July 17, 2026
In the winter of 1998, Rabbi Richard N. Levy z”l, then President of the Central Conference of American Rabbis, appeared on the cover of Reform Judaism Magazine donning a kippah, tallit, and tefillin. For those who have a full understanding of the Reform Movement’s history, you might have heard about that or seen it and recognized it as sacrilegious. To see a Reform Jew wearing these ritual objects was anathema to the Confirmation photographs appearing on the walls of Reform synagogues. In those images from the 1980s and earlier, one would rarely have seen a rabbi in a tallit or kippah, let alone tefillin. If Isaac Mayer Wise and his colleagues who founded Reform Judaism in America had seen such an image, they might have rolled over in their graves. Their fierce rejection of Jewish ritual life had been completely turned on its head.
I had the honor of being one of Rabbi Levy’s students during his tenure as Director of Hebrew Union College’s Rabbinic Program on the Los Angeles campus. He was a close mentor who helped shape the rabbi I have become. As President of the CCAR, he championed the establishment of a new set of principles. In 1999, the CCAR returned to Pittsburgh for its annual convention and adopted what has become known as A Statement of Principles of Reform Judaism. They had hoped Pittsburgh would become associated with a new way of Jewish living, much like it did over a century prior.
Much had changed in Reform Jewish life between 1976 and the Centenary Perspective and 1999. In 1976, there had only been three women rabbis ordained by Hebrew Union College. It was only four years since Rabbi Sally Priesand’s ordination. By 1999, there were 250 women rabbis ordained. With the growth of women’s influence on the Movement, the rise of intermarriage, and the embrace of patrilineal descent in the 1980s, Reform Jewish leaders saw the conclusion of the 20th century and the onset of the 21st as an opportunity to create a new set of principles that would guide the future. This commentary on the principles helps to provide a full picture of the background and impact of the 1999 Statement. This commentary tells us that the CCAR committed to deep conversation with its entire membership and lay people for two years prior to the statement. Like the 1976 statement, it was divided into three sections: God, Torah, and Israel.
Inherent in this document are three essential themes. First, at its core is a desire to incorporate the notion and aspiration of holiness. As we learn from the commentary to the document, through a commitment to living a life filled with Torah and Jewish practice, we draw closer to God and encounter God’s presence. “Bringing the Godly into our lives can transform us from creatures defined by a secular, material society into those who can fulfill our destiny as being shaped b’tzelem Elohim, in the image of God.” The commentary also teaches us that dialogue is a key theme. The use of words and phrases such as “encountering God’s presence,” “responding to God daily,” referring to the Torah as a record of our ongoing relationship with God’s presence, and the notion of reaching out to all Jews in the Israel section reflect a relational vocabulary, which means we are in dialogue with Jewish tradition. Lastly, this document wanted to guide us in the transformation of our lives. With a foundation in Jewish learning and Jewish practice, the 1999 principles wanted to instill a desire among Jews to aspire to a new, holier plane of existence.
While each section includes a series of affirmations, encounters, and strivings, the sections conclude by saying, “In all these ways and more, God/Torah/Israel give meaning and purpose to our lives.” These three punctuation marks on each section serve as a reminder of the diverse ways in which Reform Jews are in dialogue with the core values of each section. They recognize that by their very nature, words are limiting. The ways in which we relate and connect to these core pillars of Jewish life are quite diverse.
These sacred words have guided us for the past quarter of a century. Even though they have aged, their openness to diverse religious practice still provides us with much guidance. Living our lives committed to Jewish learning, infusing holiness into our lives through Jewish ritual practice and holiday observance and connecting with the wider Jewish people and the people and State of Israel help to enrich our connection to Judaism and Jewish life, while at the same time recognizing the diversity inherent within the Movement.
We continue to connect to Jewish tradition in diverse ways. As the 1999 Statement of Principles concludes, we pray:
בָּרוּךְ שֶׁאָמַר וְהָיָה הָעוֹלָם.
Baruch she-amar ve-haya ha-olam.
Praised be the One through whose word all things came to be.
May our words find expression in holy actions.
May they raise us up to a life of meaning devoted to God’s service
And to the redemption of our world.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Rick Kellner