205-566: The East Midwood Jewish Center is a Conservative synagogue located at 1625 Ocean Avenue , Midwood, Brooklyn , New York City , New York , United States. Organized in 1924, the congregation's Renaissance revival building that was completed in 1929 typified the large multi-purpose synagogue centers being built at the time, and was from the 1990s until 2010 the only synagogue with a working swimming pool in Brooklyn. The building has been unmodified architecturally since its construction, and in 2006
410-507: A center of learning on par with HUC. Schechter was both traditional in sentiment and quite unorthodox in conviction. He maintained that theology was of little importance and it was practice that must be preserved. He aspired to solicit unity in American Judaism, denouncing sectarianism and not perceiving himself as leading a new denomination: "not to create a new party, but to consolidate an old one". The need to raise funds convinced him that
615-537: A child in the 1940s, feminist author Susan Brownmiller attended it two afternoons a week. In 1950, the congregation built a three-story school building and a two-story bridge link between the school and synagogue. At its peak in the early 1950s the school had an enrollment of almost 1,000. East Midwood subsequently created a Conservative Jewish day school , serving students from kindergarten to Grade 8, and also providing "afternoon religious instruction for public school students through high school" operated separately from
820-642: A congregational arm for the Rabbinical Assembly and the JTS was required. On 23 February 1913, he founded the United Synagogue of America (since 1991: United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism), which then consisted of 22 communities. He and Mendes first came to major disagreement; Schechter insisted that any alumnus could be appointed to the USoA's managerial board, and not just to serve as communal rabbi, including several
1025-519: A cornerstone doctrine of Conservative Judaism. The movement views the legalistic system as normative and binding, and believes Jews must practically observe its precepts, like Sabbath, dietary ordinances, ritual purity, daily prayer with phylacteries and the like. Concurrently, examining Jewish history and rabbinic literature through the lens of academic criticism, it maintained that these laws were always subject to considerable evolution, and must continue to do so. Emet ve-Emunah titled its chapter on
1230-443: A county that spans some hilly areas and has dozens of lakes. The county covers a region about 30 × 20 miles wide (48 × 32 km). The region is split by major roads, including portions of Interstate 80 , which runs through Paterson (see map at left) . The Garden State Parkway (GSP) cuts across the south of Paterson, near Clifton, New Jersey . The Passaic River winds northeast past Totowa into Paterson, where
1435-734: A course about Conservative theology open in the Jewish Theological Seminary of America (JTS). The hitherto sole major attempt to define a clear credo was made in 1988, with the Statement of Principles Emet ve-Emunah (Truth and Belief), formulated and issued by the Leadership Council of Conservative Judaism . The introduction stated that "lack of definition was useful" in the past but a need to articulate one now arose. The platform provided many statements citing key concepts such as God, revelation and Election , but also acknowledged that
1640-616: A dynamic Halakha , often cite the manner in which the sages of old used rabbinic statutes ( Takkanah ) that enabled the bypassing of prohibitions in the Pentateuch, like the Prozbul or Heter I'ska . In 1948, when employing those was first debated, Rabbi Isaac Klein argued that since there was no consensus on leadership within Catholic Israel, formulation of significant takkanot should be avoided. Another proposal, to ratify them only with
1845-910: A few thousands of adherents and forty partially active synagogues, is not officially affiliated with Masorti Olami, Conservative Judaism regards it as a fraternal, "non-Orthodox but halakhic" movement. In New York, the JTS serves as the movement's original seminary and legacy institution, along with the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies at the American Jewish University in Los Angeles; the Marshall T. Meyer Latin American Rabbinical Seminary (Spanish: Seminario Rabínico Latinoamericano Marshall T. Meyer ), in Buenos Aires , Argentina; and
2050-529: A fire unto itself, not even in incandescent bulbs , and therefore was not a forbidden labour and could be done on the Sabbath. On that basis, while performing banned labours is of course forbidden—for example, video recording is still constituted as writing—switching lights and other functions are allowed, though the RA strongly urges adherents to keep the sanctity of the Sabbath (refraining from doing anything that may imitate
