Opinion

Greenberg's View

A MIX OF IDEAS

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Editorial

Conserve The Name?

I

t's not the most important thing con-
fronting Conservative Judaism. But what
the movement in transition calls itself is
not as important as how it seeks to reverse
several troubling trends. These trends
include fewer members, budget challenges
and confusion over where this "middle
ground" of Judaism is now situated.
The Conservative movement is still one
of North America's big three streams of
Judaism in terms of membership and influ-
ence. But the Reform movement, rooted
in modernity, is now the largest stream
and is growing along with the halachically
based Orthodox movement. Where the
Conservative movement is headed remains
a discussion point.
Arnold Eisen, chancellor of the Jewish
Theological Seminary in New York, the
movement's largest teaching institution,
joined the discussion with an open ear. In
a side comment with the New York-based
Forward newspaper, he said Conservative
leaders of the organized Jewish world
are among those who are seeking a more
descriptive name for the movement, which
is called Masorti outside North America.
Masorti is gaining popularity between
the Atlantic and the Pacific as well. Masorti
is Hebrew for "Traditional." A concern
about Masorti is that there already is a less-
known stream just to the left of Orthodoxy

called Traditional.
Changes in the Conservative movement
abound. First, it has become more open in
its approach to egalitarian practices, more
welcoming of interfaith couples, more
accepting of gay and lesbian rabbis, and
more tuned to attracting young families.
Second, in today's highly charged political
climate, Conservative as a theological name
can be confused with conservative as a
political stance.
Third, the friction between the syna-
gogues and its umbrella organization,
United Synagogue for Conservative
Judaism, must be eased. And that's hap-
pening under USCJ Rabbi Steven Wernick's
leadership.
The Conservative movement is a modern
stream of Judaism with roots in the Positive-
Historical Judaism school of thought that
arose in 1850s Germany as a response to
the Enlightenment's impact on traditional
Judaism. More traditional Jews sought to
conserve the heart of Jewish tradition (rath-
er than reform it) while integrating con-
temporary values and taking an academic
approach to Jewish study. It wasn't until the
early 1900s in America that the intellectual
principles took institutional form.
On its website, JTS declares "the stren
of Conservative Judaism lies in its commit-
ment to tradition as interpreted for today,

May we ad
be inscribed
for a year
of Peace.

but with a serious understanding of history,
values, language and a commitment to law."
Intriguing as the notion of a new name
for a movement striving to recapture its
growth years is, the search really is a dis-
traction from the critical work at hand. A
name change without recalibrating what
the movement wants to be and achieve
moving forward — via a thoughtful,
visioning process and resulting strategy —
would be an exercise in futility.
One of the movement's sharper thinkers
is Rabbi Bradley Artson, dean of the Ziegler
School of Rabbinical Studies at American
Jewish University in Los Angeles. Let oth-
ers kick around labels, he says; we need to
worry about product. "As long as Jews are
really learning to love God, Torah and mitz-
vot in a modern, dynamic way, then we're
winning:' he told the Forward.
Rabbi Daniel Nevins, a former Detroiter

steveggreenberg-artcoin Ac e r

and dean of JTS' Rabbinical School, told
the IN, "There really is no debate about
changing the name of the movement.
"To call this a debate is really mis-
leading:' he said. "We are all working on
strengthening our institutions. The brand-
ing issue is a distraction."
He did acknowledge there might come
a time to seriously consider a different
name since the Conservative title indeed
can be misleading. "People assume it
refers to politics and forget its 19th cen-
tury religious context," he said. "But for
now, we are all busy making our programs
and organizations outstanding."
And that's more critical.
A name change should be part of a
bold, comprehensive plan to reinvigorate
Conservative Judaism and reaffirm its
critical message. Alone, a new name would
be hollow. 111

The Freedom From Pain

New York

M

ore treasured than baseball and
apple pie, more admired than
George Washington and even the
winners of "American Idol," America's great-
est love may be the First Amendment.
Among all the amendments to the
Constitution, it is by far the best known.
And despite its relative brevity, it seems to
embody all the symbolic freedoms that dis-
tinguish America from the rest of the world.
That's why the approval to build a
mosque and an Islamic cultural center two
blocks from Ground Zero is both so confus-
ing and unnerving. The First Amendment
guarantees freedom of religion. America
is purportedly a pluralistic and open soci-
ety. The mosque seems to be directed by
moderate Muslims with the objective of
promoting cultural awareness. What's more
American than that?
Yet, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL),
a national Jewish organization dedicated
to calling attention to discrimination,
announced that it opposes the building of

fear. And the director of the pro-
the mosque. Its longtime leader,
posed Muslim center reminded
Abraham Foxman, suggested
the ADL that it should not be in
that there is nothing wrong with
the business of bigotry.
the mosque in principle, other
The issue seems to be whether
than that it should be located
America
should uphold its values
elsewhere. Isn't such a "Not In
and
put
its
tolerance through
the Backyard of Ground Zero"
the
ultimate
test, or whether the
argument discriminatory and
sensitivities
of the survivors and
un-American?
families
of
9-11
should supersede
Some Jewish groups and writ-
Thane
the
First
Amendment
freedoms
ers have attacked the ADL for
Rosenbaum
owed
to
all
Americans,
which
what appears to be a contradic-
Special
would
include,
of
course,
Muslim
tory agenda — the paradox
Commentary
Americans.
of supporting discrimination
America's obsession with free
rather than promoting toler-
speech
has
often
led to the blinded misuse
ance. Moreover, they fault the ADL for fail-
and
abuse
of
the
First Amendment without
ing to distinguish between the moderate
regard
to
the
feelings
of others — especially
Muslims who will be praying two blocks
those
who
have
been
left
wounded and bro-
from Ground Zero and who mean America
ken
by
other
calamitous
historical
events.
no harm, and the Islamic terrorists who
Neo-Nazis
were
permitted
to
march
in
successfully attacked this country on 9-11
the
village
of
Skokie
despite
the
presence
of
and left behind the largest body count on
a
large
population
of
Holocaust
survivors.
American soil since the Civil War.
Racist speech and emotionally violent
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg,
gestures, such as cross-burnings, of white
who supports the mosque, suggested that
supremacists are routinely upheld as pro-
America should not discriminate based on

tected under the First Amendment.
The same holds true for artistic freedoms
and the abuse of artistic liberties. Other
than the survivors themselves, few people
objected to the parade of Hollywood films
that trivialized the Holocaust. And most
people didn't object to the various post-9-
11 movies that arrived in theaters too soon
and invariably cheapened the tragic events
that took place at the World Trade Center
and inside those commercial jets that were
turned into coffins.
There is a difference between rights,
which can be protected under the law, and
courtesies, the mutual respect and common
decency that neighbors owe toward one
another. Yes, those behind the building of
the mosque may have a legal right to do so,
but why would they want to exercise that
right given what they know of the wishes of
the survivors and families of 9-11?
There are profound sensitivities associ-
ated with Ground Zero. For many, it is
hallowed ground. Placing a Muslim center

Freedom on page 39

September 9 e 2010

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