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Friday, November IS, 1999
TBI SOUTHERN ISRAELITE
Pace Three
PLAIN TALK—By Alfred Segal
Who Is a Reform Jew?
I call myself one ... a Reform
Jew, that is. I pay dues into a
Reform temple in our town. Long
ago in my lifetime I started out
toward being a Reform rabbi (as
reported here before) but I
didn’t get far in that direction.
I became a newspaper reporter
instead.
I brought up my three sons in
a Reform Sabbath school, and
my seven grandchildren have all
been attending the same sabbath
school, three of them already
confirmed.
But now I’m being asked,
“Who is a Reform Jew?" The
question is in a pamphlet I’ve
just received. It carries the pro
gram of the 45th biennial con
vention of the Union of Amer
ican Hebrew Congregations (Re
form) at Miami Beach, Nov. 14-
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19. One of the questions to be
discussed at this Reform meet
ing is “Who Is a Reform Jew?”
I guess most of us Reformers
give different answers to this
question, just as a lot of the
Orthodox would give different
answers to the question, “Who is
an Orthodox Jew?” It’s to the
credit of Judaism in these times
that its mind is not imprisoned
by tight formulae.
(For instance: In an Otrhodox
synagogue, I might look over all
the heads in the women’s section
of the schul to count the number
of sheitels. Probably I would
find only about one head with
a sheitel on in accordance with
Orthodox tradition; all the oth
ers will be wearing their natural
hair neatly curled by skilled
hair-dressers. I’m mentioning
this by way of suggesting some
change that has gone on even in
Orthodox practice, since the time
when my grandma was wearing
a sheitel, and my grandpa a long
beard.)
Well, then I’m imagining I am
a delegate to the convention of
the Reform Union of American
Hebrew Congregations in No
vember down there at Miami
Beach. (Oh, it’s so pleasant just
to imagine being there in that
season.)
As one of the delegates I’m
asked to get up and give an an
swer to the program's question:
“Who is a Reform Jew?”
I reply: “Ladies and Gentle
men: All I know about that is
to say that a Reform Jew is one
who tries to be a decent guy in
the world. He may not have in
London Rabbi Says
Prejudices Against
Women Disappearing
NEW YORK, (WUP)—Dr. Har
ry Rabinowicz, rabbi of Dollis
Hill Synagogue, London, and
author of numerous books and
essays on Jewish ethics and Has-
sidism, holds that the prejudices
against women are gradually dis
appearing and that “there are
now many opportunities for wo
men to participate in every phase
of human endeavor.”
Dr. Rabinowicz expresses his
views in an article entitled “Wo
men In Jewish Tradition” appear
ing in the current issue of “The
Jewish Spectator.”
“Many of our great national
events are associated with wo
men,” Dr. Rabinowicz writes.
“The Exodus from Egypt was
due, the rabbis tells us, to ‘the
pious women of Israel’ and be
fore the Divine Revelation at
Mount Sinai, Moses first went to
the ‘House of Jacob,’ namely, the
women.”
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his head much Hebrew beyond
the words of the Sh’ma, and he
believes in its call: ‘Hear, O Is
rael, the Lord they God is one
God.’
“He doesn’t think of God as
One far away in some place call
ed heaven. He thinks of God as
Someone in his own house to
show the family how to live, to
keep the children growing up
right toward becoming decent
people.
"The ideal Reform Jew whom
I’m trying to describe is not one
who seeks to be on committees
by which to get his name into
newspapers; or to sit at the
speakers’ table at Reform ban
quets; or to be Jewishly promi
nent here and there. His ideal
of religious success is to walk in
God’s direction.
“He may be one who doesn’t
get to the temple regularly; he
has the temple in his own house,
you might say, and there he ana
his family serve God by their
way of doing. As Reformers they
don’t keep kosher there, but this
Reform Jew deeply respects the
ways of other Jews who do keep
kosher.
“He may tell you that in his
opinion the matter of being Jew
ish hasn’t a thing to do with what
a man puts into his stomach; it’s
what a guy feeds into his heart
rather . . .‘That’s my idea of be
ing a Jew,’ this Reform Jews
says.
“He is not deeply versed in
Torah, but long ago when he at
tended Sabbath school, he learn
ed out of Leviticus the verse that
says: ‘Love thy neighbor as thy
self,’ and he has well remember
ed it ever since. He has tried
to live by it himself ... by way
of doing for his neighbors, not
only those who live next door to
him, but neighbors all over town,
and all over the world, of what
ever faith or race or color.
“From the time when he was
a boy in school he also remem
bers a verse out of a Biblical
prophet who said: ‘What doth
the Lord thy God require of thee
but to do justly, to love mercy
and to walk humbly with thy
God.’
“He likes to say that in this
verse is all of Jewish religion as
it should be practiced by every
body.
Haber"Odysey"
Will Appear
In Hebrew
TEL AVIN, (WUP) — Julius
Haber’s “Odysey of An American
Zionist” — an eyewitness record
of the great events in contempo
rary Jewish history which was
originally published in the U S.
three years ago—will soon ap
pear here in a special Hebrew
edition with a supplement.
Haber’s face—a typical Zionist
face—is known in Jewish circles
in many parts of the world, es
pecially in Israel and at the Unit
ed Nations where he is well-
known to the press and delegates.
He is known as a sort of “unof
ficial Jewish Ambassador” ever
present when something vital oc
curs on the Jewish scene any
where in the world.
Haber’s Hebrew edition records
events qp until Rabbi Herzog’s
passing and Ambassador Ogden
R. Reid’s arrival in Israel.
A full record leading to the
Sinai operation is included in the
Hebrew supplement. Haber pic
tures vividly and in detail this
dramatic episode in which the
U.S. played such an ignoble role
versus the Jewish State.
Interviewed here, the amiable
Haber told the WUP reporter
that he had only one hope in the
writing of his volume, namely,
that "The coming generation
would be fully informed of all
the historical events which took
place on the world Jewish scene
since the prince of Israel, Theo
dor Herzl, appeared, and set the
wheels in motion for Jewish
statehood.”
“Well, ladies and gentlemen of
the Union of American Hebrew
Congregations that makes my an
swer to your question. ‘Who is
a Reform Jew?’ This is not to
say that all Reform Jews are that
way. Oh, no! So many people
slip off and fall away from the
height which they are supposed
to ascend. So many Reform Jews
slip a bit short of the ideal which
I’ve tried to set before you.
“And, ladies and gentlemen, I
don’t mean at all to suggest that
I myself as Reform Jew keep
standing as high as the one I’ve
described in answer to your
? uestion, ‘Who is a Reform Jew?’
fall down every so often.
“One more thing: I’ve describ
ed to you one whom I regard as
the ideal Reform Jew, but, be
tween you and me, all of the
same may be said of the ideal
Orthodox and Conservative Jew.
What’s the difference as to their
ritual practices. Mainly to be a
g ood Jew is to conduct one’s
fe in accordance with the spiri
tual and ethical teachings of
Judaism, and what’s really the
least difference between an
Orthodox, a Conservative and a
Reform Jew, each of whom con
ducts his own life that way.
Thanks, ladies and gentlemen of
the Union of American Hebrew
Congregations for giving me this
chance to have my say.”
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