There’s a Facebook group called “Surely, this will save Conservative Judaism.” It has 4000 members and is billed as a satirical group. For as long as many of us can remember, Conservative Jews have been decrying the demise of Conservative Judaism, and everyone thinks they have a magic bullet about how to save it. Many of the posts are memes and snark that begin with the idea that “if only conservative Jews would do X (fill in your own asinine idea here)….” then surely conservative Judaism would be saved.
While I appreciate the space for satire, as a rabbi living in twenty-first century America, I have to admit that its premise is somewhat flawed. The truth is that in the long term, no one policy change that anyone does will save conservative Judaism. Denominations were not created on Mount Sinai. Early Christian denominations from early colonial America that were once prominent have gone the way of the dodo. I am not sure why we should be any exception.
What I do believe will happen is that when historians reflect on this period of Jewish history, they will instead talk about “Jews who accepted modernity” and “Jews who did not accept modernity.” Or, perhaps, using a different frame, they will talk about “reactive” and “responsive” Jews. This has always been a feature of Jewish history, and there are pluses and minuses.
Reactive Jews are the ones who today see modernity as a threat and refuse to accept it. These are Jews who are ultra-Orthodox, or Jews who to a far lesser extent, affiliate with ultra-Orthodox communities like Chabad. Strictly observant adherents dress in garb that hearkens back to 1800s Poland to separate themselves from modernity. These same observant adherents may adapt certain parts of modernity (i.e. technology, cell phones), but it will always be with severe restrictions to protect them from “unkosher ideas.” There will never be a Pride Shabbat in a reactive community because this modernity is precisely what they are reacting against, as they do not believe that modern challenges have a place in Judaism. To some extent, in our polarized world, this approach has its advantages. In our confusing times, we like being told what to do. But it fails in that it ignores the fact that modernity is here whether you want it to be or not, and that society is evolving around it. You can’t entirely isolate yourself from changing times. It takes very high birth rates to adhere to a reactive way of life, as many adherents leave.
Responsive Jews are the ones who see modernity as an opportunity and grapple with how to integrate it into Judaism. This group includes mainstream orthodox Jews through reform Jews and includes conservative Jews. Responsive Jews dress the way that society dresses. They embrace technology and all that it offers. It is inclusive and adapts to societal change. Where this group falls short is that it creates a whole host of challenges about where we draw our lines. In some instances, we find success. In others, modernity comes to define our Judaism in place of our Judaism defining modernity. Maintaining this kind of Judaism also requires high birth rates. Unfortunately, among modern people, birth rates are not particularly high.
What will be the future of conservative Judaism? I suspect egalitarian, inclusive, Zionist, Hebrew-strong Judaism will always hold a place among the Jewish people. Will it be called conservative in 50 years? Stay tuned for a future blog as I continue to think about what will “surely save conservative Judaism.”