2255-673: A generally Conservative approach, but unlike these, generally have "no barriers to enrollment based on the faith of the parents or on religious practices in the home". During the first decade of the 21st century, a number of schools that were part of the Schechter network transformed themselves into non-affiliated community day schools. The USCJ also maintains the Camp Ramah system, where children and adolescents spend summers in an observant environment. The rise of modern, centralized states in Europe by
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#17330861548942460-522: A graduate of Columbia College and the JTSA, with a Ph.D. in philosophy from New York University . As Brooklyn's changing demographics made non-Orthodox institutions less viable, East Midwood absorbed three other congregations, including the Jewish Communal Center of Flatbush, where East Midwood had held its first annual meeting, and, in 1978, Flatbush 's Congregation Shaare Torah. In 1996, membership
2665-540: A heretic, demanding he announce whether he believed that both the Oral and Written Torah were of celestial origin. Rabbis Benjamin Hirsch Auerbach , Solomon Klein and others published more complaisant tracts, but also requested an explanation. Rapoport marshaled to Frankel's aid, assuring that his words were merely reiterating ben Jehiel's and that he would soon release a statement that will belie Hirsch's accusations. But then
2870-736: A hostage situation by providing the hostage taker with sandwiches from the Carnegie Deli . Kass, who teaches ethics at the Police Academy, was instrumental in getting Jewish police officers time off to observe the Sabbath . He also convinced the NYPD Shomrim Society (the fraternal organization of Jewish members of the New York City Police Department) to admit David Durk. Durk, along with the more famous Frank Serpico , had been
3075-512: A human product with certain divine inspiration—providing an understanding that recognizes Biblical Criticism and also justifies major innovation in religious conduct. The first doctrine, advocated by such leaders as rabbis Ben-Zion Bokser and Robert Gordis , largely imparted that some elements within Judaism are fully divine but determining which would be impractical, and therefore received forms of interpretation should be basically upheld. Exponents of
3280-420: A large parking lot spanning Ward Street from Main to Church Streets and features retail, entertainment, and commercial space. Downtown Paterson is located in the city's 1st Ward. Eastside Park Historic District consists of about 1,000 homes in a variety of architectural styles, including Tudors , Georgian colonials , Victorians , Italianate villas and Dutch colonials . It is located east of downtown. Once
3485-543: A location on Ocean Avenue would be more desirable. Issues arose with developing the land on Avenue L, and in 1925 the Committee purchased the current location at 1625 Ocean Avenue in Midwood, Brooklyn . The cornerstone was laid in 1926, and, although not complete, the building was fully enclosed by the autumn, and High Holiday services were held there that year. The Center's Talmud Torah , which had been created in 1925 and held in
3690-569: A majority of members who wanted to have an egalitarian Conservative congregation". The synagogue building has remained architecturally unchanged since its construction, and was from the 1990s until 2010 the only synagogue in Brooklyn with a functioning swimming pool. In June 2006, it was added to the NRHP. That year the congregation received a $ 300,000 loan from the New York Landmarks Conservancy for repairs for "masonry and steel repairs on
3895-723: A member; Levin's grandfather, Herman Levin, had been a president of the East Midwood Jewish Center, and had also helped found, and been a long-time lay-leader of, the Reconstructionist movement . East Midwood has also had members who have died under tragic circumstances, including Jason Sekzer, who was killed in the September 11, 2001 attacks , and Danny Farkas, a New York police lieutenant and National Guard soldier who died while stationed in Kabul, Afghanistan . In 2018 scenes from
4100-496: A non-verbal understanding of theophany , which has become dominant in the 1970s. This was in sync with the wider trend of lowering rates of Americans who accepted the Bible as the Word of God. Dorff categorized the proponents of this into two schools. One maintains that God projected some form of message which inspired the human authors of the Pentateuch to record what they perceived. The other
