TORONTO — Having a Canadian chair of the World Union for Progressive Judaism (WUPJ) could help raise the profile of Canadian progressive Jewish communities within the international Jewish progressive scene, says Carole Sterling, WUPJ’s newly elected chairperson.
Born in Montreal and a resident of Toronto for the past several decades, Sterling was elected chair in mid-May at a meeting of WUPJ’s international assembly in Rio de Janeiro.
Formerly president of the Canadian Council for Reform Judaism and Temple Sinai Congregation and a past chair of UJA Federation of Greater Toronto’s Women’s Campaign, Sterling is the first Canadian to head WUPJ in 20 years.
WUPJ is the international umbrella group for Judaism’s Reform, Liberal, Progressive and Reconstructionist movements, serving about 1,200 congregations and 1.8 million members in more than 45 countries.
Its mission is to support and advance a progressive approach to Judaism in Israel and Jewish communities globally.
“As chair, my responsibility will be to nurture and grow progressive Judaism – I should stress that it’s called different things in different places, be it Reform, liberal or progressive Judaism – and to help emerging communities get started,” Sterling said.
Founded in 1928, WUPJ has sought to accomplish its goals through actions such as partnering with rabbinical schools and training institutes to foster strong progressive leaders, connecting progressive Jewish groups around the world, nurturing young people through its international youth movement, Netzer Olami, and advocating for social justice.
Sterling noted that WUPJ encompasses seven international regions, each of which functions somewhat uniquely and is headed by a distinct president or chairperson.
She and Rabbi Daniel Freelander, WUPJ’s president and a native of Massachusetts, have established a presidents’ council that will allow its leaders to learn from one other, share opportunities and set standards for progressive congregations.
“Every region and country has its own agenda,” she said. “In some regions we play more of an active role, in others we play a more supportive role. And we’re always looking for strategic partnerships.”
In Canada, Sterling said the focus will be on creating greater awareness and encouraging financial support for other progressive Jewish communities worldwide, as well as sharing best practices across congregations.
She noted that cross-community partnerships can be forged internationally through “twinning programs” that match similarly sized congregations.
A significant portion of Sterling’s new role will involve visiting places where progressive Jewish communities are just beginning to grow and fostering support for fledgling congregations.
For example, she said, at WUPJ’s recent conference in Rio de Janeiro, it was announced that the ARI Congregation of Rio de Janeiro will be donating a Sefer Torah to a budding progressive synagogue in Shanghai.
Further, Sterling said that she and Rabbi Freelander are in the process of trying to find rabbis fluent in the appropriate languages to serve progressive synagogues in places such as Shanghai, Warsaw, Vienna and Rome.
WUPJ also works to help progressive synagogues in a number of European countries get more recognition from their local governments.
“In many of these countries, the governments like to speak to each religion through one mechanism, for instance [the] Catholic [Church]. It can’t function like that [with Jews]. With so many denominations [within Judaism] – Chabad, Orthodox, progressive – each needs to be recognized and able to share in government funding.”
In addition to Sterling’s promotion, three Canadians have been elected to WUPJ’s executive board, a decision-making body that ensures WUPJ policies are put into practice. They are Nani Beutel of Toronto, who has long been active in the Canadian Reform community; Rabbi Jordan Helfman, assistant rabbi of Holy Blossom Temple in Toronto; and Torontonian Les Rothschild, outgoing president of ARZA Canada, the Canadian branch of the Zionist organization affiliated with the Reform movement.
