| THE AFFIRMATIONS OF LIBERAL JUDAISM
LIBERAL JUDAISM
A Judaism for the 21st Century
To be a Jew is to be the inheritor of a religious and
cultural tradition.
To be a practising Jew is to accept with love and pride
the duty to maintain and transmit that tradition.
To be a practising Liberal Jew in the twenty-first century
is to believe that tradition should be transmitted within the framework of modern thinking
and morality; it is to live according to the prophetic ideal of doing justice, loving
kindness and walking humbly with God.
In the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and in
Luxembourg, there are over thirty Liberal and Progressive congregations, large and small.
All work together to uphold and spread their common beliefs, combining rabbinic and lay
resources, through an international organisation, Liberal Judaism.
The Liberal Jewish movement was founded in 1902 by Jews
committed to ensuring the continuity of Jewish faith, tradition, practice and ethics
within a contemporary framework. They worked unsparingly to re-instil Judaism in the
hearts of sceptical Jews through services, public meetings, sermons, writings and
inspirational leadership. The movement they founded, the Jewish Religious Union, was later
renamed the Union of Liberal and Progressive Synagogues and is now known as Liberal
Judaism.
At the start of its second century, Liberal Judaism
continues to uphold and work for the aims and ideals of its founders, and to benefit from
the contributions of countless Jews who have been attracted to Liberal Judaism and
continue to find in it a dynamic modern faith and way of life that are rooted in Jewish
tradition.
This document sets out the common ground we share with
other streams within Judaism as well as our distinctive approach.
These are the Affirmations of Liberal Judaism |
