Reform rabbis balance tradition and welcome

Click here to read a letter from the Movement for Reform Judaism with regards to how our movement is creating new opportunities for people with one Jewish parent.

 

The process being proposed is that where someone with only one Jewish parent approaches our community, our proposed process would involve the following steps. The first stage in any status journey is always a meeting with a rabbi to discuss the nature and content of the Jewish commitment being made, and what process, if any, will be undergone before status can be attributed. Either in that meeting, or after an agreed process (which may include learning and Jewish practice) a Status Form would be completed which includes a signed statement of commitment from the applicant and a signed declaration from the Rabbi/cantor. This would then be returned to the Beit Din, along with a covering letter of recommendation. The Beit Din would formally endorse the process and issue a Certificate of Status. The Certificate of Status would then be returned to the community for presentation at a public or private ceremony.