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Recently, a letter was sent
to all RCA members inquir-
ing whether they are in any
way affiliated with the
FTOR. The implication was
that such affiliation would
be grounds for expulsion
from the rabbinic group. Ap-
proximately half the mem-
bers of the FTOR are mem-
bers of the RCA.
Both the Orthodox Union
and the RCA acknowledge
their hostility to the FTOR.
Rabbi Stolper of the O.U. de-
scribed it as "a tiny fringe
group of peripheral con-
gregations" that finds itself
out of place as the Orthodox
movement becomes "more
consistently Orthodox."
There was a time in
America, Rabbi Stolper said,
when modern Orthodox
Jews were Sabbath obser-
vant but less conscientious
about covering their heads,
avoiding shatnes or refusing
to carry items on Shabbat.
Modern Orthodoxy was an
emerging community in
which a certain amount of
laxity was accepted as the
norm.
Indeed, for the modern Or-
thodox, wherever Jewish
law appeared to be neutral,
individual choice seemed to
fill the vacuum.
But this is no longer the
case. "Orthodox Jews are
becoming more committed,
and so are we," said Rabbi
Stolper. About three years
ago, the O.U. decided to take
an activist stance on the
mechitzah issue and similar
issues.
"A congregation that
refuses to cooperate on the
mechitzah issue is generally
a congregation that does not
have a future as an Or-
thodox congregation," Rabbi
Stolper said. "Mechitzah has
become a weather vane of
whether the congregation
takes its Orthodoxy seri-
ously or not."
Modern Orthodox rabbis
are deeply concerned about
the fissures developing
within the RCA and the
O.U.
"There must be more
understanding," Rabbi
David Staysky of Temple
Beth Jacob in Columbus,
Ohio, remarked at the RCA
convention last month.
"There are too many per-
sonal power plays and agen-
das, and not enough em-
phasis on ahavas Israel," or
love of fellow Jews, he said.
Rabbi after rabbi at the
convention called for greater
unity within the RCA and in
the Orthodox rabbinic com-
munity in general.
"A certain religious civili-
ty must exist," said Rabbi
Jeffrey Bienenfeld of Young
Israel of St. Louis.
"There can be legitimate
diversity, but only if it
operates within a broad
halachic framework," he
said. "If it breaches that
framework, then the label of
Orthodoxy will no longer be
viable. But it must also
learn to navigate within it,
without hitting other allies'
ships."
On the other hand, Rabbi
David Sladowsky of the
Forest Park Jewish Center
in Glendale, N.Y., feels that
the tightening up of Or-
thodox standards is a
positive thing. "The
parameters have moved, but
the principles of modern Or-
thodoxy have not been
violated," he said.
By defining the standards
of the modern Orthodox
movement, he said, rabbis
will now know where the
middle is and how far they
can deviate from that point
without overstepping the
boundaries of halachah
itself.
The challenge for modern
Orthodoxy appears to be fin-
ding a happy medium bet-
ween two equally authentic
halachic traditions: the
raachmirim, those who are
strict, and the maikilim,
those who are more per-
missive.
But as Weiss and other
rabbis at the RCA conven-
tion said, "Being in the
center is a very difficult
position these days. The
center is being squeezed.
The middle is shrinking." ❑
I NEWS I
Knesset
Ponders
Miari Status
Jerusalem (JTA) — The
Knesset House Committee
began deliberations this
week over whether to lift the
parliamentary immunity of
Arab Knesset member
Mohammed Miari, whom
Attorney General Yosef
Harish wants to prosecute
for alleged collaboration
with the Palestine Libera-
tion Organization.
Mr. Miari is leader of the
far-left Progressive List for
Peace and occupies its single
Knesset seat.
While the faction openly
identifies with the PLO and
Mr. Miari has had numerous
contacts with PLO officials
in contravention of the law,
the state did not "bother
him," Mr. Harish explained,
because he claimed he was
"discussing peace with
them."