oints of view

Commentary

Reform Judaism's
Obliqath7r To Chap

Biden Backing from page 25

restraint? This is not to question
their right to air their views but
it is somewhat presumptuous
— indeed, more than somewhat
— given they know little, if any-
thing, about the complex infor-
mation regarding Iran's progress
in developing nuclear weapons.
Nor do they have any knowledge
of the almost incomprehensible
strategies and tactics that would
be involved in a preemptive
strike.
With his straight-from-the-gut
statement, Biden made it clear
that no one, even his boss, has
the right to tell Israel how to
proceed on this life-and-death
issue.
There is no margin for error
and the only blood on the line is
that of Israelis — their children,
grandchildren, as well as the
country's very existence. L11

New York/JTA

Berl Falbaum of West Bloomfield

is an author and a public relations

executive who teaches journalism at

Wayne State University, Detroit. He

is a former political reporter.

IN A SCI FI MOVIE,
THE NEEDS OF
EUROPE'S SHRINKING
POPULATION

CAG LECA RTO ONS. COM

Dry Bones

DRYB O NES. COM

WED

26

June 28 2012

- oday's Reform movement is
built on the shoulders of our
L-1- . 1 19th-century Reform forebearers
who took Jewish tradition in an entirely
new direction, re-envisioning
our sacred texts and prac-
tices in the light of scientific
inquiry and the new frontiers
of human thought. Today, we
embrace the best of tradi-
tion and modernity, science
and spirituality. Ours is the
Judaism of autonomy, inclu-
siveness, creativity, passion,
relevance and depth.
Reform Judaism is unafraid
to change our tradition when
it holds us back from growing
and deepening our faith. For us, change
is not only permitted, but also obligatory.
And sometimes, it isn't even fast enough.
Ours is an inclusive Judaism. For too
long, the Jewish community had no place
for interfaith families and LGBT Jews. But
then Rabbi Alexander Schindler, one of
my predecessors, taught us the sacred
power of inclusion. Our loving embrace of
all who had been excluded has added to
our numbers and
to our strength.
That's one
reason I chose to
have my instal-
lation service at
Congregation
Beth Elohim
(CBE), in
Brooklyn.
Brooklyn is a very
different place
today than it was
in 1861 when CBE
was founded.
For the past
150 years, CBE
has responded
to the constant
changes in the
world beyond its
walls. Its mag-
nificent building
reflects the gran-
deur of the early
20th century, and
yet the building is
not what makes
this place so spe-
cial. This great
Reform syna-
gogue refused

WOULD RAVE BEEN
MET WITH ROBOT
CAB DRIVERS AND
DISH WASHERS

to allow its evolution to be thwarted by
those who venerate only the past. All
along the way, its leaders renewed their
sense of purpose and mission.
At first, CBE's rabbi wasn't sure that
CBE would be right for the installation
because the building is under-
going renovation. But we came
to agree: CBE today is a fitting
metaphor for our movement,
which is undergoing a different
kind of renovation as together
we re-imagine Reform Judaism
for the 21st century.

c;

No questions are off limits in
our texts. In America, Reform's
early leaders defined our core
mission largely in social justice
terms: "to solve, on the basis of justice
and righteousness, the problems pre-
sented by ... the evils of the present orga-
nization of society." That sacred mission
still inspires commitment among Jews of
all ages.
Indeed, the Jewish tradition and the
Jewish community make serious claims
on us. Our texts and our history call to us
to live lives of courage and conviction.
Reform Judaism teaches that each of
us is an autonomous individual, able to
make thoughtful, religious choices. Yet
there is more.
Consider this: Your daughter has the
lead in the school play. The play is sched-
uled during one of the busiest weeks in
your year, but still you mark the date of
the performance in your calendar with
red ink. Are you obligated to be there?
The Jewish philosopher Emanuel
Levinas taught that we come into the
world already obligated by the mere
gaze of the other, a gaze that demands a
response from us. By this, Levinas means
that relationships always come with obli-
gations. Is it written somewhere that we
have to go to our child's school play? No.
Some of the covenants in our lives are
unwritten, others written, but they are all
binding.

Reform Judaism, when practiced with
commitment, is no less demanding than
other expressions of Judaism – and
some would argue even more demanding
because we do not practice our religion
by rote, but by informed choice.
And informed choice invariably leads
to change. To those who claim "Reform
Judaism ain't what it used to be," I say,

"Reform Judaism ain't supposed to be
what it used to be; it's supposed to be in a
constant state of change, adaptation and
growth."
From the shoulders of our ancestors,
we can – and must – see both the past
and the promise of the future.
Before the establishment of the Jewish
state, David Ben-Gurion sought the wise
counsel of his trusted colleague Yitzhak
Tabenkin in making a crucial decision.
Tabenkin gave Ben-Gurion his counsel,
and Israel's first prime minister said, "I
accept what you say, but from whom did
you seek advice?"
"From two people," answered
Tabenkin. "From my grandfather who
died 10 years ago, and from my grandson
who is not yet born."
Just as our ancestors were liberated
from Egyptian slavery, we Reform Jews
were liberated from the yoke of tradition-
al Jewish life that had stifled those who
founded our movement. Our observance
and our rituals are always evolving. This
is the essence of our Reform Judaism, as
each individual finds their path to their
covenant with God.

Rabbi Rick Jacobs was installed as new president

of the Union for Reform Judaism on June 9.

This article is adapted from his installation

sermon. The full text is available at www.urj.org/

rabbijacobs.

standing
guard • .•

... For
Israel And
Our Jewish
Community

This year is the 40th anniversary
and yahrzeit of the 11 Israeli
athletes and coaches who were
murdered by Palestinian terrorists
at the 1972 Olympics in Munich,
Germany. Please join the worldwide
campaign to lobby the International
Olympic Committee to observe one
minute of silence in their memory
at the start of the 2012 games later
this summer in London, England. Visit
the following Facebook page to join
the campaign: www.facebook.com/
justoneminute.org.uk .

Prepared by Allan Gale, Jewish
Community Relations Council of

Metropolitan Detroit

June 28, 2012, Jewish Renaissance Media