Results by title

71 books match the query 'Reform Judaism' and 11 start with t

cover of The First Fifty Years: A Jubilee in Prose and Poetry Honoring Women Rabbis

The First Fifty Years

A Jubilee in Prose and Poetry Honoring Women Rabbis

Rabbi Sue Levi Elwell, Jessica Greenbaum, Rabbi Hara E. Person

Central Conference of American Rabbis, 2023

The ordination of Rabbi Sally J. Priesand in 1972 was a watershed moment in Jewish history. In The First Fifty Years, contributors from across the Jewish and gender spectrums reflect on the meaning of this moment and the ensuing decades, both personally and for the Jewish community. In short pieces of new prose, authors—many of them pioneering rabbis—share stories, insights, analysis, and celebrations of women in the rabbinate. These are intertwined with a wealth of poetry that poignantly captures the spirit of this anniversary. The volume is a deep, heartfelt tribute to women rabbis and their indelible impact on all of us.

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cover of The Fragile Dialogue: New Voices of Liberal Zionism

The Fragile Dialogue

New Voices of Liberal Zionism

Rabbi Stanley M. Davids and Rabbi Lawrence A. Englander, DHL

Central Conference of American Rabbis, 2018

Israel has quickly become one of the most polarizing forces in the North American Jewish community. In a world already much too divided, how can we approach the subject of Zionism without widening the rifts? This book wrestles with and attempts to frame the very fragile dialogue surrounding Zionism and Israel in the 21st century Progressive Jewish community. Written from a multiplicity of views, the collection explores the many lenses through which this varied community approaches Zionism, not only set apart by political differences but also by geographical diversity, religious divisiveness, socio-economic policies, gender issues, the use and abuse of power, and more. The Fragile Dialogue is a conversation starter, meant to provide a basis for narrowing the rifts in our dialogue around Zionism today.
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cover of The Mussar Torah Commentary: A Spiritual Path to Living a Meaningful and Ethical Life

The Mussar Torah Commentary

A Spiritual Path to Living a Meaningful and Ethical Life

Rabbi Barry H. Block

Central Conference of American Rabbis, 2020

This Mussar-based commentary is a vital resource for Torah study, offering a thoughtful analysis of each of the 54 weekly parashot. Each essay in this anthology brings a parashah into juxtaposition with one of the Mussar middot (character traits as described within the Jewish school of ethics called Mussar), thereby providing an applied lens of Mussar teachings that helps us to delve deeper into our tradition with increased mindfulness and intention.

 

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cover of The Open Door: A Passover Haggadah

The Open Door

A Passover Haggadah

Rabbi Sue Levi Elwell

Central Conference of American Rabbis, 2002

The Open Door includes traditional and innovative blessings, extensive commentaries and supplemental readings, contemporary additions like Miriam's Cup, women's and men's voices in gender inclusive language, more than 40 pages of traditional and newly commissioned music, and magnificent full color art.
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cover of The Sacred Calling: Four Decades of Women in the Rabbinate

The Sacred Calling

Four Decades of Women in the Rabbinate

Rabbi Rebecca Einstein Schorr and Rabbi Alysa Mendelson Graf

Central Conference of American Rabbis, 2016

Winner of the 2016 National Jewish Book Award in Women's Studies, this pioneering anthology paints an illuminating and necessary picture of the past while laying the groundwork for important work yet to be done.

Women have been rabbis for over forty years. No longer are women rabbis a unique phenomenon, rather they are part of the fabric of Jewish life. In this anthology, rabbis and scholars from across the Jewish world reflect back on the historic significance of women in the rabbinate and explore issues related to both the professional and personal lives of female rabbis. This collection examines the ways in which the reality of women in the rabbinate has impacted all aspects of Jewish life, including congregational culture, liturgical development, life cycle ritual, the Jewish healing movement, spirituality, theology, and more.

