Welcome to Progressive Judaism - A Judaism for the Twenty-First Century

Shalom and welcome - I am glad you have visited!  My name is Jonathan Keren-Black, and I spent 20 years as the Rabbi at the Leo Baeck Centre in East Kew, Melbourne, Australia http://lbc.org.au/. until 2023.  I am now honoured to be Emeritus Rabbi there, and have moved to live at the Narara Ecovillage on the Central Coast of New South Wales, from where I run the Online Introduction to Judaism course for Progressive Judaism Victoria, and have students from across Australia and New Zealand.

I grew up in the Progressive Movements (Reform and Liberal) in the UK and became a Rabbi in 1988 after 5 years training at the Leo Baeck College in London and in Jerusalem.  In 2003 my family and I moved to Melbourne, where I am remain part of ARC, the Assembly of Rabbis and Cantors of the Union for Progressive Judaism, Australia, New Zealand and Asia (big region!).  I was the Editorial Team leader for our beautiful prayer book introduced in 2010, the World Union Edition of Mishkan T'filah, and I also developed and adapted 'A Judaism for the Twenty-First Century' (see below), which is one of our course text books, to suit our region. Most recently I also lead the development and introduction of  our High Holy Day book set, 'Mishkan T'shuvah'.  These books are all available from various places, including me (details below).

Of course, we believe that Progressive Judaism is one of the best frameworks for a modern, spiritual life, and it is always a pleasure when people who have not grown up as Jews decide to join the journey, and often end up deciding to be Jewish themselves.  One of the most satisfying things we Rabbis do is sit on a Bet Din (a Jewish Court), hear people's stories about how they came to Judaism, and welcome them formally to be part of the Jewish people (often with tears of happiness all round!).

This blog is to record enquiries (anonymously) and my responses (starting below).  You may find something that reflects or informs your own situation.

Of course our communities have run formal 'Introduction to Judaism' classes for many years, for members interested in learning more formally and broadly about Judaism, for non-Jews who are interested in understanding more about Judaism 'from the inside', and for those who are thinking of becoming Jewish.   Fifteen years ago, we decided to utilise advances in technology to make this course available on line, and I have been delighted to supervise students from all over Australia and beyond, many of whom have since gone on to become committed and involved members of their local Jewish communities.  You can try out the first two 'Foundation' sessions of the course for free, and see if it feels useful and informative to you:
email me at 'Jonathan (you know how to do @) Kerenblack.com'

To provide suitable support materials, I adapted an excellent book originally written by my colleague Rabbi Pete Tobias from the UK to make it an ideal fit for the slightly different needs of our region - our version is called 'A Judaism for the Twenty-First Century' and it is available from Amazon.com, ISBN 145-6-307576 or from me direct (cheaper and quicker!).  

Although Hebrew is not necessary to complete an Introduction to Judaism course, it is if you wish to participate in Jewish community life, and certainly if you wish to become Jewish, and so I have also produced a teach-yourself book for adults called 'Hebrew from Zero', which utilises lots of tricks and devices learned from my own teachers and developed and refined over the years to make learning to read Hebrew, quick, easy and fun!  Again, Amazon or from me, ISBN code 146-6-462183

It is important to understand that there are a variety of approaches within the Jewish world, just as there are in all other faiths (but perhaps even more so - we have a saying in Judaism 'Two Jews, three opinions'!).  The 'continuum' of Jewish belief extends rightwards from Progressive Judaism to the orthodox and ultra-orthodox, and leftwards to secular and atheist Jews (although both secular and atheist Jews might sound strange, Judaism is not only a religion but also a people and a culture, so there are in fact many who put themselves in those categories, including very many Israelis, who consider themselves 'khiloni' or 'secular' Jews.

The dividing line between 'Progressive Judaism' and 'Orthodoxy' comes down to how we view Torah.  If you are orthodox, you believe it is the five books dictated to Moses by God at the top of Mount Sinai.  It must therefore be 'true and without fault'.  Progressive Judaism (Reform, Liberal, Reconstructionist) believes that Torah is a human attempt to record 'what God wants from us' but is therefore naturally limited by its time and context (other groups such as Conservative or Masorti view it similarly, as, to a greater or lesser extent, 'through human agency').  The various styles of language, different names for God, internal contradictions, duplicated stories with different details (for example the two consecutive accounts of Creation and humanity) do not have to be forcibly reconciled, but are signs of our rich and wide human experience.  We might view Torah - and indeed 4000 years of the Jewish story - as a 'grand symphony of traditions'. 

