The center
of the
controversy:
Jane Litman
teaching
class on
Jewish
feminism at
a Jewish
women's
conference
in San
Francisco
Courtesy of The Boston Jewish Advo
E.M. Broner, a Detroit feminist who
knows Litman, pointed out the historical
reality of Hebrew goddesses and said that
Judaism has "expunged" virtually all
references to them. "Jane has been able to
construct that metaphor," said Broner,
"and I think it's a brave thing when women
are on the cutting edge of Judaism, mak-
ing us stretch." She said she was sorry Lit-
man "had to deny her actions rather than
explain them."
Broner added that "it is ,a very
dangerous thing when our most liberal sect
gets nervous like this. It reminds us that
Spinoza is still near," she said, referring to
the 17th century philosopher who was ex-
communicated by the Sephardi communi-
ty for his religious views, which were
considered heretical. "I worry that
Reconstructionism may be becoming reac-
tive."
Several rabbis, graduates of the RRC,
spoke of the case as having broader im-
plications in terms of how the movement
deals with conflict and controversy.
"What we're really talking about is a
heresy trial, in no uncertain terms," said
Rabbi Michael Paley, who will leave his
post as Hillel director at Dartmouth Col-
lege in June to become the senior chaplain
at Columbia University. "It's easy to be
cynical, but we must look at this serious-
ly because it reflects on an important tur-
moil at RRC."
Once a modern Jewish movement re-
moves limits of Jewish laws, command-
ments and observances, such as the Sab-
bath or kashruth, where does one draw the
line, he asked. "On what grounds can she
be tried?"
"This whole issue is one of boundaries,"
agreed Rabbi Susan Schnur, who was or-
dained from the RRC in 1982. She said she
found the RRC memo and cover letter from
Dr. Arthur Green, president of the RRC,
an "overwrought and overdone response."
The Reconstructionist movement has
"always worried about its image," suffer-
ing from being perceived as fuzzy in its
beliefs, with "no black and white credo like
the other branches," said Schnur. This
latest incident, and the faculty response,
will only add to that perception, she
believes.
While Schnur felt that this particular
issue reflected "some unresolved views on
homosexuality in the movement," now that
the RRC policy accepts avowed homosex-
uals as rabbinical students, faculty
members strongly disagreed, asserting, as
one put it, that "homosexuality has little
to do with theology."
Rabbi David Thutsch, director of admis-
sions at RRC and a member of the facul-
ty, noted that the process of innovation in-
volves taking risks. He characterized Lit-
man as a "very, very strong feminist who
is not highly modulated in her views, and
who is experimental in using varying
forms of God language:' Some of this ex-
perimentation is excessive, he said, "which
is characteristic of experimentation:'
He defended Reconstructionism as
courageous and willing to stay on the cut-
ting edge. "Part of what this movement is
about is struggling with tradition while
looking ahead to the future," said Teutsch.
"In this fast-changing world, I would
rather that we sometimes err on the side
of innovation and then back up, if
necessary, then have it the other way
around?'
Rabbi Jacob Staub, chairman of the
RRC faculty and editor of the Reconst-ruc-
tionist magazine, acknowledged that
leaders of the movement "are in a risky
business in trying to break new ground on
many fronts. We're always talking about
limits and standards, because they are
open questions:' He explained that "there
are no absolutes in our movement," noting
that "unless you are strictly Orthodox, you
don't have boundaries but are constantly
making new decisions." According to
Staub, Reconstructionists are "committed
to Jewish tradition without being com-
mitted to a system of mitzvot, so in-
evitably it's a matter of close choices and
an ongoing process of experimentation.
"We're committed to the process as a
limit rather than the content," he added.
Ira Silverman, former president of the
RRC and now director of the 92nd Street
YMHA in New York, asserted that the
RRC is "a fascinating and wonderful place"
because it is always exploring new limits
"and sometimes that makes it very tough."
But he believes that "ad hoc decisions" are
the only practical way to deal with limits
because Reconstructionists "are not about
to create a new constitution or new
Halachas."
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