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cover of The Sacred Encounter: Jewish Perspectives on Sexuality

The Sacred Encounter

Jewish Perspectives on Sexuality

Rabbi Lisa Grushcow, Dphil

Central Conference of American Rabbis, 2014

This wide-ranging anthology takes a close look at the breadth of human sexuality from a Jewish perspective. The essays begin with a look at biblical and rabbinic views on sexuality and then proceed to explorations of sexuality at different moments in the life cycle, sexuality and the marital model, diverse expressions of sexuality, examples of sexuality education, the nexus of sexuality and theology, and the challenges of contemporary sexual ethics. The Sacred Encounter is a thought-provoking and important Jewish resource. Perfect for personal study or for high school or adult classes.

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cover of The Sacred Table: Creating a Jewish Food Ethic

The Sacred Table

Creating a Jewish Food Ethic

Rabbi Mary L. Zamore

Central Conference of American Rabbis, 2011

The Sacred Table: Creating a Jewish Food Ethic is an anthology of diverse essays on Jewish dietary practices. This volume presents the challenge of navigating through choices about eating, while seeking to create a rich dialogue about the intersection of Judaism and food. The definition of Kashrut, the historic Jewish approach to eating, is explored, broadened and, in some cases, argued with, in these essays. Kashrut is viewed not only as a ritual practice, but also as a multifaceted Jewish relationship with food and its production, integrating values such as ethics, community, and spirituality into our dietary practice.

The questions considered in The Sacred Table are broad reaching. Does Kashrut represent a facade of religiosity, hiding immorality and abuse, or is it, in its purest form, a summons to raise the ethical standards of food production? How does Kashrut enrich spiritual practice by teaching intentionality and gratitude? Can paying attention to our own eating practices raise our awareness of the hungry? Can Kashrut inspire us to eat healthfully? Can these laws draw us around the same table, thus creating community? In exploring the complexities of these questions, this book includes topics such as agricultural workers' rights, animal rights, food production, the environment, personal health, the spirituality of eating and fasting, and the challenges of eating together.

The Sacred Table celebrates the ideology of educated choice. The essays present a diverse range of voices, opinions, and options, highlighting the Jewish values that shape our food ethics. Whether for the individual, family, or community, this book supplies the basic how-tos of creating a meaningful Jewish food ethic and incorporating these choices into our personal and communal religious practices. These resources will be helpful if we are new to these ideas or if we are teaching or counseling others. Picture a beautiful buffet of choices from which you can shape your personal Kashrut. Read, educate yourself, build on those practices that you already follow, and eat well.
 

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cover of This Happy Land: The Jews of Colonial and Antebellum Charleston

This Happy Land

The Jews of Colonial and Antebellum Charleston

James William Hagy

University of Alabama Press, 1993

This Happy Land charts the history of the Jewish community in Charleston, South Carolina, from the arrival of the first Jewish settlers in the 1690s until the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861. Charleston was the preeminent city of the South for many decades, and its Jewish community was the largest in North America from about the time of the American Revolution until around 1820. American Reform Judaism, one of the three major divisions of the faith, first appeared in Charleston in 1824 when the Reformed Society of Israelites was established. What happened among the Jews in Charleston thus affected the development of Judaism throughout America. 
            The Jews who lived in the city from the 17th century to 1861 are identified in Hagy’s comprehensive volume, which includes information on their places of origin, marriages, children, and deaths. From Hagy’s exhaustive research into published and archival sources, patterns emerged that allowed him to draw conclusions about the life of the people in the city and to develop both a social and religious history. Hagy shows that the Jews who lived in Charleston quickly adapted to Southern ways of life, including dueling and the ownership of slaves and plantations. Jewish residents gained full economic and political rights long before other communities in the western world, which led to their full participation in the town’s public, financial, intellectual, and social life. The also lived where they chose, followed the professions they wanted, and generally participated in the affairs of the city. Most viewed America as this “happy land” and Charleston as their “New Jerusalem.”
            This book breaks new ground in the history of Jewish communities by providing such analyses as the origins of residents, the roles that women played in business, the causes of mortality, the antebellum Jewish family, the common aspects of life, and relations between Jews and African-Americans. It also provides a thorough analysis of the Reformed Society of Israelites that originated at Beth Elohim synagogue, and which became the first reform movement in America. The volume concludes with an appendix containing a list of all the known Jewish residents of Charleston for this period with selected biographical information.
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cover of This Joyous Soul: A New Voice for Ancient Yearnings