It is only fair to say, though, that although individuals often have good and strong relationships with other denominations of Jews - and most families will include Progressive, orthodox, mixed-marrieds and non-believers - the formal structures of Judaism sometimes have more difficulty getting along!  Although Rabbis may have colleagues and friends in other  denominations, there is a rule within parts of orthodoxy not to share a public platform with Progressive Rabbis, and they will not officially recognise our rabbinic status, nor therefore anyone who converts with us! Since Progressive Judaism is the largest synagogue grouping in the world (World Union for Progressive Judaism - http://www.wupj.org/), this does not need to be a major issue, though it can occasionally lead to some difficult family situations - sadly beyond our control.  Never-the-less we need to warn people from the start.

In Britain, I was used to the argument that Judaism is 4000 years old, Christianity is 2000 and Islam is 1300 - with the implication that older is better (I will question that in a moment)!  But moving to Australia, we are very aware that Indigenous faith traditions go back around 60,000 years in this land, which makes even 4000 pale in comparison.  But one of the principles of Judaism - and particularly emphasised in Progressive Judaism, is respect for other faiths - we believe there are many paths to God.  So I have always been very involved with interfaith relationships and understanding, and helped to establish the Jewish Christian Muslim Association of Australia (http://jcma.org.au/) in 2003.  All three traditions actually have very similar values, which is hardly surprising given our common stories and heritage!  And, put simply, I'd call the biblical period 'Mark 1 Judaism' (or perhaps even better: 'Israelitism'), out of which stemmed two new expressions, Rabbinic Judaism - or 'Mark 2 Judaism', and Christianity. Christianity made certain changes which may in due course have led to the start of Islam, which returns to a stricter ethical monotheism.  And all have changed and developed into multiple expressions, some more moderate, others more fundamentalist, at times working and learning and living together and from each other, at other times antithetical and destructive to the others.

So that's my starting point.  We need to work together, with respect for difference and diversity, both between traditions and within our own.  There is no 'one true path' - and even if there was, only God would know it!  And, to finish with a new note, each of the traditions believes God put us here to look after God's creations - the earth and its creatures.  And we've made a real mess of it - and if we don't immediately work together to save God's world, there will be nothing left to argue about!  (See http://jeco.org.au/ [Jewish] or https://www.arrcc.org.au/ [Interfaith]).  So, on finishing 35 years' work in the congregational Rabbinate, we have moved to live in the Intentional Eco-community at the Narara Ecovillage on the Central Coast of New South Wales: https://nararaecovillage.com/.  But as well as having the Honourary position of Emeritus Rabbi at Leo Baeck, I am now the Consulting Rabbi for the very small Progressive community on the Central Coast, which is our new Jewish home! 

 

My great grandmother was a jew. Under Jewish law this makes my grandfather (her son) a Jew as well. Under Reform Judaism, are my father and myself considered jewish (patrilineal descent) despite not being raised as Jews?

Dear Marlene,

Thank you so much for your enquiry 'Am I a Jew?'

We would be delighted to assist and you would be most welcome to come along and meet us at one of our synagogues, though you haven't mentioned where you are currently based.  We would love to assist you to recover your Jewish connections and discover a Jewish identity. 

You have rightly pointed out that there are differences in approach between orthodox and progressive (Reform is a part of the progressive umbrella of the World Union for Progressive Judaism of which we are a part).

The orthodox count a person as Jewish if they are born to a Jewish mother.  By this logic, your grandfather was indeed a Jew. However, neither you nor your father have Jewish mothers nor were raised as Jews, and consequently would not be considered Jews.

The progressive approach is a more egalitarian one, drawing not only on natural justice but also on the fact that for the first half of the Jewish story (Biblical Judaism), the line went through the fathers (Abraham Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Menasseh etc, whilst in the second half (Rabbinic Judaism) it has gone through the mother (who, despite whatever may have happened in the previous 9 months, is always present at the birth!).

