No longer a nation, but a religious community. From Pittsburgh 1885 to Columbus 1937 and further on: Building a Reform Platform in the United States - Einzelansicht

POSTPONED TO WINTER TERM!

Orthodox Judaism claims that its only platform is the Torah itself. The Conservative movement was in existence for three generations before it finally created its only set of principles in 1988. But in American Reform Judaism we have had no less than four platforms following an initial set of principles--mostly denying the legitimacy of Orthodoxy--in 1869. There have been the Pittsburgh Platform of 1885, the Columbus Platform of 1937, the San Francisco Centennial Statement of 1976, and the current Statement of Principles, adopted once again in Pittsburgh, in 1999. Why has the Reform movement needed to define and redefine itself so often? What purpose does a platform serve? Like a political platform, a religious platform sets out positions on issues, except in this case the "planks" are not on such matters as domestic or foreign policy. Instead, they are usually positions on the classical Jewish categories of God, Torah, and Israel (meaning the Jewish people).” Michael A. Meyer ‒ In our seminar, we will discuss and contextualize all the issues Michael A. Meyer has raised. Our topics include the legacy of Rabbi Isaac M. Wise, ”the architect of Reform American Judaism”, and Minhag America, the 1922 CCAR resolution declaring that "women cannot justly be denied the privilege of ordination [as rabbis]”, prayer book revisions, and today’s Social Action policies. Further suggestions are welcome!

Michael Marmur a. David Ellenson (Ed.s), Amercan Jewish Thought Since 1934. Writings on Identity, Engagement, & Belief (Waltham, MA: Brandeis University Press, 2020; Michael A. Meyer, Response to Modernity.  A History of the Reform Movement in Judaism, New York: Oxford University Press, 1988 / Antwort auf die Moderne. Geschichte der Reformbewegung im Judentum, Wien: Böhlau, 2000; W. Gunther Plaut, The Rise of Reform Judaism. A Sourcebook of its European Origins, New York: The World Union for Progressive Judaism, 1963; Sefton D. Temkin, Creating American Reform Judaism.  The Life and Times of Isaac Meyer Wise, London: Vallentine Mitchell, 1998.

Unfortunately, due to a lack of sufficient registrations, the seminar cannot take place; it will be postponed to the next semester. Thank you for your understanding. - 

Mangels ausreichender Anmeldungen kann das Seminar leider nicht stattfinden; es wird auf das nächste Semester verschoben. Vielen Dank für Ihr Verständnis.

Regular attendance and a short presentation, a book review or another assignment are the prerequisites for a "passed" / "bestanden".