Why I Am a Reform Jew

by Daniel B. Syme

A rabbi traces the history of the Reform movement from a personal perspective, chronicling his grandfather's settling in Winnepeg, his father's move to New York, and his own appreciation of the values of Reform Judaism

240 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1990

Reviews

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Overwhelmingly a five-star, and would love an update. The book is basically the story of Reform Judaism through the eyes of a prominent Rabbi. Rabbi Daniel Syme came of age at roughly the same time as Reform Judaism matured into a major theological source.

The book skillfully and eloquently outlines Reform Judaism's role both as a sense of support, comfort and as a cudgel to action. Some parts of the book moved me to tears.

While I thought the book would primarily focus on a rabbi justifying himself, the book really demonstrated the role of the youth movement and organizational Reform Judaism.

I highly recommend it.

[Melvin Marsh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this in my shul's library and I had no idea what to expect when I picked it up. While my shul is Reform, and I myself converted Reform, I identified myself as being much more traditional than my conversion or my shul would imply... and then I read this book. This is a rabbi's tale about why he himself is not only a Reform Jew but also why he became a Reform rabbi. This was an incredibly powerful tale that brought me to tears on a few occasions. Quite an interesting book. I guess I am a Reform Jew after all.