The Conservative Movement in Judaism

Rela Mintz Geffen, Daniel J. Elazar

Description

Viewing the Conservative Movement at a turning point, this book analyzes the problems facing the religious movement with the largest synagogue membership in the American Jewish community and outlines a plan of action for the future. Elazar and Geffen suggest: clarifying ideology, mission, and purpose, finding the right balance between traditionalists and advocates of change, unifying movement institutions in a cooperative effort, staunching the decline of membership to the left, recapturing the loyalty of lapsed adherents, closing the gap in observance between the laity and the standard bearers of the movement, developing the Movement in Israel and world-wide, and strengthening ties with Jewish federations and other Jewish communal bodies. The authors propose that the Conservative Movement's remedying of these problems will benefit not just American, but all world Jewry.
Acknowledgments

Introduction: Conservative Judaism: Past and Future

The Conservative Achievement
Confronting Difficult Issues
Methodology of This Study
Looking Toward the Future

Part I: The State of the Movement

1. A History of Ambivalence

A Reluctant Separation
The Movement As a Party
From Party to Camp?

2. Institutions

The Changing Position of the Seminary
The Congregational Heart of the Movement
The Variety of Congregational Models
A Note on Youth Movements
New Institutions Emerge
The Ramah Camps
The Havurot
The Solomon Schechter Schools

3. Ideology and Theology

God, Torah, and Israel
Shifts and Stages
Benchmarks and Boundaries

4. Style

Sephardim and Litvaks
Elite and Mass
Rabbinical Preeminence
Synagogism
Religious Observance

5. Demographics

Concentric Circles of Jewishness
Decline in the Fourth Generation
Orthodoxy Resurgent
The Changing Family
A Note on Regionalism in the Conservative Movement

6. Leadership

In the Movement
In the Congregations
In the Jewish World
Voluntary Leadership in the Existing Institutional Framework

7. The World Movement

The New Context of World Jewry
The Scope of the World Conservative/Masorti Movement
The Movement in Israel
A Missed Direction
A New Partnership

8. What the Movement’s Leadership Seeks

Raising the Halakhic Profile
Enhancing Conservative Intellectual Life
Addressing the Spiritual Needs of Conservative Jews
The Communal Approach
The Zionist Approach

Part II: Next Steps

9. Ideology, Halakhah, and a Broadened Base

The Need for Ideological Clarification
Fostering a More Serious Halakhic Movement
Broadening the Base
Confronting the Demographic Challenge
Building a Real World Movement
Building a Masorti Movement in Israel
Is Conservative Judaism Best Served through a Single Movement or a Multi-Movement Community?
Links to the Jewish People

10. Internal Unity

From Congregationalism to Community
Reducing the Gap between the Circles
Integrating the Movement’s Parts into a Whole
Broadening the Leadership
The Role of the Jewish Theological Seminary
Strengthening Rabbinic Leadership
Learning from History: A Summary and Final Word

Glossary

Notes

Index

Sujets

• Judaism
• History of religions

Informations

• Publié par: State University of New York Press
• Date de parution: 01 février 2012
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780791492024
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 5 Mo

Extrait

Daniel J. Elazar and Rela Mintz Geffen

The Conservative Movement in Judaism Dilemmas and Opportunities

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The Conservative Movement in Judaism

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SUNY series in American Jewish Society in the 1990s Barry A. Kosmin and Sidney Goldstein, Editors

Sidney Goldstein and Alice Goldstein,Jews on the Move: Implications for Jewish Identity(1996). Moshe Hartman and Harriet Hartman,Gender Equality and American Jews(1996). Bernard Lazerwitz, J. Alan Winter, Arnold Dashefsky, and Ephraim Tabory,Jewish Choices: American Jewish Denomina- tionalism(1997).

Daniel J. Elazar and Rela Mintz Geffen,The Conservative Movement in Judaism: Dilemmas and Opportunities(2000). Ariela Keysar, Barry A. Kosmin, and Jeffrey Scheckner,The Next Generation: Jewish Children and Adolescents(2000). Sylvia Barack Fishman,Jewish Life and American Culture (2000). Jewish Baby Boomers: A Communal Perspective. Chaim I. Waxman (ed.), 2001

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The Conservative Movement in Judaism

Dilemmas and Opportunities

Daniel J. Elazar and Rela Mintz Geffen

State University of New York Press

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Published by State University of New York Press, Albany

© 2000 State University of New York

Preparation of this book for publication was made possible through the Milken Library of Jewish Public Affairs, funded by the Milken Family Foundation.

All rights reserved

Printed in the United States of America

No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission. No part of this book may be stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means including electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior permission in writing of the publisher.

For information, address State University of New York Press, State University Plaza, Albany, N.Y., 12246

Production by Michael Haggett Marketing by Patrick Durocher

Library of Congress CataloginginPublication Data

Elazar, Daniel Judah. The Conservative movement in Judaism: dilemmas and opportunities/Daniel J. Elazar and Rela Mintz Geffen. p. cm.—(SUNY series in American Jewish society in the 1990s) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0–7914–4689–1 (acid free)—ISBN 0–7914–4690–5 (pbk. : acid free) 1. Conservative Judaism—History. 2. Judaism—United States—History. 3. Judaism—20th century. I. Geffen, Rela M. II. Title. III. Series.

BM197.5 .E43 2000 296.8’342—dc21

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Contents

Acknowledgments Introduction: Conservative Judaism: Past and Future The Conservative Achievement1 Confronting Difficult Issues4 Methodology of This Study7 Looking Toward the Future8 Part I: The State of the Movement Chapter 1 A History of Ambivalence A Reluctant Separation14 The Movement As a Party19 From Party to Camp?24 Chapter 2 Institutions The Changing Position of the Seminary29 The Congregational Heart of the Movement31 The Variety of Congregational Models34 A Note on Youth Movements41 New Institutions Emerge43 The Ramah Camps43 TheHavurot 47 The Solomon Schechter Schools48

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T HE C ONSERVATIVE M OVEMENT IN J UDAISM

Chapter 3 Ideology and Theology 53 God, Torah, and Israel54 Shifts and Stages59 Benchmarks and Boundaries65 Chapter 4 Style 69 Sephardim and Litvaks69 Elite and Mass71 Rabbinical Preeminence74 Synagogism79 Religious Observance82 Chapter 5 Demographics 91 Concentric Circles of Jewishness91 Decline in the Fourth Generation99 Orthodoxy Resurgent105 The Changing Family108 A Note on Regionalism in the Conservative Movement112 Chapter 6 Leadership 117 In the Movement117 In the Congregations119 In the Jewish World122 Voluntary Leadership in the Existing Institutional Framework122 Chapter 7 The World Movement 127 The New Context of World Jewry128 The Scope of the World Conservative/Masorti Movement129 The Movement in Israel134 A Missed Direction140 A New Partnership141 Chapter 8 What the Movement’s Leadership Seeks 145 Raising theHalakhicProfile146 Enhancing Conservative Intellectual Life147 Addressing the Spiritual Needs of Conservative Jews149 The Communal Approach151 The Zionist Approach152 Resolving Conflicts, Setting Priorities153