Who are Reform Jews?
Reform Jews are, potentially, the majority of Jews today.
We include Jews who remember the Judaism that they experienced with their grandparents, loving the traditions, customs and music but can no longer accept its attitude to and treatment of women, its prejudice against sexual minorities and impulse to separation.
We include Jews who believe in God and prayer but whose understanding of God is very different from the medieval view of a God who rewards the righteous and zaps the wicked.
We include Jews whom the outside world might call secular who question belief and do not express their spirituality through prayer. Many have a strong sense of Jewish identity and express their Judaism through ethical behaviour. Many find a love of Israel the dominant feature of their Jewish identity. Many feel a special bond with other Jews and just know that the Jewish story is their story.
Reform Judaism has rediscovered the old Jewish impulse to inclusivity, despite a past of persecution and exclusion. So our communities contain many who have chosen to be Jewish. Some have done so simply because they find it compelling. Some because they had become part of a Jewish family, others have memories of Jewish ancestors.
What unites us is our sense of Jewish identity, our determination to give it meaning and purpose, our openness and inclusivity, our commitment to the Jewish journey.
We recognise that there are many different ways of experiencing the faith of Judaism, understanding Torah and loving Israel.