April 2002 Conservative Judaism Makes History By Rabbi Alvin Kass Conservative Judaism experienced a historic milestone this year at a convocation of its leaders held in Washington, D.C. It was the first time that five of the organizations that make up the Movement - the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, the Rabbinical Assembly, the Cantors Assembly, the Jewish Educators Assembly and the North American Association of Synagogue Executives - met at a joint convention. This move helped to bind more closely the principal elements of the Conservative family that have for too long gone separate ways. In addition, the Rabbinical Assembly chose for the first time an Israeli rabbi as its president, thereby signaling its recognition that establishing a strong presence in Israel is a prerequisite to a continued role of importance on the international stage. Another first was the choice of a woman president by the United Synagogue furthering the commitment of the Movement to gender equality. In a major address, the eminent sociologist Steven M. Cohen delivered the bad news that the Movement has lost some of its market share within the American Jewish community, most of which was picked up by Reform Judaism. Cohen attributed this development to neglect by the Conservative Movement of recent demographic trends that have marked the flight of an increasing number of our co-religionists from the established Jewish population centers. Furthermore, the "great middle" of American society which helped to propel Conservative Judaism to a position of primacy in the two decades after World War II has continued to disintegrate. In my view, what Conservative Judaism needs most today are self-respect and self-acceptance. These attributes are essential to mental health. Unfortunately, we have suffered too long from their absence. We have viewed ourselves as either a "tepid Orthodoxy" or a "timid Reform." We are neither. We are a distinctive movement which, as Salo Baron has pointed out, is truer to the spirit of traditional Judaism than all other options because it embodies "Judaism's self-rejuvenating historical dynamism by maintaining the general validity of Jewish law and combining with it freedom of interpretation of the Jewish past and creed." At the same time that we ought to be self-confident about who we are, we should treat with tolerance, respect, and warmth the other movements in contemporary Jewish life. We should honor them for their positive contributions to the Jewish community, but also be forthright in expressing why and where we feel compelled to diverge from them. Certainly Orthodoxy deserves high praise for its devotion to Jewish learning at all stages, its loyalty to tradition, and its willingness to sacrifice where necessary to fulfill the ritual commandments. Reform should be esteemed for its recognition of the needs of the current generation, its insistence that Jewish tradition must continue to grow, and its stress on tolerance and mutual understanding. But these groups have shortcomings as well. We are troubled by Orthodoxy's inflexibility, its unwillingness to allow new knowledge to alter religious belief or practice, and its frequent hostility toward other viewpoints. We are bothered by Reform's excessive acceptance of individualism in the realm of religious belief and practice and its acquiescence in a latitudinarian accommodation of almost everyone and everything. Actually, to be a Conservative Jew is the hardest decision anyone can make. After all, to be Orthodox requires naught but to affirm and accept Jewish tradition in toto if only pro forma. To be Reform gives you the freedom to do whatever you want. However, to be a Conservative Jew requires creative learning, practical wisdom and authentic piety. It is a difficult, demanding, and perilous enterprise. However, it is well worth the effort. It puts you in the company of Hillel, Johanan ben Zaccai and Akiba from days of yore; and Louis Finkelstein, Robert Gordis and Abraham Joshua Heschel in our own time.