New Chancellor at JTS
In a recent article in which Dr. Neil Gillman describes how he eventually ended up studying at JTS, he relays the following incident,
I had not as yet submitted an application to the seminary, but at the pleading of my Orthodox rabbi uncle I had spoken with the dean of Yeshiva University’s talmudists, Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik. Not surprisingly, he told me that I could not possibly qualify for Yeshiva’s rabbinical program. I should find myself a tutor, study Talmud for five years and come back to him. I told him that I couldn’t do that. “What will you do?” “I’m being interviewed at JTS tomorrow.” “Don’t go to the seminary,” he cautioned. “There’s no serious talmud Torah at the seminary.”
The next day, I was introduced to Dr. Finkelstein, and with colossal chutzpah, I reported Rabbi Soloveitchik’s evaluation of JTS. Dr. Finkelstein smiled. “Actually, he’s right,” he remarked. “I’m a day person. I’m asleep by nine but I’m up at four and that’s when I study and write. But Dr. Lieberman”-the seminary’s notable talmudist-”he’s a night person. He works until two in the morning, and then he goes to sleep. Between two and four in the morning, no serious Talmud Torah at the seminary.”
Many years have passed since this incident, and many years have passed since Louis Finkelstein was the chancellor at JTS. This Wednesday, Sept. 5, will be the inauguration of Prof. Arnold Eisen as the new chancellor of JTS. For more about Prof. Eisen and some of his ideas see this interesting interview with him from some years ago. Prof. Eisen has his work cut out for him. Both JTS and Conservative Judaism are seen by many to be on the defensive, the former from competing academic institutions and rabbinical schools, and the latter from a declining membership among other things. As a recent forum in the Forward shows, many people are waiting with anticipation for Prof. Eisen, but they are not in agreement on which direction he should be taking or what, if any, serious problems do exist. I offer my congratulations to Prof. Eisen and look forward with anticipation to his tenure as Chancellor of JTS.
Update: There is apparently going to be a live webcast of Prof. Eisen’s inauguration.
September 1st, 2007 at 10:26 pm
Where is the Neil Gilman quote from?
September 2nd, 2007 at 6:53 am
It is from a new magazine, Kolot-Voices of Conservative/Masorti Judaism. Besides Gillman’s piece, most everything else is pretty much PR.
September 2nd, 2007 at 1:08 pm
The Rav meant among students. He had very high regard for Lieberman.
September 3rd, 2007 at 5:23 pm
There was a time when the Seminary was a storehouse of critical scholarship but it is no longer the case. There are talmidei chachamim there but not of the stature like in the past. R. Lieberman is someone who cannot be replaced. In my humble and possibly incorrect opinion, the Seminary needs to return to being an institution of learning for the entire Jewih nation, as it started off being in the beginning, in order to survive. It is that which allowed people who were personally Orthodox, like R. Lieberman, to participate within it on the model of non-Austritt. That needs to happen again. The seminary, production of rabbis, and the scholarship function need to be separated. This can allow reappochment with the left wing of Orthodoxy and can be the Seminary’s salvation. The dynamism, knowledge and passion are now in the Orthodox camp. JTs is still functioning but it is living off past glory. Look at trends, not at the current situation which still retains traces of the past. If Conservatism does not reinvent itself it will follow IBM, GM and Mama Bell into decline and ultimatley into oblivion. It should become a Jewish university, like YU, with one school granting rabbinic degrees. Perhaps this can bypass the recent ordination of gays issue, which will otherwise will prevent any meaningful reappochment.
Other thoughts here, http://www.avakesh.com/2007/08/conservative-ma.html