How Do You Jew: Understanding Reform Judaism

Judaism is both a religion and a culture/peoplehood. There are many denominations, also called movements or streams. There are similarities and differences under the large Jewish tent. We hope to dedicate time to explore all these movements of Jewish practice and belief.
Judaism has always been reforming. This course will explore how Reform Judaism emerged, how the surrounding society shaped it, and how, in turn, it shaped Jewish life. We’ll discover the people, ideas, practices, and experiments that have defined the Movement. In a society that highly values individual agency, what might we learn from a movement that has continually wrestled with how to remain committed to Jewish tradition and people while evolving as a vibrant reflection of American life?
Dr. Katherine Schwartz is the Director of Hebrew Union College's Executive MA in Jewish Education program. Before that role, she held key positions in several Jewish educational settings, including Senior Director of Professional Learning at Jewish LearningWorks in the Bay Area and, for decades, a congregational educator at Har HaShem in Boulder and Congregation Sinai in Milwaukee.