Platforms and Prayer Books Theological and Liturgical Perspectives on Reform Judaism

by Kaplan, Rabbi Dana Evan; Umansky, Ellen; Abrams, Judith Z.; Ariel, Yaakov; Breslauer, S Daniel; Bronstein, Herbert; Chanes, Jerome A.; Friedland, Eric L.; Haas, Peter J.; Hirsh, Richard; Jacob, Walter; Kaufman, Debra Renee; Knobel, Peter S.; Kunin, Seth;

• ISBN13: 9780742515475
• ISBN10: 0742515478
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2002-04-03
• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Summary

Platforms and Prayer Books is a remarkable collection of essays that illustrates the Reform Jewish theological enterprise at work. Through lively discussions on theological and liturgical topics, noted scholars and rabbis trace the evolution of Reform Judaism, presenting innovative approaches and creative interpretations. Visit our website for sample chapters!

Table of Contents

Foreword: Ellen M. Umansky	ix
The Reform Theological Enterprise at Work: Debating Theory and Practice in the American Religious ``Marketplace''	1	(24)
Dana Evan Kaplan
Part I: The Historical Context
Platforms and Prayer Books: From Exclusivity to Inclusivity in Reform Judaism	25	(16)
Herbert Bronstein
``America is Different!'': Reform Judaism and American Pluralism	41	(8)
Jerome A. Chanes
Miss Daisy's Planet: The Strange World of Reform Judaism in the United States, 1870-1930	49	(12)
Yaakov Ariel
The Theologian of the 1885 Pittsburgh Platform: Kaufmann Kohler's Vision of Progressive Judaism	61	(20)
Robert F. Southard
Renewing Reform Judaism: From Pittsburgh to Pittsburgh	81	(12)
Walter Jacob
Our Collective Identity as Reform Jews	93	(6)
Michael A. Meyer
Part II: Liturgical Studies
The First Reform Prayer Book in America: The Liturgy of the Reformed Society of Israelites	99	(20)
Gary P. Zola
The Continuity of Change in Jewish Liturgy	119	(10)
Judith Z. Abrams
Meditation in Progressive Judaism	129	(26)
Eric L. Friedland
The Challenge of a Single Prayer Book for the Reform Movement	155	(18)
Peter S. Knobel
Part III: Comparative Studies
Challenges to Using the Same Measures of Religiosity for Both Christians and Jews	173	(10)
Cory Michael Lebson
Two Trains Passing: Reconstructionism and Reform in Twentieth-Century American Judaism	183	(24)
Richard Hirsh
The Return of the Liminal to Reform Judaism	207	(14)
Seth Kunin
Better the Devil You Know...and Other Contemporary Identity Narratives: Comparing Orthodox to Reform Judaism	221	(12)
Debra Renee Kaufman
Part IV: Autonomy and Authority in Texts
Reform Judaism and Halacha: A Rapprochement?	233	(14)
Peter J. Haas
Building a Postmodern Reform Judaism: The Example of Eugene B. Borowitz	247	(14)
S. Daniel Breslauer
Oral Torah: Reading Jewish Texts Jewishly in Reform Judaism	261	(10)
Michael L. Satlow
Beyond Autonomy: The Texts and Our Lives	271	(14)
Leon A. Morris
American Reform: Observations from the Margin	285	(12)
Dow Marmur
Index	297	(16)
About the Contributors	313