Arnold Eisen, chancellor of the Jewish Theological Seminary, spoke Dec. 23 in New Jersey. Photo by Debra Rubin
January 03, 2008
The Conservative movement, despite setbacks in affiliation in recent years, will continue to remain a vital force in American Judaism if it can marshal the forces of its lay people and unite under a common set of principles, according to the head of the movement’s flagship seminary.
In a Dec. 23 talk at a Highland Park synagogue, Jewish Theological Seminary chancellor Arnold Eisen illustrated the flourishing aspects of the movement, citing a thriving system of Conservative congregations, day schools, summer camps, and youth groups to bolster his assertion that the movement is alive and well — although confronted with serious issues.
What Conservative Judaism needs, Eisen told the crowd of several hundred listeners, “is a better statement of what the movement is and what it stands for.
“Number two, we need more uniform standards.”
Despite a decline in membership due to changing demographics and the rise of Modern Orthodoxy and the Reform movement, Eisen said, he is optimistic about the future of Conservative Judaism.
“When I look at the Conservative movement, I see 600,000 to 800,000 Jews who officially call themselves Conservatives,” he said. “When you look at the thriving congregations, the Ramah camps, schools, USY chapters — I can’t say this movement is down for the count. We have to look around ourselves at our resources and tap the resources of our lay people.”
Eisen said he has been contacted by thousands of people across North America asking what they can do to assist the movement’s progress.
His response to those pleas: “All we have to do is mobilize our lay people, and we will be in fine shape.”
As part of that mobilization he has begun the Mitzvah Initiative, a yearlong campaign focusing on educational programming and conversations about the mitzvot, or commandments, as a first step in invigorating discussion among Conservative Jews.
Eisen, who took over as chancellor of the Manhattan-based seminary in July after serving as a professor of Jewish culture and religion at Stanford University for more than 20 years, said that just as not every class or teacher at the university was on the same par, the same holds true for synagogues and other institutions.
“There is great difficulty maintaining excellence across the board,” he said. “While there are many fine congregations and camps, unfortunately there are some mediocre ones and some that are less than mediocre.”
Yet, he pointed out, when people seek to become affiliated with a synagogue, they are often less concerned with ideology than with the level of service a congregation can offer.
“If you give them quality, they will come back,” Eisen said.
The lack of a uniform policy continues to be a problem for the movement, and nothing illustrates that more than its guidelines regarding interfaith couples, said Eisen.
Through its Keruv projects, he said, the movement is trying to find ways to work with intermarried couples. However, this has produced confusing situations. For example, at some synagogues it’s possible for a non-Jewish man married to a Jewish woman to be president of the men’s club but not be allowed membership in the synagogue.
“At its heart, Conservative Judaism has to stand for something,” added Eisen. “We have to share principles and we have to be united by those principles — not dogma, not a particular theory of revelation, not what happens after death — but principles.”