Conservative Judaism's Future

Conservative Judaism's Future

In answer to the question, "What must the USCJ become in order to foster a healthy institutional Conservative Movement focused on touching Conservative Jews' lives?" I respond:

An organization which voices a clear, detailed
philosophy, mission and vision for Conservative Judaism

This would include but go beyond slogans to detailing the expectations, obligations and benefits of Conservative Judaism's philosophy and lifestyle across its full spectrum. (Although Rabbi Jerome Epstein did set out principles and idealsm[1] [2], I don't see these principles and ideals clearly integrated into the organization or movement as a whole.)

A resource providing top-down support for grassroots initiatives

Supporting the local-needs driven, creative initiatives of rabbis, cantors and lay leaders by providing assistance such as affordable dynamic speakers to help engage specific demographic groups (college students, seniors, families etc) more fully in Conservative life; technical assistance in establishing multi-tiered modern communication and outreach structures, etc.

A springboard for an actively Conservative congregational leadership

USCJ could offer financial incentives (such as a percentage reduction in USCJ fees - not direct payouts) for congregations where ALL board members have participated in a structured personal dialogue about Conservative Judaism's mission, vision, lifestyle and philosophy via an interactive, introspective workshop NOT just classes. People must be both informed and engaged for standards to have meaning. The objective should be to have them commit to measurable progressive growth in observance along their own personal path within the Conservative halachic stream - not necessarily adopting a rigid observance protocol.

This would involve USCJ developing and producing materials for use by rabbis to begin this dialogue with their boards on a local level along with USCJ hosting of regional and national gatherings (live as well as phone/web conferences) geared specifically for Conservative board/committee members

A gateway to Conservative Jewish learning

USCJ should be the direct source and an access point for affordable, accessible, structured, short-term (4-12 weeks) live and/or online learning opportunities for Conservative Jews and those interested in exploring Conservative Judaism ranging from programs along the lines of the now defunct JTS Adult Education classes to those more akin to Yeshivat Har Etzion's Virtual Beit Midrash [3] or even Our Learning Company's [4] telewebinars that could be offered for a nominal fee ($10-$75). 

In addition to providing links to other organization's (JTS, Zeigler, Conservative Yeshiva, congregational offerings, etc.) or independently developed Conservative Jewish study opportunities, programs could be developed by leading Conservative Jewish educators and leaders (in conjunction with JTS and Zeigler) and either taught by them via recording/text with discussions led by others (i.e. current rabbinic students, Conservative Jewish educators, etc.) or taught directly by others from their materials.
(We see some of this at Ziegler and JTS - "Walking With God" [5], podcasts [6],and PDF lectures [7] - but much more is needed and I would like to see it in partnership with USCJ)

A foundation on which to raise up future generations

USCJ should be involved in the development of movement-wide, rather than just localized, base standards for students in Conservative Jewish religious schools, much like secular SOLs (not pass/fail but evaluation), aimed at providing a foundation for an informed, engaged and distinctly Conservative lifestyle post bar/bat mitzvah and confirmation.

In addition to academics, standards should include a minimum requirement of active participation in congregational life (services, holidays, etc) including both youth oriented content (i.e. Junior Congregation, Kadima, USY, etc.) and age-appropriate interaction with the congregation as a whole.

In closing, overall, I see three general paradigms for congregations:

• Professionally led and professionally driven/motivated (where the rabbi/cantor is the driving force behind congregational participation or attendance)
• Lay led and lay driven (this is the independent minyan structure)
• Professionally led and lay driven (professionals educate and support an active, self-motivated membership)

This third paradigm is what I think a healthy Conservative congregation should be for the movement as a whole to survive. I believe the points listed above would help USCJ and its individual congregations and organizations reach this point, thus providing a strong foundation for the enduring, sustainable growth of Conservative Judaism well into the future.

Karla Worrell



Links

[1] www.uscj.org/The_Ideal_Conservati5033.html 

[2] www.uscj.org/Compact_at_a_Glance5787.html 

[3] www.vbm-torah.org




[4] www.OurLearningCompany.com

[5] http://judaism.ajula.edu/Content/ContentUnit.asp? CID=1714&t=0&u=6724

[6] www.jtsa.edu/Conservative_Judaism/JTS_Podcasts.xml


   www.jtsa.edu/Conservative_Judaism/JTS_Torah_Commentary.xml


-------------------------
Written August 2009
Published in ShefaJournal 5769:2  Visions for USCJ (Vol. 2)
www.shefanetwork.org



ADDENDUM - Updated Links (10/2013)

[1] http://www.uscj.org/JewishLivingandLearning/JewishObservance/TheIdealConservativeJew.aspx

[2] Now included in [1]

[3] www.vbm-torah.org

[4] Our Learning Company is no longer providing this service. However, MyJewishLearning.com has offered classes along the lines I discuss and Mechon Hadar offers excellent recorded learning opportunities as well

[5] http://ziegler.aju.edu/default.aspx?id=5188

     http://ziegler.aju.edu/default.aspx?id=3889

   
[6] www.jtsa.edu/Conservative_Judaism/JTS_Podcasts.xml
      
        www.jtsa.edu/conservative_judaism/jts_torah_commentary.xml