Costa Contra Times - 11.06.2004

Contra Costa Times

Foreign Jews learn about Judaism in U.S.

By Randy Myers

Eight leaders in the Progressive Judaism movement from the former Soviet Union received a taste of what Reform Judaism is like in America and offered their West Coast counterparts insight into their growing homeland movement.

The 11-day Northern California tour aimed to give the young and upcoming leaders tools to further develop congregations in their homelands.

"I hope they take back a little of our 'can do' attitude," said Rabbi Roberto Graetz of Temple Isaiah in Lafayette. "If you want something, it can happen."

Reform Judaism affirms the central tenets of Judaism but is more modern in its beliefs, espousing increased social and cultural integration. In some countries, the Reform movement is called Progressive Judaism.

The leaders, most in their 20s and 30s, met with Jews in the area and visited Temple Isaiah. Rabbi Graetz is the regional director for the World Union for Progressive Judaism, headquartered in Jerusalem.

The organization is the largest worldwide body of religious Jews, serving members in nearly 40 countries, including more than 1,200 Reform, Progressive, Liberal and Reconstructionist congregations.

The group of eight returns home today. What they saw was an eye-opening experience for them and the people they met, said participant and leader Nelly Shulman. She is the first and only Russian-born female rabbi in the former Soviet Union. She has visited the United States before.

"I can tell you from my experience, the first time coming to the United States was overwhelming," the 32-year-old said. The well-established sense of Jewish identity here stirred her.

Natalya Ioffe, a coordinator in the Baltic states for the Reform Zionist Youth movement known as Netzer, found the vibrancy of the U.S. Reform movement most impressive.

"It's been very useful," she said. "There are so many Reform communities here."

In the United States, Reform Jews are well-versed in religious traditions and involved in Jewish communities, having chosen which of the four modern Jewish movements they want to belong to, she said.

In the former Soviet Union, there's a need to educate Jews about Judaism first and then to explain the Reform movement.

"To understand what Reform is you have to understand what is Jewish tradition. It's not the wrong way, but it's the more difficult way. That's why it's going very slowly."

The Reform movement started in the former Soviet Union 15 years ago, Shulman said.

Because the Soviet government prohibited Jews from practicing their religion for more than 70 years, it can be challenging to appeal to generations that grew up fearing public displays of religion.

"For the older generation it's more difficult because we have to get people out of their shell that they've been put in by the communist government," she said.

The Reform movement, with nearly 100 progressive congregations in the former Soviet Union, organizes a growing number of Jewish education and day and seasonal camps for youths.

The Institute for Modern Jewish Studies, a full-time academic program in Moscow, was launched in 1993 to train para-professional community workers. The eight who visited here graduated from that program.

Mikhail Kemerov helped open a Jewish day school for 3- to 11-year-olds in Belarus, east of Poland, this fall. The state government has officially designated the 150-student institution as a Jewish school.

"It is a miracle for us that in Belarus we have the opportunity to start such a Jewish project," he said.

Shulman said the government has generally been supportive and that Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he endorses building more synagogues and Jewish community centers. Acceptance varies from region to region, however.

The group sees its movement growing in succeeding generations along with democracy.

"The presence of Reform Judaism is important in the Jewish life of Russia because people are striving to build a democratic society, and one of the values of a democratic society is choice," she said.