Conservative Judaism

Conservative Judaism (also known as Masorti Judaism outside of the United States and Canada) is a modern stream of Judaism that arose out of intellectual currents in Germany in the mid-19th century and took institutional form in the United States in the early 1900s. History Communities Population Denominations Orthodox Modern Haredi Hasidic Reform Conservative Karaite Reconstructionist Renewal Science Haymanot Humanistic Culture Languages Hebrew Biblical Mishnaic Medieval Modern Bukharian Ghardaïa Sign Jewish Koine Greek Judeo-Arabic Judeo-Aramaic Judeo-Berber Judeo-Gascon Judaeo-Georgian Judaeo-Iranian Judeo-Italian Judeo-Malayalam Judaeo-Spanish Judeo-Tat Knaanic Shassi Yeshivish Yevanic Yiddish Zarphatic Politics Category Portal v t e The principles of Conservative Judaism include: A deliberately non- fundamentalist teaching of Jewish principles of faith ; A positive attitude toward modern culture; An acceptance of both traditional rabbinic modes of study and modern scholarship and critical text study when considering Jewish religious texts; and A commitment to the authority and practice of Jewish law . Conservative Judaism has its roots in the school of thought known as Positive-Historical Judaism, developed in 1850s Germany as a reaction to the more liberal religious positions taken by Reform Judaism . The term conservative was meant to signify that Jews should attempt to conserve Jewish tradition, rather than reform or abandon it, and does not imply the movement's adherents are politically conservative . Because of this potential for confusion, a number of Conservative Rabbis have proposed renaming the movement, and outside of the United States and Canada , in many countries including Israel and the UK, it is today known as Masorti Judaism (Hebrew for "Traditional"). In the United States and Canada, the term Conservative , as applied, does not always indicate that a congregation is affliliated with the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism , the movement's central institution and the one to which the term, without qualifier, usually refers. Rather, it is sometimes employed by unaffiliated groups to indicate a range of beliefs and practices more liberal than is affirmed by the Orthodox , and more traditional than the more liberal Jewish denominations ( Reform and Reconstructionist Judaism ). In Canada, several congregations belong to the Canadian Council of Conservative Synagogues instead of the United Synagogue. The moniker Conservadox is sometimes employed to refer to the right wing of the Conservative spectrum, although "Traditional" is used as well (as in the Union for Traditional Judaism ).

The movement regards its approach to Jewish Law as the authentic and traditional one, disavowing both what it considers the excesses of Reform and the stringency of Orthodoxy. Conservative Judaism views itself as a continuation of the Positive-Historical School led by Rabbi Zacharias Frankel in mid-19th Century Germany. While at first close to the pioneers of Reform Judaism , he quickly broke with the movement which he perceived as too radical. In America, the term 'Conservative' came to denote the non-Reform group centered around the JTS , which coalesced after the publication of the 1885 Pittsburgh Platform . While a common label from then onward, symbolizing relative traditionalism, JTS-affiliated communities and rabbinic organizations became a wholly independent denomination only in the postwar years, after a long process of separation from the moderate, Americanized wing of Orthodox Judaism . In many countries outside the United States and Canada, including Israel, Germany and the UK, it is today known as Masorti Judaism (Hebrew for "Traditional"). In the United States and Canada, the term Conservative , as applied, does not always indicate that a congregation is affiliated with the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism , the movement's central institution and the one to which the term, without qualifier, usually refers. Rather, it is sometimes employed by unaffiliated Ashkenazi groups to indicate a range of beliefs and practices more liberal than is affirmed by the Orthodox or Modern Orthodox , and more traditional than the more liberal Reform and Reconstructionist Judaism . In Canada, several congregations belong to the Canadian Council of Conservative Synagogues instead of the United Synagogue. The moniker Conservadox is sometimes employed to refer to the right wing of the Conservative spectrum, although "Traditional" is used as well (as in the Union for Traditional Judaism ). Both Conservative/Masorti and Reform/Liberal rabbinical assemblies are installing women in highest leadership assignments and ordain female, as well as male, rabbis. "Masorti Foundation for Conservative Judaism in Israel – Growing Religious Pluralism in Israel" . Representing about 0.25% of the Jewish population in Israel, it should not be confused with the large part of Israeli Jews (25% to 50% depending on definitions) who define themselves as " masorati " (or Shomer Masoret )—meaning religiously "traditional"—and support Orthodoxy as the mainstream Judaism, which occasionally is known as Masorti Judaism, also.

