Reform split on Jewish status
SEVERAL REFORM congregations, including its largest, Edgware, have rejected the movement’s new policy which enables the children of a Jewish father and non-Jewish mother to be recognised as Jewish.
The “inherited status” policy was approved a year ago by the Assembly of Reform Rabbis with congregations given the option of following it or not.
But Edgware, Hendon, Brighton and BournemouthReformsynagogueshave decided against it.
Until recently, the child of an intermarried couple where the mother was notJewishhadtoconverttobeaccepted as Jewish by the Reform movement.
But as a result of the change, rabbis could recommend that the Reform Bet Din recognise such a person without the formalities of conversion if they believed he or she was willing to follow a Jewish way of life.
Although the policy was passed in July 2015, it did not come into effect until a few months ago after the Assembly drew up guidelines on the level of Jewish experience that patrilineal Jews needed in order to be recognised.
Rabbi Paul Freedman, chair of the Assembly, said that “if people want to come in, this is a way of doing that”.
So far, one adult and eight children of patrilineal Jewish descent have been formally accepted as Jewish under the policy, while in the same period six adults with a Jewish father and nonJewish mother were converted.
But both Brighton and Edgware, which has a congregation of around 4,000, have said that they will not recognisepatrilinealJewswithoutconversion.
Perry Newton, community director of Edgware and District Reform Synagogue (EDRS), said: “Should someone wish to join EDRS born of a Jewish father but non-Jewish mother, we would encourage and support a formal conversion process. We will not simply accept the new Movement of Reform Judaism Bet Din certificate of recognition of Jewish status. We would advise them that some Reform or Liberal synagogues might accept them.”
The council of Brighton and Hove Reform Synagogue clarified its position last month, stating that “a Jew is someone who was born from a Jewish mother or has converted to Judaism”. It also said that the synagogue would not conduct interfaith wedding blessings.
Rabbi Steven Katz of Hendon said its doors were “open to non-Jewish partners who wish to accept the responsibil- ity of learning Judaism, living Judaism and creating a Jewish home”. But without conversion, the new policy “doesn’t demand enough,” he said. “I feel it is Judaism light.”
Rabbi Maurice Michaels of Bournemouth believed that “being Jewish requiressomesortof commitmentand responsibility. Just giving it away is not particularly clever”.
According to the Institute for Jewish Policy Research, 39 per cent of Progressive Jews who have married since 2010 have a non-Jewish partner.