Rabbi Mark Washofsky, Ph.D.

Black and white headshit of Rabbi Mark Washofsky wearing a suit and tie

Rabbi Mark Washofsky, Ph.D., is the Solomon B. Freehof Professor of Jewish Law and Practice at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati, OH. He specializes in the literature of the Talmud and Jewish law and chaired the Responsa Committee of the Central Conference of American Rabbis from 1996-2017. His books include Jewish Living: A Guide to Contemporary Reform Practice (URJ Press, revised 2010) and Reform Responsa for the Twenty-First Century (CCAR, 2010).

Torrah and Kippah
Ki Tavo

The Reality Check

D'Var Torah By: Rabbi Mark Washofsky, Ph.D.
I know some people who could benefit from a reality check. Perhaps you, too, know such people. Their problem is not that they are out of touch with reality but rather the opposite - they are too much in touch with it.
children forming a Jewish star (Magen David) with their fingers
Conversion

How does Reform Judaism define who is a Jew?

Rabbi Mark Washofsky, Ph.D.
Reform Judaism accepts in broad outlines the traditional definition of Jewish status: to be a "Jew" one must be a member of the Jewish people, a status obtained either through birth or conversion. Jewish identity is not determined purely by the individual.