This Joyous Soul

A New Voice for Ancient Yearnings

Alden Solovy

Central Conference of American Rabbis, 2019

Like its predecessor, This Grateful Heart, this volume of creative liturgy opens a door into the transformative power of prayer. Structured to reflect the morning service found within Mishkan T'filah, this collection invites a deeply personal prayer experience that will strengthen our connection to Judaism and to the Reform siddur.

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cover of This Precious Life: Encountering the Divine with Poetry and Prayer

This Precious Life

Encountering the Divine with Poetry and Prayer

Alden Solovy

Central Conference of American Rabbis, 2021

In This Precious Life, liturgist Alden Solovy presents prayers, poetry, and meditations inspired by encounters with God. The first part draws from divine moments in our sacred texts, mostly the Torah but also the Prophets and the Writings. Using a contemporary voice, Solovy imagines these holy moments as experienced by our biblical ancestors so we can reclaim them as our own. The second part focuses on sacred moments in our daily lives, connections with the Divine that occur simply because we are human beings created in God's image. Equally suited to individual reflection and group prayer, the book completes a trilogy with This Grateful Heart and This Joyous Soul.
 

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cover of To Stand Aside or Stand Alone: Southern Reform Rabbis and the Civil Rights Movement

To Stand Aside or Stand Alone

Southern Reform Rabbis and the Civil Rights Movement

P. Allen Krause, Edited by Mark K. Bauman with Stephen Krause

University of Alabama Press, 2016

A landmark collection of previously unpublished interviews with Reform rabbis concerning their roles in the civil rights movement.

In 1966, a young rabbinical student named P. Allen Krause conducted interviews with twelve Reform rabbis from southern congregations concerning their thoughts, principles, and activities as they related to the civil rights movement. Perhaps because he was a young seminary student or more likely because the interviewees were promised an embargo of twenty-five years before the interviews would be released to the public, the rabbis were extremely candid about their opinions on and their own involvement with what was still an incendiary subject. Now, in To Stand Aside or Stand Alone: Southern Reform Rabbis and the Civil Rights Movement, their stories help elucidate a pivotal moment in time.
 
After a distinguished rabbinical career, Krause wrote introductions to and annotated the interviews. When Krause succumbed to cancer in 2012, Mark K. Bauman edited the manuscripts further and wrote additional introductions with the assistance of Stephen Krause, the rabbi’s son. The result is a unique volume offering insights into these rabbis’ perceptions and roles in their own words and with more depth and nuance than hitherto available. This exploration into the lives of these teachers and civic leaders is supported by important contextual information on the local communities and other rabbis, with such background information forming the basis of a demographic profile of the Reform rabbis working in the South.
 
The twelve rabbis whom Krause interviewed served in Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Virginia, and the substance and scope of their discussions cover some of the most crucial periods in the civil rights movement. Although some have provided accounts that appeared elsewhere or have written about their experiences themselves, several new voices appear here, suggesting that more southern rabbis were active than previously thought. These men functioned within a harsh environment: rabbis’ homes, synagogues, and Jewish community centers were bombed; one rabbi, who had been beaten and threatened, carried a pistol to protect himself and his family. The views and actions of these men followed a spectrum from gradualism to activism; while several of the rabbis opposed the evils of the separate and unequal system, others made peace with it or found reasons to justify inaction. Additionally, their approaches differed from their activist colleagues in the North even more than from each other.
 
Within these pages, readers learn about the attitudes of the rabbis toward each other, toward their congregants, toward national Jewish organizations, and toward local leaders of black and white and Protestant and Catholic groups. Theirs are dramatic stories of frustration, cooperation, and conflict.
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