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Jewish Resources
Return to Educational Resources
(Resources from Union for Reform Judaism)
o What is Reform Judaism? Throughout history, Jews have
remained firmly rooted in Jewish tradition, even as we learned much from
our encounters with other cultures. Nevertheless, since its earliest days,
Reform Judaism has asserted that a Judaism frozen in time is an heirloom,
not a living fountain. The great contribution of Reform Judaism is that
it has enabled the Jewish people to introduce innovation while preserving
tradition, to embrace diversity while asserting commonality, to affirm
beliefs without rejecting those who doubt, and to bring faith to sacred
texts without sacrificing critical scholarship.
o The Commission On Interreligious Affairs of Reform Judaism
The Commission on Interreligious Affairs of Reform Judaism is dedicated
to working with other religious communities on interfaith issues. The
Commission is composed of representatives from the Union for Reform Judaism
(URJ), the Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR), the Hebrew Union
College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR), the Men of Reform Judaism
/Jewish Chataqua Society (MR/JCS), and the Women of Reform Judaism (WRJ).
1. Jewish-Christian Relations
As people of faith, Christians and Jews may study their traditions together,
finding common points of connection and ways to work together. They have
much in common in their shared texts and many of their social values,
there are also issues on which they are divided. Such division is not
a negative component in their relationship, but rather provides them with
space to understand one another’s traditions and respect one another
for our religious convictions. . In collaboration with our Christian partners,
the URJ created a two part dialogue curriculum, Open Doors Open Minds¸
which churches and synagogues are encouraged to use together to advance
this important conversation.
2. Jewish- Muslim Relations The Union for Reform Judaism
(URJ) has begun working together with the Islamic Society of North America
(ISNA). The first ever national program of its kind, the URJ-ISNA initiative,
The Children of Abraham: Jews and Muslims in Conversation, is bringing
together Jews and Muslims in dialogue. Using the curriculum which the
URJ and ISNA created, in cities throughout North America synagogues and
mosques are pairing with one another, dispelling myths and building bridges
of understanding.
References
http://rj.org/whatisrj.shtml
http://interreligious.rj.org/about/about.shtml
For additions or corrections, please contact Ms.
Priti Vaishnav.
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