"—from Whose Torah?

Rabbi Rebecca Alpert is a leading voice in progressive Judaism. A crusader for reform within the Jewish community, she was one of the first women in Jewish history to be ordained a rabbi. Alpert is a celebrated teacher, an expert on Jewish American religious history, and a key public advocate for progressive social issues in contemporary Jewish life.

In Whose Torah?, Alpert sketches a compelling portrait of the progressive values that belong to the core of Judaism today. Reaching deeply into the sources of Jewish tradition, she highlights with unflinching moral clarity the textual basis for a truly just vision of life for all who care about sexual, economic, and racial justice and for those who would oppose all forms of discrimination, unjust war, and the destruction of the environment. Alpert also carefully considers what it means to be Jewish in contemporary America—offering both a passionate and deeply learned defense of progressive Jewish identity.

Whose Torah? will be an essential intellectual resource for progressive Jews and for anyone searching for the religious underpinnings of contemporary progressive politics.

About the series: Titles in the Whose Religion? series will spark a spirited and substantive public debate over Catholicism, Protestantism, Judaism, and Islam and where each stands on today's most pressing issues: poverty, the environment, war, sex, race, and women's equality. In these books, noted progressive religious leaders present persuasive and profound examinations of religious belief, justice, and public policy in America.

Debunking widely held assumptions about these religions as inherently conservative on current issues, the books in Whose Religion? will offer powerful intellectual and inspirational tools for anyone grappling with a religious framework, whether to chart their own personal spiritual and moral course or to challenge the religious right and its co-option of religion for political gain.

Liberal Judaism

Eugene B Borowitz

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

The best book about Reform Judaism around! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This book is a must for anyone interested in learning about Reform Judaism. The author gives several different viewpoints on subjects ranging from Zionism, Creation, Life Cycle Events, Israel, etc., leaving the reader free to form his/her own opinions as well as understand others' viewpoints on a wide range of topics relevent to all Jews and those who are interested in Judaism. A definite 5* book!

Editorial Review:

This book probes the varieties of Jewish thought and ritual practice from the perspective of liberal Judaism.

Zion in the Desert: American Jews in Israel's Reform Kibbutzim (Suny Series in Israel Studies)

William F. S. Miles

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Editorial Review:

The first book about the only two Reform Movement kibbutzim in Israel.

The Reform Judaism Reader: North American Documents

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Editorial Review:

A Reform Judaism Reader chronicles the history of Reform Judaism from its roots in Western Europe until today. Included in the book are historical documents and writings by renowned authors that reflect the on-going evolution of Reform Judaism. These entries form a resource of enormous importance to anyone interested in the Reform movement's history, its present status, and its current direction.

Change is - and always has been - one of the defining characteristics of the Reform Movement. Throughout its history, it has been able to successfully adapt its relationship to tradition and Jewish heritage to meet the spiritual needs of the majority of American Jews. Its stances on halachah, ritual, social justice, and many other key issues have evolved significantly over the past two centuries, making contemporary Reform Judaism far different from what it was at its beginning, and even a generation ago.

A Reform Jewish Reader covers such areas as theology, social action, the Sabbath, outreach, and education.

Ideal for high school and adult education study
Each document preceded by an introduction by the authors
A complete reference collection for every Reform Judaism home and library
As both authors are known for their role in documenting the growth of the
Reform Movement, this book is sure to aid readers in understanding the changes that have occurred over the 200 year history.

Response to Modernity: A History of the Reform Movement in Judaism

Michael A. Meyer

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

A fascinating history of the Reform movement 5 out of 5 stars.
9 of 11 people found this review helpful.

Michael Meyer's clear-eyed history of the Reform (a.k.a. 'Progressive') movement should be read by anyone who wants to understand the current fragmented condition of modern Jewry. Meyer makes eminently clear that it is the Reformers who departed from the traditional faith of Judaism and thereby founded a new religion at odds with (what they came to call) Orthodoxy. (Meyer himself is clearly favourable toward this approach, but he is at least unblinkingly honest about it.) Anyone affiliated with Reform or Progressive 'Judaism' who has not read Meyer's careful and thorough historical exposition probably does not understand the real foundations of his or her own movement.

