Tradition and Change

By Avi Eisen
Montclair State University

These are the three guiding principles of the "Ideal Conservative Jew" as outlined by Emet V’Emunah, the statement of principles of the Conservative Movement. When I read the article in the Jewish Week regarding the USCJ Biennial Conference in December 2005, my first impression was that the representatives of the Movement had forgotten these three principles.

The Jewish Week quotes Rabbi Gillman in the first paragraph saying that the Conservative Movement "calling itself a halakhic movement is intellectually dishonest." Moreover, Gillman continues to assert that the movement "has failed to inspire increased religious commitment of congregants".

The Jewish Week article continues, "Rabbi Gillman said there is little difference between the religious practice of Conservative and Reform Jews outside the synagogue," and that "if we are a halakhic community, it has to be because we want to be, not because we have to be. Then we have to explain why we want to be, and we have done neither."

The motto of the Conservative Movement is "Tradition and Change." We are not like Orthodoxy, trying to conserve the past while society is changing and we are not like Reform, discarding tradition in favor of assimilation and acceptance in society. We are a halakhic movement, and halakhah (Jewish Law) is the basis of all of our decisions. As Rabbi Jerome Epstein was quoted in the Jewish Week, "Halakhah is the mainstay of the movement, and our decisions are based on Halakhah. That doesn’t mean they are entirely consistent, they’re grappled with." He noted, "if not for Halakhah, we would vote on the gay and lesbian issue tomorrow."

The principles of the Conservative Movement do not necessarily mesh with the actions of the Conservative membership. Many members do not keep kosher, even though Conservative Judaism still mandates we do. Many members will go to the mall on Friday night or Saturday, even though Conservative Judaism still prohibits monetary transactions on Shabbat. While the principles of the Movement encourage us to take that first step through the doorway, no one is showing the members where the door is.

The Jewish Week also cites Rabbi Menachem Creditor about his views regarding egalitarianism. The Jewish Week quotes him as saying, "Allowing non-egalitarian synagogues under the Conservative umbrella was immoral and tantamount to ‘institutional misogyny.’" This comment upset representatives at the Convention who support non-egalitarianism. Lay leader Paul Kochberg was quoted as telling the Jewish Week that "For him to stand up in front of the crowd and preach that there is no room in the movement for non-egalitarian synagogues that have decades and decades of tradition in the Conservative Movement is repugnant, offensive, hurtful and entirely out of place."

The Conservative Movement has worked hard to give a broad range of flexibility in its approach to halakhah. There is no "typical" Conservative Jew and many people’s values are radically different from one another. People contribute differently to their communities and have a broad range of beliefs. Rabbi Creditor seems to believe that there should be a more homogeneous Conservative Judaism, but I believe that this would take away the openness and diversity of the Movement. I believe we would lose the opportunity to teach and be taught.

The idea of egalitarianism and non-egalitarianism should not be the deal breaker when it comes to whether one is Conservative or not. In Rabbi Gillman’s book Conservative Judaism, he suggests the number of Conservative Jews who are observant is around 12%. I would gamble that a significant number of the remaining 88% are people who are not entirely familiar with the history or principles of the Movement. If the consensus is to "kick out anyone who doesn’t believe what the Movement believes," we lose the opportunity to teach them why we should be egalitarian, or, learn from them their reasons why they believe we should not be egalitarian. It is extremely closed-minded to say they do not belong with the Movement just because they do not believe the same way others do.

If I were to make an analogy based on the Jewish Week article, it would appear that if Orthodoxy were black, and Reform were white, then Conservative would be considered grey by the majority of Jews. I propose that if we consider Orthodoxy black, and Reform white, then Conservative Judaism is a rainbow of color, each color distinctly different, but making a beautiful sight when put together. Conservative Judaism is a halakhic movement and we should not be excluding people because their views do not fit the mainstream. It is the responsibility of the Movement to be open to change and to show members the door that would lead them to learn more; to provide the encouragement to strive to be more than they are and the will to continue to better themselves Jewishly, halakhically, and spiritually.

[Posted 9/18/06]