PROGRESSIVE JUDAISM
A quick guide to Progressive Judaism
Progressive Judaism embraces our traditions, and works to make them meaningful parts of contemporary life. Personal responsibility, egalitarianism, community and local tradition are the hallmarks.
Questions and answers on Progressive Judaism
Ten questions and answers about South African Progressive Judaism, as described in the 1980s by the late Rabbi Dr David Sherman of Cape Town. (Note that some of these practices have since changed).
Is Progressive Judaism ‘authentic’?
Orthodox Jews in South Africa regard Reform Judaism as ‘not really Jewish’. Here’s why that’s not true.
Eco-kosher: the case for a new kashrut
Is the food the rabbis put their hechsher stamps on to truly kosher? Can a battery chicken fed on hormones be kosher?
Caring for our environment
Our movement encourages a progressive attitude to environmental issues, and has joined an inter-faith initiative dedicated to environmental and social justice.
Yom Hashoah: Never forget
A third of all Jews were murdered in the dozen years that followed Hitler’s rise to power in 1933 … while the world remained largely indifferent.
Israel at 60: The meaning of Yom Ha’atzmaut
Israel’s independence day in May each year, Yom Ha’atzmaut, is regarded as a religious holiday by Reform Jews.
Questions and answers about same-sex marriage
The SAUPJ has made a landmark decision to recognise same-sex marriages. Rabbi Greg Alexander explains the reasoning behind the decision and how this relates to Progressive Jewish principles.
What does the Bible say about homosexuality?
Biblical commentators, Jewish and Christian, hold that the Bible is unambiguously opposed to homosexuality. But Professor Frederick Greenspahn argues that the scriptural references have been misinterpreted. From the CCAR Journal, a US Reform quarterly. (In PDF format: 67kb)
