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RABBINIC REFLECTION BY RABBI michael berk
PROUD TO BE A REFORM JEW
OCTOBER 2007
In the middle of December one of the most amazing gatherings of the Jewish people will occur right here in San Diego. I am referring to the URJ (Union of Reform Judaism) Biennial Convention. As the flagship Reform congregation in San Diego, it is CBI's honor to join in hosting this event and provide a warm welcome to the nearly 5,000 delegates who will attend from hundreds of congregations around North America and the world.
Recently, an Orthodox rabbi was a guest at one of our B'nai Mitzvah services. After the service he commented about the Torah passing service. He said, "You know, that's something we could do too!" He reminded me of a truth I wish all Jews recognized, that each stream of Judaism has its strengths and weaknesses; and we can learn a lot from each other. Having said this, I want to add that with the Biennial coming, it is a good time to recognize and speak of our Reform Judaism as something to be proud of.
I am proud to be a Reform Jew because it represents the Judaism which first seated Jewish men and women together in worship; it brought grandeur to our services by introducing new liturgy and majestic liturgical music; it has helped us cope with the modern world by printing old prayers alongside new outpourings of the heart in new siddurim (prayerbooks); it has trained rabbis and cantors longer than any other movement in America and, due to the Nazis, its seminary (Hebrew Union College) is the second oldest in the world; it has articulated in loud and clarion voice the ethical and moral imperatives of our faith through its social justice program; it is the first movement to ordain women and gays as rabbis and cantors; it was the movement which was willing, when no other was, to welcome the non-Jewish spouse into the synagogue. We have done these things because we knew they were right; even if it meant we incurred the wrath of those who disagreed with us and thought our Judaism to be less than authentic.
The Biennial is an extraordinary opportunity to join with others who are concerned about making their synagogues the best they can be. As a host congregation, we have many opportunities to participate, including volunteering. I hope you will join me and the other leaders, lay and professional, at the Biennial. The opportunities to learn about every facet of synagogue life are vast, but are only part of the program. There are opportunities to study with some of the best teachers and scholars in the world, worship using the new Reform siddur, Mishkan T'filah, with 5,000 others on Shabbat, meet authors, shop in a huge Jewish marketplace set up just for the Biennial, hear national political and religious leaders speak, or pick from hundreds of workshops on any synagogue topic you can imagine.
The Reform movement is a community of passionate Jews struggling with God's demands on us today. It is a movement of serious seekers, people like you and me, who live in this world and search out and respond to God's commanding voice. The URJ Biennial is a magnificent event to help us as we seek to fulfill our purpose and mission. Hope to see you there!
Rabbi Michael Berk
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