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Core Beliefs:
Conservative Judaism
2009 Synagogue Leadership Conference:
“METNY-Beyond the Horizon” Training For Synagogue Presidents, Clergy, Officers, and Committee Chairpersons
Wednesday, March 18, 2009; 6:30-9:45PMIsrael Center of Conservative Judaism, 167-11 73
rd
Avenue, Flushing, NY 11366; 718-591-5333
Dr. Elissa Kaplan, Lead Educator, PaRDeS Yaakov
Rabbi Simon Greenberg says…Conservative Judaism developed theseconcepts
•
 
The scientific knowledge of the whole of Judaism: knowledge in terms of historicalcircumstance, growth, development, and adaptation
•
 
Judaism as a Torah-centered civilization
•
 
K’lal Yisrael 
– The Brotherhood of Israel
•
 
Innovation without regimentation: Room for considerable differences in practice andritual
Source: Greenberg, S. (1955).
The Conservative Movement in Judaism
. New York: UnitedSynagogue of America.
Dr. Simon Greenberg was a rabbi, educator and religious thinker and vice chancellor emeritus of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America. Dr. Greenberg served as rabbi of Har Zion Temple inPhiladelphia from 1925 to 1951. Dr. Greenberg joined the faculty of the Jewish Theological Seminary in 1932 and became vice chancellor in 1957. He held the post until 1986. While he was vicechancellor of the seminary, Dr. Greenberg was founder of the University of Judaism at Los Angeles, abranch of the seminary, in 1958, serving as its first president until 1963. He was also instrumental inthe establishment of the seminary's academic campus at Hebrew University in Jerusalem in 1958.
Source:http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F0CE2DF1330F93BA15754C0A965958260 
Rabbi Elliot Dorff says…Conservative Judaism embraces these ideas
•
 
A belief in God
•
 
The binding character of Jewish law
•
 
The need for regular prayer in the traditional Hebrew liturgy (with a few changes)
•
 
The importance of 
K’lal Yisrael 
(the Jewish community as a whole) in both the Diasporaand Israel
•
 
The mission of 
Tikkun Olam
(fixing the world) as part of our covenantal charge fromGod
Source: Dorff, E.N. (1977).
Conservative Judaism: Our ancestors to our descendants
. New York:United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism.
 
2
Core Beliefs:
Conservative Judaism
2009 Synagogue Leadership Conference:
“METNY-Beyond the Horizon” Training For Synagogue Presidents, Clergy, Officers, and Committee Chairpersons
Wednesday, March 18, 2009; 6:30-9:45PMIsrael Center of Conservative Judaism, 167-11 73
rd
Avenue, Flushing, NY 11366; 718-591-5333
Dr. Elissa Kaplan, Lead Educator, PaRDeS Yaakov
Rabbi Elliot Dorff, Rector and Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at American Jewish University, wasordained at the Jewish Theological Seminary in 1970 earned his Ph.D. in philosophy at ColumbiaUniversity in 1971 with a dissertation in moral theory. Since then he has directed the rabbinical and Masters programs at American Jewish University for 23 years. For 30 years, he also taught a courseon Jewish law at UCLA School of Law as a Visiting Professor.
Source:http://academics.ajula.edu/Content/contentunit.asp?cid=504&u=1227&t=0 
Emet V’Emunah says…Conservative Judaism has these principles
•
 
God in the World: the critical importance of the belief in God, but not specifically theparticulars of that belief 
•
 
Revelation: the uncovering of an external source of truth emanating from God,transmitted by humans, but not a human invention
•
 
Halakhah
(Jewish Law): an on-going process , rooted in the experience and texts of ourancestors and contemporary experience
•
 
Tradition and development in
Halakhah:
traditional and necessary with the burden of proof on the one who want to change it
•
 
Authority for making decisions in
Halakhah:
religious practice in each congregationresides in its rabbi
•
 
The problem of evil in the world: cannot be justified by theology and is related theconcept of free will
•
 
Eschatology: Our vision of the future: for the world community – a messianic age, forour people – an ingathering of all Jews to Zion, and for the individual – resurrection andimmortality of the soul
•
 
God’s Covenant: the election of Israel as the chosen people
•
 
Israel: central role as
Medinat Yisrael 
(state of Israel) and
Eretz Yisrael 
(Land of Israel)
•
 
K’lal Yisrael 
: all Jews are part of one people
•
 
Relations with their faiths: “eschew triumphalism with respect to other ways of servingGod”
•
 
Social Justice – a commitment to building a better world
•
 
On Women: equality of the sexes as part of 
Halakhah
 
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ILoveMyMusic6156

The world should not allow itself to be dragged into another conflict on false pretenses in this region again. - http://bit.ly/84Q5hF

reply02 / 25 / 2010
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