Conservative Judaism

The Conservative Judaism ( Masorti Judaism or Conservative Judaism English ) is a 19th century resulting in the denomination of Judaism that arose out of the American Jewish Reform Judaism. In German-speaking countries it is counted along with the reform Judaism, Progressive Judaism and Judaism to rekonstruktionistischen liberal Judaism.

The name of Conservative Judaism is misleading in its literal sense of. The movement, which is positioned between the Orthodox and Reform Judaism, has different laws and practices changed as orthodox Judaism designated according to their needs and adapted to modern living conditions of the Jews. The Conservative Judaism agrees with the other liberal Jewish movements, that the revelation of the written Torah (Hebrew doctrine ) and the Oral Torah ( Mishnah and Talmud ) is not of God " at Sinai literally" given but made ​​over a longer period of people was. The sacred Jewish religious writings are newly understood in conservative Judaism with the help of the historical-critical theological research that originated in evangelical Christianity.

Term

The term " Conservative Judaism " ( Conservative Judaism ) was coined in the U.S. for a movement within Judaism that split off next to the Orthodox from the Reform Judaism into an independent denomination. In the German-speaking Jewish communities are comparable, however, usually referred to as " liberal churches". In Israel Conservative Judaism " Masorti " (Hebrew מסורתי traditional) is called. The Hebrew term is also used outside of Israel of individual conservative Jewish communities, especially in Britain, but also in Germany. In Hungary Reform congregations, which correspond to the Conservative Judaism, has been known since the 19th century as " NEOLOG ". The resulting from the Conservative Judaism movement of the Reconstructionist forms since 1968 own denomination.

Principle

Goal of the movement of Conservative Judaism is the preservation of a part of the tradition, as far as it is compatible with modern knowledge and life circumstances. The underlying assumption of a historically contingent variability of Judaism with binding to the Halacha, that is, at the legal aspects of Judaism regarding ethics and customs. The newly - designed Halacha applies conservative than their " basic norm ". It can in this respect in the conservative Judaism legal bases apply that differ from the currently provided traditionally preserved ( Orthodox ) Halacha, so far as they have gotten a neukonservative basis in Jewish legal literature.

Members of the conservative movement are encouraged to adhere to the dietary laws ( kashrut ) and the rest requirements for the Shabbat, with some regulations are somewhat milder interpreted as in Orthodoxy. Conservative congregations adhere also largely kept to the traditional form of the liturgy.

There are other differences to Orthodoxy in gender roles: in addition to neolog currents, the new Conservative Judaism is committed to a rigorous equality between men and women, the Conservative rabbinical seminary in New York since 1984 allows women to rabbinical study.

Even if a certain proximity to Orthodoxy consists in the observance (compliance with religious rules ) and the liturgy, a conservative rabbi decisions from the traditional ( Orthodox ) Judaism are not accepted, because the base is no longer the same traditional Halacha and the Torah no more than given divine applies. Conservative conversions are just like other liberal conversions to Judaism, not previously recognized by the Chief Rabbinate of Israel.

History

The Masorti or Conservative Judaism has its origins in Germany, when its founder Rabbi Zacharias Frankel applies (1801-1875), on the back also leads Liberal Judaism. Frankel was the first director of 1854 opened Jewish Theological Rabbinical Seminary in Breslau, which had been founded in the 1886 New York Jewish Theological Seminary, the central institution of Conservative Judaism, Godfather. During the 20th century, the Conservative Judaism developed in the USA to the largest Jewish denomination, since the beginning of the 21st century, it takes behind the reform Judaism in second place.

The positive - historical school

For Zacharias Frankel one of the main features of Judaism was that it continuously adjusts the times and circumstances of his religious laws and customs, and is thus shaped historically. As head of 1854 opened Jewish Theological Rabbinical Seminary in Breslau, he tried to develop that preserve the Jewish tradition as a stable element of Judaism, at the same time but allow an adaptation of the interpretation of Jewish law to the changed circumstances foundations of a "positive - historical " Jewry should. However, Frankel founded with his conservative within the Reform Jewish attitude no movement in Germany.

