Reform-conservative Tensions Emerge in Debate on Jewish Unity

Rabbis from the three major branches of Judaism agreed Wednesday night that there has never been, and likely never will be, Jewish religious unity in the United States.

But unlike the "Who Is a Jew" controversy, which exacerbated strains between Orthodox and non-Orthodox Jews, Wednesday night’s debate, at the annual convention of the Rabbinical Assembly here, was marked by tension between Reform and Conservative Jews.

The debate began when Steven Cohen, visiting professor at the Jewish Theological Seminary, argued that as a way of solving Conservative Judaism’s identity crisis, it should engage more in ideological conflict with the other two branches.

"We have done far too little to differentiate ourselves from Reform Judaism, " Cohen said to the applause of many of the 600 Conservative rabbis attending the five-day convention.

Conservative Judaism differs from Reform "in the very significant minority of Conservative Jews who, though non-halachic, do maintain some attachment to Jewish tradition, as contrasted with the near absence by such individuals in Reform temples," Cohen said.

But Eugene Lipman, president of the Reform movement’s Central Conference of American Rabbis. said he was "amused" by Cohen’s comments about Reform Jews, saying "there are more serious Reform Jews than he thinks there are."

CHRISTMAS TREES AND SEPARATE DISHES

Cohen, a sociologist at Queens College, cited a survey that a third of Conservative Jews maintain separate sets of dishes for meat and dairy meals, compared with 4 percent of Reform Jews.

"I am not sure that two sets of dishes would constitute a serious concern for diet," Lipman retorted, saying he Knows many Reform Jews who won’t eat pork products, "and that’s a consciousness — they are very serious about it."

Cohen also said that "just 2 percent of Conservative members have Christmas trees in their homes as against 9 percent of Reform families."

"I am fascinated that the Christmas tree is still with us," Lipman responded. "I have not seen a Christmas tree in a Jewish home in 40 years. I guess there are some, but I would be willing to bet that they are geographically centered — Deep South, Southwest — and the people who have them are probably over the age of 50."

There is "a lot more tension today" between Conservative and Reform Jews than there has previously been, Lipman said.

Reform Jews, Lipman said, "have to come to terms with the fact that Conservative people with whom they work, live in the same neighborhood, won’t come for dinner."

On other points, Lipman said there has been "an amazing evolution in the number of Reform congregations that don’t have a lunch break on Yom Kippur."

And recently, 15 Reform Jewish day schools have been founded, "with more coming," he said.

Lipman also conceded that the Reform decision to accept patrilineal descent — recognizing children as Jews if either parent is Jewish–"has caused almost as much fuss in relationships between Conservative rabbis and Reform rabbis and some lay people as it has between us and all of the branches of Orthodoxy."

‘DEAD WRONG’ ON PATRILINEAL DESCENT

Rabbi Alexander Schindler, president of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations, "was dead wrong" in thinking the uproar over the policy shift "would go away," he said.

Rabbi Wolfe Kelman, executive vice president of the assembly, who also participated in the debate, said differences on patrilineal descent have "forced us to work more closely together in areas where we can work together, realizing the areas that we cannot."

Rabbi Haskel Lookstein, former president of the New York Board of Rabbis and an Orthodox rabbi himself, said he is "not in favor of conflict right now, because I see a lot of conflict."

He spoke of Orthodox colleagues who "do not agree with the simple statement that we are all family." At a recent debate, "one of them got up and said, ‘They are not my family,’ speaking of Conservative and Reform Jews.

Disunity "is not between rabbis. It is between laity," Lookstein argued, citing Jewish laity for being "up in arms" over the "Who Is a Jew" issue. He said that if the branches of Judaism speak together "with civility," they can set common standards for conversion.