It therefore views Jewish law, or halakha , as both binding and subject to historical development. The Conservative rabbinate employs modern historical-critical research, rather than only traditional methods and sources, and lends great weight to its constituency when determining its stance on matters of practice. The movement considers its approach as the authentic and most appropriate continuation of halakhic discourse, maintaining both fealty to received forms and flexibility in their interpretation. It also eschews strict theological definitions, lacking a consensus in matters of faith and allowing great pluralism. While regarding itself as the heir of Rabbi Zecharias Frankel 's 19th-century Positive-Historical School in Europe, Conservative Judaism fully institutionalized only in the United States during the mid-20th century. Its largest center today is in North America, where its main congregational arm is the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism and the New York–based Jewish Theological Seminary of America operates as its largest rabbinic seminary. Globally, affiliated communities are united within the umbrella organization Masorti Olami . Conservative Judaism is the third-largest Jewish religious movement worldwide, estimated to represent close to 1.1 million people, both over 600,000 registered adult congregants and many non-member identifiers.

Jewish religious movement Not to be confused with Masortim or Jewish conservatism . It therefore views Jewish law, or halakha , as both binding and subject to historical development. The conservative rabbinate employs modern historical-critical research, rather than only traditional methods and sources, and lends great weight to its constituency, when determining its stance on matters of practice. The movement considers its approach as the authentic and most appropriate continuation of halakhic discourse, maintaining both fealty to received forms and flexibility in their interpretation. It also eschews strict theological definitions, lacking a consensus in matters of faith and allowing great pluralism. While regarding itself as the heir of Rabbi Zecharias Frankel 's 19th-century positive-historical school in Europe, Conservative Judaism fully institutionalized only in the United States during the mid-20th century. Its largest center today is in North America, where its main congregational arm is the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism , and the New York–based Jewish Theological Seminary of America operates as its largest rabbinic seminary. Globally, affiliated communities are united within the umbrella organization Masorti Olami . Conservative Judaism is the third-largest Jewish religious movement worldwide, estimated to represent close to 1.1 million people, including over 600,000 registered adult congregants and many non-member identifiers. The Routledge Dictionary of Judaism (e-Book) .

Jewish religious movement Not to be confused with Masortim or Jewish conservatism . Morning service in synagogue Adath Israel, Merion Station, Pennsylvania History Communities Population Denominations Orthodox Modern Haredi Hasidic Reform Conservative Karaite Reconstructionist Renewal Science Haymanot Humanistic Culture Languages Hebrew Biblical Mishnaic Medieval Modern Bukharian Ghardaïa Sign Jewish Koine Greek Judeo-Arabic Judeo-Aramaic Judeo-Berber Judeo-Gascon Judaeo-Georgian Judaeo-Iranian Judeo-Italian Judeo-Malayalam Judaeo-Spanish Judeo-Tat Knaanic Shassi Yeshivish Yevanic Yiddish Zarphatic Politics Category Portal v t e Conservative Judaism , also known as Masorti Judaism , is a Jewish religious movement that regards the authority of Jewish law and tradition as emanating primarily from the assent of the people through the generations, more than from divine revelation . It therefore views Jewish law, or Halakha , as both binding and subject to historical development. The Conservative rabbinate employs modern historical-critical research, rather than only traditional methods and sources, and lends great weight to its constituency, when determining its stance on matters of practice. The movement considers its approach as the authentic and most appropriate continuation of Halakhic discourse, maintaining both fealty to received forms and flexibility in their interpretation. It also eschews strict theological definitions, lacking a consensus in matters of faith and allowing great pluralism. While regarding itself as the heir of Rabbi Zecharias Frankel 's 19th-century positive-historical school in Europe, Conservative Judaism fully institutionalized only in the United States during the mid-20th century. Its largest center is in North America, where its main congregational arm is the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism , and the New York–based Jewish Theological Seminary of America operates as its largest rabbinic seminary. Globally, affiliated communities are united within the umbrella organization Masorti Olami . Conservative Judaism is the third-largest Jewish religious movement worldwide, estimated to represent close to 1.1 million people, including over 600,000 registered adult congregants and many non-member identifiers. There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or templates on this page, but the references will not show without a template or template (see the help page ).