Therefore we say the line passes through either mother OR father - provided that the child is raised as a Jew and has 'timely acts of Jewish observance', which would include religious education, bar/bat mitzvah, celebrating shabbat, regular attendance at festivals such as New Year, Passover Seder, Chanukah lighting. (However, if both parents are Jewish, then you are Jewish even without the upbringing and timely acts, since 'what else could you be?')

So sadly, by our definition, since your grandfather was not raised as a Jew by your great grandmother, he would not be counted, though unless he was actively raised as something else, we would look for indications that would allow us to be lenient and accepting.

However, even if we accepted your great grandfather (and if the orthodox would, it would seem harsh and overly rigid for us not so do so), your father would not be considered Jewish since, as you say, he was not raised as a Jew, and for you yourself, the same conclusion would apply.  Sadly, you neither had a Jewish parent or a Jewish upbringing.

Having said all that, I reiterate that we would be happy to assist - we run regular Introduction to Judaism courses which you can access on line at your own speed, and we believe strongly that if you are looking for a meaningful, spiritual framework for your life, this is what our approach to Judaism offers, with a strong emphasis on community, justice and 'healing the world' to enable you to rejoin the community and formalise your Jewish status within the progressive Jewish world (though sadly it would not be recognised by the orthodox, over which we have no control!).         

I do hope this is helpful.  Please contact me if you'd like to know how to proceed.

L'shalom

Rabbi Jonathan

Can you help a non-Aussie?

Hello,

I'm a Canadian living in Asia, nowhere near a non-Orthodox Jewish community, and am highly interested in learning more about (progressive) Judaism in support of a possible conversion in the near to mid-future. It appears you have online Intro classes.

My questions are obvious. Do you take non-Australian tutees residing outside of Australia? Also, are there any significant differences between your presentation of Judaism and that presented by the Reform movement (in Canada, in case that's a significant point)?

Thanks,

Sarah

Hi Sarah,

The basic answer is yes - we certainly welcome students from outside Australia, and Progressive Judaism as taught on our course is a 'close sibling' of US/Canadian Reform (we are all members of the World Union for Progressive Judaism, wupj.org).  The US/Canadian movement covers a spectrum from more traditional to very liberal, and we tend to be towards the more traditional in practice and learning, but more liberal end in terms of beliefs etc.

The more complex answer is that ours is an 'Introduction to Judaism' course.  It would prepare you well to complete conversion in Canada (or with us).  But to convert, it is necessary to have a developing relationship with a congregation, so you can attend shabbat and festival services and become part of a community.  It is very hard to be a Jew on your own - and virtually impossible to convert on your own.

We had an excellent student from deepest New Zealand - she completed the course and attended our December open weekends in Melbourne twice running several years ago.  But she then decided to move to Melbourne six months ago and has become involved with the community and attending several times weekly - and went to the Bet Din (Jewish Court) and was accepted last month.  

I hope this is a useful response. If you have not already done so I would refer you to https:// progressivejudaism.blogspot.com to read my responses to a range of other queries, and to http://pjv.org.au/education/introduction-judaism-online

where you can do two free trial introductory sessions and then get registered and started if you wish.

If you could give me a bit more background about yourself, family/partner, where exactly you are located to see if we have a community in the vicinty etc, it will help me give you better guidance.

Shabbat Shalom (the greeting leading up to shabbat)

Rabbi Jonathan Keren-Black

I spent time on kibbutz and would like to become Jewish but my husband is Christian

I am 29 years old and I was brought up in the Uniting Church but stopped believing a long time ago. My husband is an Anglican and we have a 2 year old son. I have read many books over the years on all sorts of topics including Judaism. I have previously spent many years in industry. I live in XXXX and have visited the nearby synagogue though I have not been to a synagogue on shabbat before. I have been interested in Judaism for many years and used to be a country member of the Makor Jewish library.  I can read a little hebrew and when i was 18 I stayed on a kibbutz in Israel for an adventure which had a lasting impression.

Hi Annie,

Thanks for your background information.  

Let me say from the outset though that the Introduction to Judaism course is not the same as converting.  The synagogue near you is Chabad - which means not just orthodox but very orthodox in their practice and belief. They will not recognise me as a Rabbi, or any of our converts as Jews.  The nearest regular Progressive synagogue can be located by visiting UPJ.org.au.  To convert you'd need to have established a relationship with a community who would recognise and support your journey.  You'd also need a 'Sponsoring Rabbi' (which could potentially be me as course supervisor) and learn to read hebrew, and if you were male you'd need to be circumcised.

