Questions about Conservative Judaism
Short answers, pulled from the story.
What is Conservative Judaism and how does it differ from Orthodox and Reform Judaism?
Conservative Judaism, also known as Masorti Judaism, regards Jewish law as both binding and subject to historical development, placing authority in the collective assent of the Jewish people through the generations rather than solely in divine revelation. It occupies a middle position: more traditionally observant than Reform Judaism, which in 1885 declared only moral laws binding, but more open to critical-historical methods and legal evolution than Orthodoxy, which views Halakha as unchanging and divine in principle.
Who founded Conservative Judaism and when did it begin?
The intellectual founder is considered to be Rabbi Zecharias Frankel, who in December 1843 launched a magazine articulating a positive-historical approach to Judaism. The movement became institutionally rooted in America with the founding of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America in New York in 1886. Conservative Judaism only became fully institutionalized as a distinct movement during the mid-20th century, primarily in the United States.
What is the Emet ve-Emunah statement in Conservative Judaism?
Emet ve-Emunah, meaning Truth and Belief, is the Statement of Principles formulated and issued by the Leadership Council of Conservative Judaism in 1988. It was the movement's first major attempt to define a clear credo, addressing concepts such as God, revelation, and election, while acknowledging a variety of positions within the movement and deliberately avoiding strict delineation of principles.
How large is Conservative Judaism worldwide?
Conservative Judaism is the third-largest Jewish religious movement worldwide, estimated to represent close to 1.1 million people, including over 600,000 registered adult congregants. Its largest center is in North America, where the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism had 580 member congregations as of November 2015. Outside the United States and Canada, there were estimated to be only 100,000 members as of 2011.
When did Conservative Judaism begin ordaining women rabbis?
The Jewish Theological Seminary of America began ordaining women rabbis following a 1983 resolution, based on a responsum by Rabbi Joel Roth. The decision prompted the Union for Traditional Judaism to secede in protest. By 1976, before the ordination vote, the percentage of Conservative synagogues allowing women to bless during Torah readings had already grown from 7 per cent to 50 per cent.
What is the Committee on Jewish Law and Standards in Conservative Judaism?
The Committee on Jewish Law and Standards, or CJLS, is the main body entrusted with formulating rulings, responsa, and statutes for Conservative Judaism. It has 25 voting legal specialists and 11 observers; a responsum requires at least 6 supporting votes to become an official position. The CJLS explicitly acknowledges halakhic pluralism and may adopt more than one resolution on a single question, with final authority resting with the local rabbi, the Mara D'Atra, in each community.