Soc.Culture.Jewish Newsgroups Frequently Asked Questions and Answers URL: www.scjfaq.org/faq/18-03-03.html

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Question 18.3.3:
Reform's Position On...What is acceptable practice?

Reform Judaism maintains the principle of individual freedom; each Jew must make a personal decision about the Judaism which has come down through the ages. Nevertheless, all Jews who acknowledge themselves to be members of their people and its tradition thereby limit their freedom to some extent. [From Gates of Mitzvot]

This sounds general. It is. As the 1976 Centenary Statement (http://www.ccarnet.org/platforms/centenary.html) says, Reform Jews are subject to both ethical responsibilities (both personal and social), as well as obligations in many other aspects of Jewish living (creating a Jewish home; life-long study; private prayer and public worship; observance of holidays, etc.) Within each area of Jewish observance Reform Jews must confront and study Jewish tradition, and exercise their individual autonomy.

The FAQ is a collection of documents that is an attempt to answer questions that are continually asked on the soc.culture.jewish family of newsgroups. It was written by cooperating laypeople from the various Judaic movements. You should not make any assumption as to accuracy and/or authoritativeness of the answers provided herein. In all cases, it is always best to consult a competent authority--your local rabbi is a good place to start.

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