You should also take any opportunity to go along to any synagogue, for example when you are travelling or on holiday, to widen your experiences - though it is advisable to contact them in advance during the week, and bring along a drivers licence or other proof of identity as, sadly, we all have to be very security-conscious these days.

When starting this journey, it is important to understand that, whilst our underlying belief in One unique, caring, loving, forgiving Creator, and our obligations to God and to each other as human beings, and to God's world, are common between orthodox and Progressive Judaism, in practice, expectation and belief we vary widely.  The difference goes a long way back, and stems from our understanding of Torah.  'Orthodox' belief is that God gave the Torah, word by word, and it is therefore fundamentally true and inerrant.

Progressive Jews (Reform, Liberal, Reconstructionist etc) believe that humans wrote the Torah, albeit 'divinely inspired' and trying to answer the questions 'What does God want of us? How should we act, behave, practice and raise our children?'

The last point, on raising children, is particularly pertinent in your case.  You say your husband is Anglican, but not whether he is practicing.  We have a problem in creating 'mixed families', in part because of the different traditions and expectations, and in part because of the confusion it can cause to children.  Whilst we wouldn't want to stand in the way of any individual developing their personal framework for life and relationship with God - and ultimately becoming Jewish - we would want to be confident that it was going to work for the household.   For example we may want to talk to your partner or at least have a letter to state that they are supportive of the journey to you becoming Jewish - and we'd want clarity about how the children are to be brought up - will it be as Jews, who know they have a Jewish parent and a Christian one, or as Anglicans who know they have a Jewish parent and a Christian one, or as 'both', so they can 'choose for themselves' (we don't think the latter is really likely or even possible).  

I hope that these responses are helpful and informative, and will no doubt give you food for further thought.  However, I'd like to conclude by reiterating that we believe Progressive Judaism offers a rich and wonderful framework for a modern and meaningful spiritual life, and we'll do all we can to assist if you do wish to continue on this path.

L'shalom

Rabbi Jonathan 

Progressive Judaism is 'the cutting edge' and I don't believe orthodoxy is 'more authentic'

Dear Rabbi Jonathan,

I’m 51 yrs old, happily single and self-employed. I have an engineering education and background.  I’ve been brought up as a Christian but that did not suit me at all during my mature adult life for various reasons. The reasoning behind the thought of converting to Judaism and specifically progressive rather than other expressions is because I feel that it is more relevant to  how we live life now. The orthodox way is a good way of keeping the authenticity of the old ways intact and that does suit a lot of believers but I prefer a religion that can change with the times and is more relevant to the present. After all these years of not practising any form of religion whatsoever I feel I need something in my life as a guiding light so to speak. Why Judaism? you may ask. Well, it is a bit familiar from my Christianity, but it has a singular base rather than the multitude angles of Christianity, namely Pentecostal, catholic, protestant, apostolic, etc. So I hope that explains a bit about me and my thoughts, Rabbi Jonathan.

Thanking you kindly, 

Simon

Dear Simon

I got all my High Holyday sermons finished, and you will find them at lbc.org.au - I suggest you read them over the coming days as if I may say so they should give you a fairly broad snapshot of how we (I) see and prioritise Jewish life today - so you'll find information about spirituality - and trying to be more spiritual - about self-betterment, about concern and responsibility for the environment, about the complicated but crucial relationship with the State (and land) of Israel, and finally about our own finite lives and facing an end and death as a reality of the human condition.

One thing I'd clarify about your distinction between orthodoxy and Progressive (The orthodox way is a good way of keeping the authenticity of the old ways intact and that does suit a lot of believers but I prefer a religion that can change with the times and is more relevant to the present) is that Judaism is ever-changing and developing.  No-one really thinks that orthodox Judaism is the same as when Abraham or Moses were around - or even the Rabbis of the Mishna - everyone knows it is not the same as before electricity or even heart transplants!  Today orthodoxy is struggling particularly with two areas - women's involvement if not equality, and homosexuality.  And there is nothing wrong with struggle - indeed 'Yisrael' (Israel) means 'struggling with God' and that is our task - we are 'all Israel' (it means Jewish people as in 'Sh'ma Yisrael') and life is a struggle 'with God' (ie to try to do the right thing - what God wants us to do, in often very complex situations (eg should we be encouraging Australia to fight IS, or to keep out of further bloodshed and 'other people's business'?).

