Jeremy Rosen
The Rise of Reform Judaism in Nineteenth Century Germany: Did it Succeed in its Aims?
Summary
Rabbi Jeremy Rosen explores the German rise of reform judaism in the 19th century and whether or not it was successful in what it set out to do.
Jeremy Rosen
Manchester-born Jeremy Rosen was educated at Cambridge University England and Mir Yeshiva in Jerusalem. He has practiced as an orthodox rabbi, as principal of Carmel College in the UK, and as professor at the Faculty for Comparative Religion in Antwerp, Belgium. He has written and lectured extensively in the UK and the US, where he now resides and was the rabbi of the Persian-Jewish community in Manhattan.
Well, you know, I don’t think Zoom keeps anything going as such because you’ve got to be committed to switch on to Zoom in the first place. But I think Zoom has played a very important part in spreading Jewish education like this. This opportunity to reach people and teach about different aspects of Judaism together with general culture is part of the boon of Zoom in bringing Judaism and bringing Jewish education on the internet and elsewhere to many, many more. But still, it’s the personal relationship that matters. And so, you know, it’s rather like the sort of dating on the internet. You can have a relationship on the internet, but until you meet up with somebody, it doesn’t count. And so I think Zoom helps people who want to know more, but I don’t think it’s going to keep people in who are already drifting away.
Yes, in Germany it started, the difference between reform and liberal, and liberal was, at that stage, considered to be more extreme. And in England, for example, liberal is more extreme reform than the reform community in England. And so in certain parts of the world, liberal is more to the left and more reformed than reform. In America, it’s not the same way. In America, reform is the equivalent of liberal in England, for example, and liberal elsewhere. Zoom user, “According to Pew Research, overall, nearly 9 out of 10 adults who are raised Jewish, 88% are still Jewish today. This includes 70% who identify Jewish religion, 18% who don’t identify another religion, who consider them Jewish in some way and such culturally ethical or family background.” Well, you know, I am always suspicious of Pew Research. I do so say that “raised Jewish” is the important issue. How do you define “raised Jewish”? So that is the debatable question.