In North America (and for some groups in South America, Europe, Australia, and even Israel) "Jewish renewal" has meant the practice of redefining Judaism in the light of the world transformations of the past 50 years. This has happened before -- rabbinic Judaism, born from the transformations of the world wrought by the Roman Empire, remade/ renewed the Judaism of the Bible into something quite different by doing a macro-midrash (reniterpretation) of the previous tradition. We already see many elements of the renewed Judaism --  Women and gay/ lesbian/ bisexual/  transgender people fully equal,  deep respect for the truth-value of other traditions, responsibility to heal the earth from the wounding imposed on it by the last two or three generations of Modernity, working out a Jewish ethic for using the unpredented power and wealth now held by the American Jewish community and by the State of Israel, creating Jewishly rooted celebrations of many life-cycle markers that were ignored by the previous generations of Judaism, the exploration of new metaphors for God (like "Ruach ha'olam, Breathing-spirit of the universe," and Eyn ha'chayyim, Wellspring of life," instead of "King, Lord");  the renewal of old versions of Jewish meditation and creation of new ones; the use of Jewish festival celebrations as political acts, like Tu B'Shvat to protect the redwood forests from corporate logging and Pesach to challenge the Pharaohs of the world today.

 One way I describe "Jewish renewal" is "Feminist hassidism." For more information see The Shalom Center's Website, www.shalomctr.org  and the Website of ALEPH Alliance for Jewish Renewal, alephajr.org   and read my books GODWRESTLING -- ROUND 2;  SEASONS OF OUR JOY;  DOWN-TO-EARTH JUDAISM: FOOD, MONEY, SEX, & THE REST OF LIFE; and  A TIME FOR EVERY PURPOSE UNDER HEAVEN.  See also a book by Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, PARADIGM SHIFT,  and  Judith Plaskow's STANDING AGAIN AT SINAI.

 Shalom,  (Rabbi) Arthur  Waskow  awaskow@shalomctr.org