EDITOR'S WATCH
It's A Matter of Principle
is a proposal, not a platform. It's
And that's exactly the response
rooted in principle, not law.
Levy, the Los Angeles Hillel Council
But to be a proposal of princi-
director, said he hoped to elicit.
ples at this point in the nearly
What fueled the controversy was
200-year-old history of Reform
Levy's call for Reform Jews to commit
Judaism is to ignite a healthy firestorm
to studying.Torah, reading Hebrew,
within the liberal movement.
observing Shabbat, keeping
Caught in the clash of
a kosher home, celebrating
beliefs are Classical Reform
the holidays and making
Jews who subscribe to a more
aliyah.
assimilated experience and
The Ten Principles of
other Reform Jews who
Reform Judaism, already
choose a more observant
amended amid dissent since
lifestyle.
their March release, may
At issue is Rabbi Richard
never become only the
Levy's "Ten Principles for
fourth formal guide to the
Reform Judaism" — and
theology and practice of the
ROBERT A.
what God, Torah, ritual and
Reform Movement since
SKLAR
mitzvot mean to Reform Jews.
Rabbi Kaufmann Kohler
Editor
Levy, president of the
penned the Pittsburgh Plat-
Central Conference of
form in 1885.
American Rabbis, drafted the Ten
And they shouldn't, without con-
Principles in hopes of imbuing more
sensus support from the movement,
commanded obligations into a move-
which has 1.5-million members in
ment that has placed higher priority
North America.
on ethical choices.
Still, the recurring theme of
As he perceptively put it: "I think
reclaiming once-rejected practices in
Reform Jews have tended to interpret
pursuit of holiness and social justice
you have autonomy,' as 'you don't
cries out for robust debate.
have to.' We need to find a balance
Some Reform Jews are repulsed by
between the call of tradition and our
what they consider creeping tradition-
own understanding of what Judaism
alism into their spiritually unbridled
requires of us."
lives. Others embrace the proposed
Regardless of whether the Ten Prin-
endorsement.of ritual observance —
ciples survive the scrutiny they're
from wearing kippot and tallit to lay-
encountering in temples across the
ing tefillin, keeping kosher and
country, Reform Jews who never
immersing in a mikvah.
before bared their neshama, their Jew-
A pillar of Reform Judaism is
ish soul, are speaking up and out on
acceptance of all Jews, whatever their
this issue.
PRINCIPLE onpage 37
I
Ten Principles
for Reform Judaism
— A Draft Proposal, By Rabbi Richard Levy
Preamble:
WHO ARE WE REFORM JEWS?
. . . We do not attempt to legislate a code of belief or conduct for
Reform Jews, or presume to advocate a single mode of religious expres-
sion for all. As Reform Jews, we are open to the entirety of our tradition,
commanded to engage in the study and practice that will embody that
tradition in a manner appropriate to our different situations ...
TOWARD GOD
First Created by the Holy One, we are seekers after God
Second: Having stood at Sinai, we respond to the call of mitzvot amid
modernity
Third: We were redeemed from Egypt to help repair the world
TOWARD TORAH
Fourth: We are committed to Shabbat, which elevates our work and
frees us from it
Fifth: We are committed to learning and seasonal celebration
Sixth: We are open to expanding the mitzvot of Reform Jewish prac-
tice
TOWARD ISRAEL, PEOPLE & LAND
Seventh: We are members of a holy people, from whom we learn,
whom we can teach
Eighth: Members of a holy people, we are rooted in a holy land
Ninth: Members of a holy people, we are heirs to a holy tongue
Tenth: We are committed to the equality of all the people of God
The full text of the draft platform is available in the Winter 1998 edi-
tion of Reform Judaism magazine and on the World Wide Web at
www.ccarnet.org/platforms/tenpri.html
LETTERS
and his able staff.
Akiva, like all privately funded Jew-
ish day schools, has its challenges.
Meeting those challenges is unques-
tionably a daunting task. With a new
modernized school, our ongoing suc-
cessful capital campaign and the con-
tinued enthusiasm of our parent body,
we are certain that the year 2000 will
see a vital and viable Akiva.
Over the past few years, we have
graduated a number of National Merit
Scholar finalists and the vast majority
of our graduates attend and excel at
universities of their choice, including
the University of Michigan, Brandeis,
Harvard, Columbia, Penn, Yeshiva
University and other notable schools
of higher learning.
Teaching our students to cherish tra-
ditional Jewish ideals, excel in all secu-
lar endeavors and embrace the modern
1/S
1999
34 Detroit Jewish News
State of Israel is our mandate. In addi-
tion, our graduates, many of whom are
now leaders in their own communities
in Israel and throughout the United
States, will continue to be our contri-
bution to the Jewish community.
The Executive Committee
Akiva Hebrew Day School
Lathrup Village
Balance
Is Needed
Your Jan. 1 article on Akiva thorough-
ly recounted the school's problems.
Unfortunately, the article was far less
successful in conveying Akiva's
strengths. This created an inaccurate
picture of Akiva and particularly of its
fine principal, Rabbi Karmi Gross.
Rabbi Gross is Akiva school's single
greatest asset, not a liability as your
article seems to imply. He is a learned,
dedicated and innovative Jewish edu-
cator who has instilled an excitement
about learning in Akiva's students and
developed an outstanding Judaic stud-
ies program, which are unparalleled in
recent years.
Rabbi Gross was hired because of
these strengths, not to espouse any
particular philosophy within Ortho-
dox Judaism. [We] parents who
choose to send our children to Akiva
or any other day school have decided
to make an excellent Torah education
our priority. None of us is blind to the
fact that few Orthodox day schools or
yeshivot have the resources to match
the secular course offerings of a public
school and realize that some compro-
mises will be required. Yes, the Akiva
parent body realizes that the secular
high school curriculum still needs
improvement and is actively working
towards that goal. The same is equally
true of most other yeshivot of similar
size and resources. There is always
room for improvement, but Akiva
remains the best choice for a large
number in Detroit's observant Jewish
community
Mark D. Faber
Southfield
Commitment,
Confidence
As a former president of Yeshivat
Akiva, I think The Jewish News' cover
story on Akiva draws the wrong con-
clusion. Perhaps it is because The Jew-
ish News doesn't understand the parent
body that is attracted to the school.