So I somewhat reject the idea of 'the authenticity of the old ways' - and if you are talking about the black coats and fur hats and side curls, they are nothing particularly Jewish - that is the clothing of the sixteenth century Polish nobles that the Jews of the area copied.  There is a general feeling that orthodoxy is more authentic, and I don't think that is borne out by the facts.  Judaism has always developed - and still is - it is just that today, orthodoxy tends to drag behind and deny that Judaism develops, whereas Progressive Judaism tends to be the 'cutting edge', seeking a 'Jewish position' on, and even influence into, contemporary issues.  For example, Progressive Judaism has been involved for years with social action, and interfaith relations - two areas that in Melbourne the orthodox are now moving into and 'claiming as their own'!  Actually, that is the usual pattern - for example we have been treating boys and girls equally for generations, having women Presidents of congregations, ordaining women rabbis - and now you find Bat Mitzvah in orthodox shuls - occasionally even reading from the Torah - and on Saturday - albeit still AFTER the service - and women Presidents and Board members - and even women 'almost' rabbis serving in religious legal capacities in Israel.

Between 'ultra orthodox' (Chasidism) on the one extreme and Progressive (Reform) toward the other end, you'll find traditional orthodox, modern orthodox and Masorti or Conservative - acknowledging in some regards that Judaism is an ever-changing tradition, but claiming that it only does so within the strict framework of 'Halacha' (the way), which they, of course, are, more or less, the 'guardians' (controllers) of!

Having explained this (in shorthand we say 'two Jews, three opinions'!), I must disagree that Judaism 'has a singular base rather than the multitude angles of Christianity'. As you can see, we too have a wide range of approaches and though some recognise diversity and work respectfully and coherently together (Conservative/Masorti, Reform, Progressive, Renewal, Reconstructionist), understanding that 'there are many ways to be Jewish', this is sadly not the case (yet) across the whole spectrum (that will be an indication of the arrival of the Messianic times'!).

Which all makes Judaism is a wonderful and rich tradition - and indeed I strongly believe that Progressive Judaism is the most accessible and adapted to modern life - so welcome - and keep reading and studying!

L'shalom

Rabbi Jonathan

Why is God not always mentioned?

When I read some things about Judaism, God is not always mentioned.  Do these writers think God is not important?  In one quote I have just read, Judaism is explained without any reference to God!

Rabbi Jonathan responds

I am not sure the exact quote you referred to, and I am sure that when you find references without a direct reference to God, in the main, it is because a belief in the ultimate power is implicit, though how immanent and interventionist this 'God' may be varies from person to person and between contexts and cultures.  

As you may know, there was an influential Rabbi called Mordechai Kaplan (1881-1983), who in 1934 qrote the important book Judaism as a Civilization .  He eventually co-founded a significant new and quite intellectual Jewish group called Reconstructionists.  Many accused him of denying God, but I think that was a misinterpretation - he had a more naturalistic conception of God - and certainly Reconstructionists today tend (in defence?) to emphasise a belief in God - but certainly the 'modern God', at least of the Progressive/Reform/Liberal/Reconstructionist Movements  is not the old (super) 'man on the cloud with a beard' interventionist God depicted by the Torah's anthropomorphisms (using human language to describe something, such as a dog smiling, or God's outstretched arm or back or nostrils), and painted into visuals by Michelangelo!   

I have a lovely story (in a Progressive machzor - High Holyday prayer book)  about a man who was so impatient to find God that he didn't stop to recognise the divine, until eventually a wise Rabbi showed him hospitality instead of trying to directly answer his question 'where will I find God' - slowly he became a part of the community... and one day the Rabbi said 'I think you have found God now, have you not?' and the man answered 'Rabbi, I think I have, but I am not sure when, or where - and tell me Rabbi, why is God in this place only...?'.  

So rest assured, God is in this place - in a Progressive approach to Judaism! But God may not always have quite the same profile and exposure that you might find in other places.  We also put a lot of emphasis in Judaism on our own responsibilities, through mitzvot (commandments). We often see the relationship as 'shutafut' (a partnership) between humans and God - we are God's 'tools' or 'hands' in the world.