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Rabbis Robert Gamer and Arturo Kalfus discuss their Jewish movements.

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18 January 8 • 2015

J

n the first of what they hope will be
a series of inter-congregational adult
education programs, a Conservative
and a Reform rabbi engaged in a frank
discussion about the strengths and
challenges of their two movements.
Rabbi Robert Gamer of Congregation
Beth Shalom and Rabbi Arturo Kalfus
of Temple Emanu-El, both in Oak Park,
addressed about 65 people from both
congregations last month at Emanu-
El. The second program in the series,
about end-of-life issues, is scheduled for
Beth Shalom.
Each rabbi gave a brief introduction
explaining the history and current sta-
tus of his movement. Then the rabbis
asked each other a series of questions.
Kalfus is uniquely positioned to
compare and contrast the two religious
movements. Raised in a Conservative
home in his native Buenos Aires, he
spent a year at the Conservative move-
ment's Jewish Theological Seminary in
New York.
He left because he felt too con-
strained by JTS' Committee on Jewish
Law and Standards, which governs
Conservative practice, and enrolled in
the Reform movement's Hebrew Union
College-Jewish Institute of Religion.
He said the Reform movement offered
more autonomy.
Both movements trace their roots to
mid-19th century Europe, following the
Enlightenment that gave Jews greater
access to secular education and culture.
Jewish immigrants brought religious
reform with them to the New World
— and some went too far in emulating
their Protestant neighbors, Kalfus said.

They dropped Hebrew prayers in favor
of English, brought in organ music
and professional choirs, and stopped
using the yarmulke and tallit. A few
congregations even held their services
on Sunday.
The Conservative movement was a
reaction to the perceived excesses of
Reform, Gamer said. Matters came to
a head at the infamous "treif banquet"
in 1880, celebrating the ordination
of the first class of American Reform
rabbis. The menu included numerous
non-kosher items such as shellfish, and
cream was served along with meat, out-
raging the more traditional.
The Jewish Theological Seminary
was founded three years later. The
movement's motto is "tradition and
change:' Conservative Jews accept the
authority of Jewish law, but seek ways
to adapt it to meet the needs of modern
society.

Jewish Evolution
Kalfus said the Reform movement has
evolved a great deal since the 1880s,
and most Reform Jews embrace tradi-
tional practices. More Hebrew is used
in services, and many Reform Jews
wear a yarmulke to pray.
He said it's a misconception that
Reform Jews do not consider Jewish
tradition when they make decisions
about observance. "The image that the
Reform Jew stands for almost nothing
is a huge mistake he said.
He also noted that Reform liturgy
has changed in the past 20 years, mov-
ing from "extreme rationality" to a
more spiritual approach.
"Our religious services were stale and
boring, and fewer and fewer people par-
ticipated," he said. "They did not appeal
to the sensibilities of congregants."