Editor's Letter
Conservative Challenges
special place on the American Jewish landscape. He sees us- as
among the few Midwest communities that have stayed strong
communally and institutionally across three generations. It
his is a time of transition for the Conservative
shouldn't surprise us that Federation's latest demographic
movement. Super-charged issues confronting
study shows our synagogue affiliation is a stable 50 percent,
Conservative Jewry include loss of members to the
10 percent higher than the national average, and that the JN
Reform and Orthodox movements, the role of musical instru-
is perhaps the best-read local Jewish newspaper in America.
ments on Shabbat, how to approach interfaith families and
"Your multigenerational community is very, very special,"
whether to ordain gays and lesbians.
Eisen says. "It's not the case in the East, South or the West."
It could turn out to be a time of
In those areas, creating a vibrant Jewish community sturdy
decline for Judaism's middle ground.
enough to pass on to the next generation is tough. "We know,
That won't happen on his watch, vows
particularly in Conservative Judaism, that unless you fashion
Professor Arnold Eisen, chancellor-
a message that speaks with the authenticity of carrying on
designate of the movement's Jewish
Theological Seminary. Eisen is a schol- a tradition:' Eisen says, "you don't get people to your doors
and keep them there once they are there. In a sense, we don't
ar, historian and Zionist. He chairs -
deserve to keep them."
the religious studies department at
Teenagers especially feel the need
Stanford University in Palo
to follow their own path. Like Eisen
Alto. He'll work alongside Rabbi
says: "The trick is to get these kids
Ismar Schorsch, who has led JTS
back the same way that we came back
for 20 years, until the baton is
after our adolescent stirrings."
formally passed on July 1, 2007.
As influential as the chancellor of
Eisen visited the Southfield offices of the JN on
JTS is, Eisen won't find the answer
May 8 while here for a JTS ftind-raising dinner. He
impressed me with his resolve to discredit claims that
alone. The movement's rabbinical and
his movement has lost its way. He grew up Conservative
faculty arms as well as congregants
in Philadelphia and remains fiercely loyal. He embraces
all will have significant say. Eisen
the challenges that have chased some from the move-
envisions a "family of paths" but with
ment and embroiled others in endless halachic debate.
ties so "we can all recognize ourselves
He's not a rabbi or veteran fund-raiser, but is smart and
as Conservative Jews." Sure, there'll be
has a clear vision for driving the movement. That plan
overlap with some Orthodox, Reform
includes engaging Conservative Jews more with Israel
Dr. A rnold Eisen
and Reconstructionist Jews. But the
and Israeli Jews more with American Jewish life.
set of patterns linking the family of
His 1997 essay, Taking Hold of Torah: Jewish
paths will be distinctly Conservative
Commitment and Community in America, is a seminal
while allowing space for divergences of geography, tempera-
work on the renewal of Jewish community and commitment
ment or influences, he says.
in America. He honed his intellectual spurs under a giant of
Eisen is up to the fight: "To say we can't get more Jews than
American Judaism, Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel.
we get right now to affiliate with synagogues or to send their
"There's no doubt that our numbers as a Jewish community kids to a Jewish school or a Jewish camp, that's a kind of pes-
are down;' he says. "There's no doubt that the number of peo-
simism I don't subscribe to. I don't see any reason why you
ple identifying with the Conservative movement
or joining our synagogues is down relative to
Professor Eisen embraces the challenges that
what it was 10 or 15 years ago, but I don't take
this as an inevitable sign of things to come — a
have chased some from the movement and
downward spiral."
I don't either — provided the movement
embroiled others in endless halachic debate.
emerges stronger, albeit leaner, from a crosscur-
rent of challenges and changes.
A sociologist and historian, Eisen, 54, peers into the cul-
should say that what happens right now is an irreversible
tural and social forces that have shaped American Jewry. The
trend."
Conservative movement was the largest branch until Reform
I like his candidness. "It frankly bugs the hell out of me
Judaism sprang ahead in recent years. Eisen isn't deterred. "I
when I find intelligent people who wouldn't listen to econo-
come at this with a kind of sober optimism," he says.
mists or demographers, but who feel no compulsion extrapo-
A key hurdle involves giving Conservative Jews reason not
lating the way the Jewish situation is right now and saying it's
to bolt and giving other Jews reason to consider joining the
inevitably going to be worse 25 years frcim now as if we have
movement. More than ever, Jews have choices. "Whereas
nothing going for us," Eisen says. "This is why you can be -a
every previous generation of Jews could trust habit, carry-
scholar of American Jewish life and actually be quite an opti-
ing on where your family was before Eisen says, "the default
mist about American Jews and about Conservative Jews."
position now is to assimilate."
At a time when we as Jews lament who we are or what we
Every Jewish institution — from Federation, to the JCC, to
stand for, it's refreshing to hear a voice of reason that has the
synagogues, to communal agencies, to the JN — must make
ability to bring us closer together and help re-set our compass
Judaism resonate. Our future as a people, not just as pockets
as a people.
of Jews, is at stake.
Against this backdrop, Eisen spoke about Detroit Jewry's
Next: Pluralism and Conservative Judaism.
First of two parts.
❑
May 18 • 2006
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