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LIBERAL JEWISH COMMUNITY MUNICH
LIBERALE JÜDISCHE
GEMEINDE MÜNCHEN
The
Liberal Jewish Community of Munich, Beth Shalom (House of Peace), has become
a home for Jews who wish to lead their religious lives in the progressive
Jewish tradition. We maintain our own community center and synagogue,
holding family-oriented,
egalitarian services in Hebrew, German, and sometimes English.
Beth Shalom
provides state-accredited religious instruction for children and young
adults alike and offers a variety of courses for adults. These impart the
spirit and letter of liberal Judaism while maintaining respect for all other
branches of our faith and those of other religions or ethnic groups. We hold
monthly dinner get-togethers with our Rabbi,
Dr. Tom Kucera.
News and information about
community activities and developments are regularly published in a
community newsletter. Beth Shalom also maintains a Jewish cemetery on
the grounds of Munich’s Waldfriedhof cemetery. Our Chief Rabbi is Dr. Walter
Jacob of Pittsburgh, (originally from Augsburg, Germany).
Beth
Shalom developed from a group of primarily American Jewish families who
began holding religion classes for their children and liberal Jewish
services in 1990. The community was officially founded in March 1995 as a
non-profit association. Beth Shalom is a member of the
World Union for Progressive Judaism, the largest Jewish religious
organization in the world, representing about 1.5 million Jews in nearly 40
countries. We are also a member of
the Union of Progressive Jews in Germany and are associated with the
Reform Synagogues of Great Britain (RSGB).
The
community’s honorary members include the religious philosopher Shalom Ben-Chorin
z”l, Jerusalem, the former president of the Union of American Hebrew
Congregations, Rabbi Alexander Schindler, z”l, New York, both of whom were
born in Munich, as well as the organist and composer Dr. Herman Berlinski,
z”l, born in Leipzig, who was Beth Shalom’s musical advisor up until his
death in 2001.
All Jews may become members of Beth
Shalom. In accordance with Jewish tradition, we regard anyone with a Jewish
mother or anyone who has converted before a rabbinic court (bet din) to be a
Jew. Conversions of individuals within our community are supervised by the
European Bet Din of the World Union for Progressive Judaism in London, whose
panel also includes liberal rabbis from Germany.
We encourage interested persons
with a Jewish father, but not a Jewish mother, to become supporting members.
Supporting members may acquire full membership after a period of learning and
completion of the conversion process (giur) in front of a Bet Din. Beth Shalom
offers supporting membership primarily to non-Jewish family members and to
those individuals who are preparing for conversion. Supporting members have
neither active or passive voting rights at community meetings.
We encourage supporting members to
participate in all community activities, including worship services. We respect
their wishes to pray alongside us without giving up their own religious
identity. This is why they are not called to the Torah or entrusted with other
religious responsibilities reserved for Jews.
Children with one non-Jewish parent
may attend religious instruction if both parents consent. Before becoming a bar
or bat mitzvah, however, children with a non-Jewish mother must complete the
conversion process, including circumcision for boys and mikvah (or ritual bath)
for both boys and girls. The non-Jewish parent must also manifest a commitment
to raising the child as a Jew.
Liberal Judaism developed in Germany
at the beginning of the 19th century. Until the Shoah, liberal Jews were the
majority of the population in the so-called “Einheitsgemeinden,” the German
administrative construction in which Jews of different religious orientations
are counted as belonging to the same community. Since its inception, the liberal
movement has emphasized the equality of all people as well as the duty to work
for social justice, concepts which emanate from the Torah and Prophets. In
Liberal Jewish religious life, ethical values take precedence over ritual
commandments. Nonetheless we consider the latter to be vital for preserving the
family, the community, and the Jewish people.
The Torah is the basis of our
beliefs. Whereas orthodox Jews believe that God revealed each and every word of
the Torah to Moses at Mount Sinai, who then gave it to the Jewish people in
spoken form, we believe in divine inspiration and that Judaism has always been
molded by circumstances in the times and places Jews have lived. Judaism has
continued to develop during the four thousand years of its existence. We thus
believe in inspired revelation.
What are our principles?
1.
We believe in the teachings of Israel throughout the generations, and
that there has been a continual process starting with Abraham, the father of
monotheism, up to and including all forms and nuances of Jewish life in our day.
This is why the blessing we speak over the Torah states: “Blessed art thou, O
God, who gives us the Torah.” We use the present tense – not the past.
2.
We believe in God, the creator, who created the universe as well as
ethical norms.
3.
We believe in the equality of the sexes. “…male and female He created
them.” This is the basis of equality in community life, in both social and
ritual settings. Women are called to the Torah, counted in a minyan, recite
Kaddish during the service, lay tefillin, blow the shofar, are members in all
community bodies, and may be admitted as witnesses.
4.
The prayer book has never been solely a collection of prayers of
supplication and thanksgiving, but also a document which reflects our beliefs.
Our prayer book is fundamentally based on the traditional siddur, but does
include some changes, specifically in the following areas:
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Equality of the sexes. This is why we do
not say “Blessed art thou, our God, King of the universe, who has not made me
a woman,“ but rather: ”…who
has made me in his image.“
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Length of the worship service. To
preserve the spirit of the service, we have restricted its length. We avoid
repetitions such as of the Amida.
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Sincerity. We strive to say prayers with
which we can identify. We thus do not pray for the rebuilding of the Temple or
resumption of sacrifices. We avoid any personification and thus do not pray
for the coming of a messiah descending from David, but for the messianic age
or tikkun olam (repair of the world).
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Both of the central events of
contemporary Jewish history, the Shoah and the foundation of the State of
Israel, have been introduced into our prayers. We declare solidarity with the
State of Israel as formulated in its declaration of independence from May 14,
1948: “The State of Israel…will be based on freedom, justice, and peace as
envisaged by the prophets of Israel; it will ensure complete equality of
social and political rights to all its inhabitants irrespective of religion,
race, or sex…”
The Liberal
Jewish Community of Munich, Beth Shalom, is deeply rooted in Jewish tradition
and is continually developing in the spirit of liberal Judaism. It gives all
Jews the opportunity to lead a Jewish life according to their own understanding.
Solidarity and mutual respect for Jews with different views is of the highest
importance to us. We support Jewish life in all its diversity.
Remember and rebuild
Sixty years ago, Munich's main synagogue was
destroyed upon the personal orders of Adolf Hitler.
(Newsletter Tamus-Aw 5758)
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