Rabbi Len Levin has posted online an article of his titled “Is the ‘Halakhic Authenticity’ of Conservative Judaism a Broken Myth?” Here are some of his conclusions: But for Kaplanians and Heschelians alike, affirming the halakhic seriousness of Conservative Judaism is (I here disagree with my teacher Rabbi Gillman) not just the equivalent of “Hooray [...]
From a review at H-Judaic of Michael Cohen’s The Birth of Conservative Judaism: Solomon Schechter’s Disciples and the Creation of an American Religious Movement. Cohen’s initial task is to overturn several persistent theories regarding Conservative Judaism’s origins. Most accounts of the movement locate its beginnings in the nineteenth century, either with Zecharias Frankel’s “positive-historical school” [...]
The Committee on Jewish Law and Standards of the Conservative Movement met this week. Most people are speaking about the responsum on same-sex marriage, but there were a number of other ones that were voted upon. I will update the links as they become available. “Rituals and Documents of Marriage and Divorce for Same-Sex Couples,” [...]
Charles Liebman was one of the most important sociologists of American Judaism. In 1980 he wrote The Future of Conservative Judaism in the United States. Here are some of his words from thirty years ago. The Conservative movement will confront serious membership declines in the next decade or two. I know of no survey which [...]
In December, 2009, the Van Leer Institute hosted the conference, Conservative Judaism: Halakhah, Culture, and Sociology. Videos of the conference proceedings have been posted online. I am pretty sure that most, if not all, of the sessions are in Hebrew. (hat tip and thanks)
Here is a lengthy, interesting, and in my opinion, honest, interview with the Chancellor of JTS Arnold Eisen. Below are some snippits. The definition of our message has become a priority for several reasons. One is that on our left side, in the Reform movement, there have been changes that have made it look more [...]
The Masorti Movement in Israel has published a new edition of their siddur, ואני תפילתי. A description of the siddur can be found here. The siddur will be distributed by the Yediot Achronot publishing house so it should be available in many bookstores within the next few days.
While the title is a bit too Star Treky for me, it will most likely be an interesting evening: ———– Three influential leaders and thinkers of Conservative Judaism will probe the changes required if Conservative Judaism is to speak confidently and authentically to a new generation in a new century. The program, “Conservative Judaism: The [...]
In a recent interview with the Jerusalem Post, among a number of interesting comments, R. Norman Lamm said “With a heavy heart we will soon say kaddish on the Reform and Conservative Movements.” I keep wondering whether Lamm was speaking in hyperbole or that he really believes that in the near future HUC, the URJ, [...]
There is a good article in the Forward on the dilemmas facing the Conservative Movement. (hat tip) There are a number of interesting books, some which I haven’t read at all, about religion in America that I have learned about through numerous blog posts and comments on those posts which discuss some of the issues [...]
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