Development in the United States

The trigger for the establishment of a network of conservative Jewish communities in the U.S., the so-called " treifene Banquet" ( unkoscheres banquet ) Conservative Graduates of the reform movement associated colleges who had protested against it applies at the graduation ceremony at the Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati in 1883. that they are not kosher meals were served and some rabbis who were the reforms of Reform Judaism also too far, however, formed a composite, which some old-established in the U.S. Sephardic Jewish communities as well as newer Ashkenazi founded by German Jewish immigrants synagogues joined without a uniform religious orientation was aimed at. Together was the communities that they advocated an integration of its members in the non-Jewish environment in everyday life, in the religious law, the Halacha, and however firmly held in the liturgy to the old traditions and the Hebrew language for the prayers and only the weekly sermon in the language accepted.

The Jewish Theological Seminary ( JTS ) in New York was founded in 1886, which became the most important institution of Conservative Judaism. First President of the seminar was a native of Livorno Rabbi Sabato Morais (1823-1897), his successor was the immigrant from England Rabbi Henry Pereira Mendes (1852-1937), both of Sephardic Jews who had been a leading participant in the founding of the seminar. One of the masterminds of the Conservative Judaism is often also Isaac Leeser (1806-1868), the founder of the first American Rabbinical Seminary, Maimonides College in Philadelphia, counted.

Support was struggling with financial worries JTS at the beginning of the 20th century by wealthy liberal American Jews who hoped a modernized form of traditional Judaism, as it represented the Conservative Judaism, would be the descendants of immigrants from Eastern Orthodox Jewish integration into the American society and facilitate the rise of the middle class. Under Cyrus Adler (1863-1940), who teaches in England Solomon Schechter was won in 1902 as Academic Director of JTS, who headed the JTS until his death in 1915. Schechter is attributed the merit of having made ​​the JTS to a device for training an entire generation of rabbis, developed by the Conservative Judaism in the first half of the 20th century the largest and most important Jewish movement in North America. 1913, the " United Synagogue of America" ​​was founded, which was later renamed " United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism ," in which the Conservative congregations in North America are members. The Conservative Association rabbis who " Rabbinical Assembly " was founded in 1919.

Development in Israel

In Israel, summed up the conservative Judaism in the 1970s, foot, primarily due to the immigration of American Jews, especially rabbis, who belonged to the conservative direction. In 1979, the Masorti Foundation for Conservative Judaism in Israel was founded, are in the over 50 Masorti communities with approximately 50,000 members (as of 2012) together.

Development in Germany after 1945

In Germany Conservative Judaism is mainly represented in Berlin, but also in the Jewish community pastures.

Gesa Ederberg received after studying Protestant theology, physics, Judaism and after her conversion to Judaism in 2002 their Semicha. The liberal rabbi Ederberg officiated after 2002, first in the Jewish community in Weiden in der Oberpfalz.

Gesa Ederberg was from 2002 to 2008 Managing Director of Masorti Association. In Berlin and the Masorti Beit Midrash was founded in 2002. The Masorti eV in Berlin maintains inter alia, a Jewish kindergarten and take care of the religious and linguistic integration of immigrants from the CIS countries.

Since mid-2006 Ederberg officiates in the Jewish Community of Berlin, first with half a rabbi site. Since mid 2007, she officiates also officially known as the congregational. Together with the cantor Avitall Gerstetter it reads in the New Synagogue on Oranienburger Straße in Berlin from the Torah.

In Hamburg in 2009 founded the Kehilat Beit Shira - Jewish Masorti Congregation of Hamburg eV, which emerged from an existing in Hamburg since 2008 Masorti Minyan. The community is since 2010 member of the " European Council of Jewish Communities ( ECJC ) ".