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| Damaged window at a Reform synagogue in Jerusalem (Jerusalem Post) |
The founders of this movement decided that adherence to the
laws of the Torah was no longer necessary, as they were designed to make us a
moral and ethical people. And 'knowing' that, plus the fact that we now live in
the era of enlightenment, we could now dispense with the rituals themselves.
The fallacy of that reasoning has become evident in more
recent times. Reform rabbis now embrace many of those rituals at least on a
voluntary level, knowing that without them, there is no difference between Jews
and Gentiles at all, and thereby, Judaism becomes totally meaningless.
Hindsight is always 20/20. The damage is done. Jews who had
been enticed by the Enlightenment - which opened doors previously closed -
started abandoning the “adhesive” that kept us together as a people. And now
they had rabbis who created a movement which gave them a ‘religious’ cover for
doing so.
Generations of Jews were raised with this mentality, and we
are now witnessing what is perhaps the greatest exodus of Jews from Judaism in
modern times. Jews, through no fault of their own, lack the education to
understand what Judaism is all about and therefore see no reason at all to
identify as Jewish. In fact, they may see it only in negative terms: Why expose
oneself to the antisemitism that identifying as a Jew entails? To what end?
Reform rabbis and oher heterodox rabbis are scrambling - trying to figure out
ways to make Judiasm more meaningful to their members who have nothing in the
way of their identiy or lifestyles that differentiate them from non Jews with
similar values.
In an effort to remain relevant, Reform Judaism now seeks
recognition in Israel as a legitimate form of Judaism. Claiming that the
majority of Israelis are secular and would find a more comfortable home in
their denomination.
The idea of welcoming a movement that is, in large part,
responsible for the attrition of so many Jews away from Judaism does not sit
well with me. The argument about pluralism doesn’t resonate with me,
considering the negative fallout of the Jewish state legitimizing a movement
whose history has caused so much damage to its people.
Just wanted to explain where I’m coming from before I
continue.
Just because Reform Judaism has resulted in the above-mentioned
negative consequences, that does not mean we treat them like despised enemies.
And should certainly not result in what happened on Rosh Hashanah to a Reform
synagogue in Israel…
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