Welcome to the Forward’s coverage of Reform Judaism, a major liberal Jewish denomination.
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News W. Gunter Plaut, Noted Reform Scholar
Those Reform Jews fortunate enough to have met Rabbi W. Gunther Plaut even once never forgot him. He was a tall, imposing, self-confident figure who spoke impeccable, precise, German-accented English that commanded attention in every setting — in classes, at conferences and in public debates. On February 9, the Reform movement and, more broadly, American…
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News Navigating Transition to Middle School
One Jewish day school in Kansas cut its tuition in half. Another school, in Oakland, Calif., grew its endowment 15-fold. And a third, in Houston, succeeded in recruiting families from as far away as New Jersey, Venezuela and Israel. These institutions embraced bold, even risky moves in an effort to generate revenue and boost enrollment,…
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News What Does Schechter Decline Mean?
Long considered a crown jewel of the Conservative movement, the Schechter Day School Network is fast contracting — its enrollment dwindling and its schools being closed, consolidated and, increasingly, transformed into nondenominational community day schools. Since the late 1990s, the network has lost about a third of its schools, a handful of which haven’t closed,…
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Food Jews vs. The Farm Bill
The issue inspiring the latest Jewish political movement won’t surprise readers of this blog—but it might cause some head scratching among the rest of the Jewish community. It isn’t Israel or the 99%. Nope, it’s… the U.S. Farm Bill! While it may seem like an unlikely target for a swell of Jewish activism, the Farm…
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News Reform Reaches Past Synagogue
The leaders of Reform Judaism, America’s largest Jewish denomination, aim to staunch their movement’s erosion with a new strategy to reach beyond the synagogue and actively search for Jews living outside the community’s established framework. The strategy, articulated at the group’s recent biennial national conference, is the brainchild of Rabbi Rick Jacobs, the movement’s newly…
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Israel News Obama Wins Rousing Cheers at Reform Biennial
In a speech aimed at liberal Jewish voters, President Obama sought to rebut Republican claims that he was soft in his support for Israel and praised Reform Judaism’s support for civil rights and social justice in his address at the biennial meeting of the Union for Reform Judaism. The crowd of 6,000, in turn, enthusiastically…
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News Barak Shows Friendly Face to Obama, URJ
The Israeli government chose to show its friendly face to the Reform movement by sending defense minister Ehud Barak as the top Israeli representative to the biennial conference of the Union for Reform Judaism. Barak meet with President Barack Obama for 30 minutes at the conference center. The Defense Ministry said in a statement that…
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Breaking News Cantor Gets Polite Reception From URJ
The biennial conference of the Union for Reform Judaism may not be the best fit for ultra-conservative House Majority Leader Eric Cantor. The movement is known for its strong support for social justice and its moderate views on the Arab-Israel conflict. On most issues, Cantor (R-Va.) represents the opposite approach. But Cantor, the sole Republican…
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