Our speaker was Rabbi Chana Leslie Glazer, Congregation Beth Hatikvah, 36 Chatham Road, Summit, NJ 07901. Beth Hatikvah is a Reconstructionist synagogue, and the Rabbi devoted her discussion to describing exactly what is meant by ‘Reconstructing Judaism’.
Scholars believe Judaism can trace its origins as far back as four millenniums. More recently, there are three traditional branches, Orthodox, Conservative and Reformed. Since the early part of the twentieth century, a fourth, the Reconstructionist, has evolved.
Reconstructing Judaism is a uniquely American movement founded by Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan (1881–1983). It distinguishes itself by defining Judaism not primarily as a religion of divine laws, but as the "evolving religious civilization" of the Jewish people. Kaplan's two most significant theological innovations are the rejection of God as a supernatural being and he removed all references to the Jews as a chosen people. The latter is a term that arises many times in the Hebrew Bible, but he believed it was inappropriate to our times, where no religious group should be seen as better than any other. He replaces liturgical references to being "chosen" with language about being “called to service”.
Kaplan interprets God as "the Power that makes for salvation"—the sum of all cosmic forces that allow for human self-fulfillment and moral progress.
Historically, in 1922 Rabbi Kaplan founded the Society for the Advancement of Judaism in New York City. That same year, he officiated the first American Bat Mitzvah for his daughter, Judith, a landmark moment for gender equality in Judaism. In 1968, The Reconstructionist Rabbinical College (RRC) opened in Philadelphia. This formalized Reconstructionism as a distinct branch of Judaism. Rabbi Glazer said there are approximately one hundred synagogues affiliated with Reconstructing Judaism, primarily in the US and Canada. The numbers are smaller in other countries and very small in Israel. The RRC considers Judaism as a chronological evolution of the Jewish people and at the forefront of social and liturgical innovation.
A most interesting and thought-provoking presentation and we thank Rabbi Glazer for speaking to us.
For additional information: www.bethhatikvah.org and www.reconstructingjudaism.org .