Talk:Reform Zionism

Extended-confirmed-protected edit request on 21 May 2024

Change "Reform Zionism, also known as Progressive Zionism, is the ideology of the Zionist arm of the Reform or Progressive branch of Judaism." to "Reform Zionism is the ideology of the Zionist arm of the Reform or Progressive branch of Judaism. Outside of North America, Reform Zionism is sometimes known as Progressive Zionism or Liberal or Progressive Religious Zionism, and is represented in the World Zionist Congress by ARZENU. In America, liberal or progressive Zionism generally refers to politically left-wing Zionists, some but not all of whom are Reform Zionists. Politically progressive Zionists are represented in the World Zionist Congress by Hatikvah." Tysonsahib (talk) 16:36, 21 May 2024 (UTC)

 Not done for now: please establish a consensus for this alteration before using the {{Edit extended-protected}} template. thetechie@enwiki: ~/talk/ $ 03:16, 2 June 2024 (UTC)

How can I help establish a consensus for this alteration? The current sentence is unsubstantiated; it has no source. The suggested alteration is based on reliable sources. Would it be helpful to provide more sources?

Here are some more sources:

Here are some recent articles about the Jewish Reconstructionist movement affirming support for "progressive Zionism." The five principles that define "progressive Zionism" are all political. None relate to Reform Judaism. The Reconstructionist movement is definitionally not part of Reform Judaism. https://www.timesofisrael.com/reconstructionist-judaism-affirms-support-for-progressive-zionism-amid-recent-divides/

https://forward.com/fast-forward/629697/following-internal-drama-over-israel-reconstructionist-judaism-affirms-support-for-progressive-zionism-and-2-state-solution/

Here is a 2019 book review that also defines "progressive Zionism" in political, not religious, terms: https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/case-progressive-zionism/

This 2021 book of essays defines progressive Zionists in the US context as "American Jews who support progressive policies but also support Israel" - this has nothing to do with Reform Judaism. https://jewishinsider.com/2021/06/the-politically-lonely-progressive-zionists/

Here is another recent article that defines progressive Zionism in political, not religious, terms: https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-798411

When you click on the term "progressive Zionism" in that article, it takes you to this 2023 article: https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-754527 In this article, "Reform, Reconstructionist, and non-denominational Jews" who have liberal or progressive politics are included in the category of "progressive Zionists." It is NOT limited to "the ideology of the Reform branch of Judaism." Tysonsahib (talk) 18:56, 8 July 2024 (UTC)

References

Removed dead external link

The URL for this external link no longer works. I tried to find a new URL but was unsuccessful. Pro Zion - Progressive Religious Zionists UK Tysonsahib (talk) 19:42, 8 July 2024 (UTC)

Extended-confirmed-protected edit request on 10 December 2024

PARAGRAPH IN QUESTION Historically, Zionism was a secular ideology that was opposed by Orthodox, Conservative and Reform Jews. While Orthodox and Conservative groups opposed Zionism for being nationalist rather than religious, Reform Judaism opposed a return to Zion for theological reasons. Reform theology conceived of Judaism as the universal religion of the prophets. In 1845, Samuel Hirsch, David Einhorn and Samuel Holdheim passed a resolution at the Frankfurt Conference that removed references to Palestine and a "Jewish State" from prayers on the grounds that nationalism and statehood were not compatible with Reform theology. Similar resolutions in 1869, 1885 and 1897 rejected the idea of "restoration of the Jewish State". As early as 1890 the Central Conference of American Rabbis had publicly opposed Zionist ideology.

By this time, Herzl's Der Judenstaat and the rise of Political Zionism in the late 19th century had not yet come into fruition. In contrast, the Reform movement of the mid-19th century was responding to entirely different social, theological, and political conditions. The prayers referenced were not appeals for the creation of a "Jewish State" but rather for the rebuilding of the Temple and the restoration of the Davidic messianic kingdom.

To better reflect the historical and theological context, consider replacing the term "Jewish State" with one or more of the following:

The restoration of the Davidic monarchy The rebuilding of the Temple The rebuilding of Jerusalem The Jewish return to Eretz Yisroel

Several prayers were edited to reflect this shift, including: The Blessing of the Ingathering of Exiles in the Amidah Boneh Yerushalayim (He Who Rebuilds Jerusalem) Birkat Et Tzemach David (The Blessing of the Shoot of David)

The concept of a "Jewish State" did not exist in the theological or political discourse of the time, and no sources support the claim that these liturgical revisions were related to such a concept. Instead, these edits were part of a broader effort to emphasize a more universal, ethical mission for Judaism in line with the Reform movement's emerging theology. The theology of Classical Reform judaism in the mid-19th centry was not concerned with the political matters of a literal Jewish State but the Universalism of Judiasm and antiquated nature of a return to Israel.

For this section, consider referencing the following sources: https://web.archive.org/web/20090703013426/http://urj.org/Articles/index.cfm?id=10575 https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/rabbinical-conferences https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/the-origins-of-reform-judaism "Reform Comes to America" SirachScherer (talk) 18:14, 10 December 2024 (UTC)

 Note: I suggest you reformat the text as it's very hard to read with all that "▓" surrounding it. M.Bitton (talk) 11:28, 12 December 2024 (UTC)

Went ahead and deleted the bars. PianoDan (talk) 00:02, 13 December 2024 (UTC)