Rabbi Joseph Forman's excellent Eastern European adventure

By Cheryl Orson
Dec. 7, 2007

Rabbi Joseph M. Forman of Or Chadash of Flemington recently returned from an excellent Eastern European adventure.

The purpose Forman's excellent 10-day Eastern European adventure, taken along with 23 of his Reform rabbinical colleagues as part of the World Union for Progressive Judaism's first European trip for U.S. Reform leaders, was to explore the Jewish Reform (Progressive) movement in that area of the world. During the trip, Forman and his colleagues studied, socialized and prayed with Reform congregations in Prague, Budapest and Warsaw.

The trip was part of a new cooperative effort by the Reform movement's Jewish leadership in the U.S. and Europe. The U.S.-based Union for Reform Judaism and the World Union, the Israel-based Reform umbrella group, are hoping this cooperation will help Reform Judaism expand in Europe by providing these Reform synagogues with greater funding and rabbinical support.

"This was to show our support and learn how to support them [Reform congregations] and learn what Progressive life is like [in Eastern Europe]," said Forman.

Forman said the trip left him with lasting but contradictory impressions.

"The enthusiasm of the leaders and rabbis was just overwhelmingly high – bursting with energy, creativity and hope," said Forman stating this is a positive for the future of the Eastern European Reform movement.

However, on the flip side Forman said these Reform congregations still face problems on two fronts.

"The [Eastern European] Orthodox community remains recalcitrant," said Forman. "there is a shocking lack of support to the Reform Jewish communities – including withholding government monies."

This is because Reform congregations remain outside of, and segregated from, the established communal structures that govern European Jewish life. Though European Jews are generally secular, their official state-recognized communal bodies are Orthodox, and these clergy are actually paid a state salary, as are other clergy. These Orthodox communities also view the postwar Reform movement as an unwelcome American interloper, refusing to recognize them or pay these clergy state salaries. There is some progress though. Two years ago the Central Council of Jews in Germany, after much legal wrangling, accepted Reform congregations and this month the Czech Federation of Jewish Communities officially recognized Progressive Judaism as one of its streams - meaning Reform clergy in these countries can be paid a state salary

Beyond money though, Forman said the Eastern European Reform movement's other, and perhaps more serious, problem is more of a mindset issue – the "reticence" on the part of post-Holocaust Jews, who also suffered through the Communists suppression of religion, to get involved and in touch with their religion.

"While [the Reform movement] is there and growing, there are Jews yet to affiliate. They're afraid of anti-Semitism," said Forman.

The lack of Eastern affiliation shows in the numbers. While approximately 38 percent of America's estimated 5.5 million or so Jews identify as Reform, Europe has an estimated 60,000 Reform Jews associated with some 130 Progressive congregations with these Reform Jews accounting for roughly 3.6 percent of Europe's over all 1.6 million Jews outside the former Soviet Union.

These demographics, in turn, lead to economic strain, with the Reform movement's not being state-recognized and, ultimately, being cut out of state funding. Beyond external state recognition and state funding though, there is also the internal problem of non-affiliated secular or Reform Jews in Europe giving money to the far-removed global Orthodox outreach movement Chabad-Lubavitch rather than to their own local Reform congregations. Globally adding to this lack of funding, while the World Union itself spends millions of dollars supporting Reform groups in Israel and the former Soviet Union, it only spends a few hundred thousand dollars in Europe. In the end, the prevailing European mindset toward affiliation would have to change before any money could follow.

Despite these problems though, Forman said his overall impression of the trip was favorable stating there is a rich Jewish history to be found and explored in Budapest and Prague which is "remarkable."

"As well as Israel, this [Eastern Europe] is really a place to go and explore Jewish roots," said Forman stating though Israel's Jewish roots are Biblical and distant, Eastern European's Jewish roots are more historic and family-oriented, (i.e. immigration to America from the 1800s through post-World War II Europe).

Forman is also looking forward to going back, and not by himself either.

"The hope is to return and bring help and members of the [Or Chadesh] congregation," said Forman. "My hope is a trip will be offered by Or Chadash or the [U.S.-based Union for Reform Judaism] in the near future and I hope that people will join us."