Rabbi Erin C. Boxt

http://www.rabbierinboxt.com/rabbi-boxts-blog

Hey guys,

this week I am featuring a rabbi named Erin Boxt, the new Rabbi of Temple Beth El "...a Reform Jewish synagogue, affiliated with the Union for Reform Judaism." I am looking forward to interviewing him, so that we can get to know his family and welcome him to East Tennessee!

what does reform mean?

http://www.tbeknox.org/index.php

According to the Temple Beth El website

Basically, the Reform dynamic means keeping the traditions of old, while embracing the world around us.

"Reform Judaism has asserted that a Judaism frozen in time is an heirloom, not a living fountain."

• Immersion in study (Torah), prayer (avodah) and the performance of good deeds (gemilut chasadim)

• Personal responsibility for religious choices based upon knowledge and commitment

• A commitment to tikkun olam—the repair of the world in partnership with God—through acts of social justice

• Full equality of women and men in all aspects of synagogue leadership and religious life (the Reform movement ordained the first woman rabbi in 1972)

• Welcoming all who wish to celebrate Jewish life—singles, families, gay/lesbian Jews, interfaith couples, retirees and young adults

• Developing and maintaining close links with the State of Israel and its citizens

"The great contribution of Reform Judaism is that it has enabled the Jewish people to introduce innovation while preserving tradition, to embrace diversity while asserting commonality, to affirm beliefs without rejecting those who doubt and to bring faith to sacred texts without sacrificing critical scholarship."

Love,

Hannah