Excellent Discussion of Reform Origins and History 5 out of 5 stars.
7 of 7 people found this review helpful.

As a committed Progressive Jew who fluctuates between Reform and Reconstructionist affiliation, I was glad to stumble upon Michael Meyer's excellent history of the Reform Movement. Meyer traces the development of Reform from the early years in Hamburg and Berlin to recent decisions made the Central Conference of American Rabbis. In so doing, he explodes a number of horrific myths that Orthodox "Judaism" lobs at Reform: that significant numbers of Reform congregations shifted their main day of worship to Sunday; that the movement is simply "watered down" Judaism; that Reform Jews are simply "lapsed" Jews who would be Orthodox if they didn't find it difficult or knew more about Judaism. Meyer also shows that, just as there are and have been important movements and currents within "Orthodoxy", there were and are many different movements and currents within Reform. The discussions of the movement's growth and foment on German soil, and the transfer of that foment to the United States, are particularly enlightening.

Editorial Review:

Reform Judaism is today one of the three major branches of the Jewish faith. This is a history of the Reform movement, tracing its changing configuration and self-understanding from the beginnings of modernisation in late 18th-century Jewish thought and practice to American renewal in the 1970s.

What's Up with the Hard Core Jewish People? A Guide for Coping with Newly Observant Jews

Margery, Isis Schwartz

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Get the "4ll" on the Hard Core Jewish People 5 out of 5 stars.
6 of 6 people found this review helpful.

As the mother of a Hard Core Jewish son who started this journey 8 years ago, I am so glad Margery Schwartz has written this book. It is so needed and would have made my education of this world so much simpler if it would have been available earlier, but thankfully it has arrived. Not only is it a resource book to guide you through this new and foreign landscape if you are not a "hardcore" but it is an amusing and sassy story that is so right on and keeps you entertained from beginning to end. I strongly recommend it for anyone who is interested in learning about this slice of life, or is actually living it and needs a helpful guide to make it through the day.

Editorial Review:

This is the true story of a Reform Jewish family's struggle to cope with the divisiveness caused when one son becomes a newly observant Jew (baal teshuva or BT).

This is the first book about BTs and Orthodox Judaism written from the perspective of a sassy Secular Jew with a high level of Jewish knowledge. The book is heart-warming, entertaining, and a compendium of everything you ever wanted to know about Judaism without really trying.

Nineteen Letters

S.R. Hirsch

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Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

The nineteen letters 5 out of 5 stars.
6 of 7 people found this review helpful.

Rabbi Elias' commentary and footnotes shed much light and give in depth analysis of this damed work of Hirsch.As a reknowned Hirschian, He is certainly qualified for his work. The nineteen letters themselves are indubidibly one of the greatest treasures judaism possesses, as this landmark book makes abundantly clear the fallacies of attempting to contort religion to one's whims and clarifies and thereby brings out the beauty in true judaism.A masterpiece, with a tremendous and much needed commentary to boot.A must buy.

Wonderful book 5 out of 5 stars.
5 of 6 people found this review helpful.

First of all, people looking for this book should know that there is another translation out by Joseph Elias, published by Feldheim Publishers. This came out recently so it should be easier to find. In any case, Rabbi Hirsch's great writing skills come out through any translation of his works I have ever read. Not only is this a fabulous introduction to his theory of Judaism, it is so well-done that you'll keep going back to read certain phrases or statements of ideas. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about Judaism, including those who already know a lot.

Editorial Review:

Writing under the pen name "ben Uziel," Hirsch presents his original view of Judaism in the form of a fictional correspondence between a young rabbi and philosopher, and a youthful intellectual. With extensive commentary by Rabbi Joseph Elias.