4305-479: A population of 156,452 for 2023, making it the 168th-most populous municipality in the nation. A prominent mill town within the New York–New Jersey metropolitan area , Paterson has been known as Silk City for its once-dominant role in silk production during the latter half of 19th century. It has since evolved into a major destination for Hispanic immigrants as well as for immigrants from Turkey ,
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#17330861548944510-517: A prime destination for one of the fastest-growing communities of Dominican Americans , who have become the city's largest ethnic group. The Puerto Rican population has established a highly significant presence as well. The 2010 United States census counted 146,199 people, 44,329 households, and 32,715 families in the city. The population density was 17,346.3 per square mile (6,697.4/km ). There were 47,946 housing units at an average density of 5,688.7 per square mile (2,196.4/km ). The racial makeup
4715-639: A rather uniform and mild character on what was known in Germany as "Liberal Judaism". In 1909, 63 rabbis associated with the Breslau approach founded the Freie Jüdische Vereinigung, another brief attempt at institutionalization, but it too failed soon. Only in 1925 did the Religiöse Mittelpartei für Frieden und Einheit succeed in driving the same agenda. It won several seats in communal elections, but
4920-427: A source of legitimacy for both change and preservation, but mostly the latter. The basic moderation and traditionalism of the majority among the people were to guarantee a sense of continuity and unity, restraining the guiding rabbis and scholars who at his age were intent on reform but also allowing them manoeuvrability in adopting or discarding certain elements. Solomon Schechter espoused a similar position. He turned
5125-514: A temporary structure, also moved into the new building. Designed in the Renaissance revival style, the building was finally completed in 1929 at the cost of $ 1 million (today $ 17.7 million). It typified the new "synagogue-centers" being built at that time, combining the functions of both a synagogue and community center , and included "a synagogue, auditorium, kitchens, restaurant, classrooms, gymnasium, and swimming pool". That year Kaufman left
5330-418: A thorough analysis of the manner in which it was practiced, accepted, rejected or modified in various periods, not necessarily in sync with the received rabbinic understanding. Archaeology, philology and Judaic Studies are employed; rabbis use comparative compendiums of religious manuscripts, sometimes discerning that sentences were only added later or include spelling, grammar and transcription errors, changing
5535-455: A two-thirds majority in the RA, was rejected. New statues require a simple majority, 13 supporters among the 25 members of the CJLS. In the 1950s and 1960s, such drastic measures—as Rabbi Arnold M. Goodman cited in a 1996 writ allowing members of the priestly caste to marry divorcees, " Later authorities were reluctant to assume such unilateral authority... fear that invoking this principle would create
5740-467: A variety of positions and convictions existed within its ranks, eschewing strict delineation of principles and often expressing conflicting views. In a 1999 special edition of Conservative Judaism dedicated to the matter, leading rabbis Elliot N. Dorff and Gordon Tucker stated that "the great diversity" within the movement "makes the creation of a theological vision shared by all neither possible nor desirable". Conservative Judaism largely upholds
5945-414: A wide range of new, thoroughgoing statues, from the famous 1950 responsum that allowed driving to the synagogue on the Sabbath and up to the 2000 decision to ban rabbis from inquiring about whether someone was a mamzer , de facto abolishing this legal category. The RA and CJLS reached many decisions through the years, shaping a distinctive profile for Conservative practice and worship. In the 1940s, when
6150-472: A year from its state-of-the-art facility at 63 Governor Street. All the breweries closed during Prohibition . The city was a mecca for immigrant laborers, who worked in its factories, particularly Italian weavers from the Naples region. Paterson was the site of historic labor unrest that focused on the six-month-long Paterson silk strike of 1913 that demanded the eight-hour day and better working conditions. It
6355-484: Is a middle class neighborhood. Interstate 80 runs north of this district. Lakeview is home to the Paterson Farmers Market , where many people from across North Jersey come to buy fresh produce . The neighborhood is roughly 65% Hispanic, although it also has a significant Filipino presence. Lakeview also shares some of the same characteristics as neighboring Clifton as they both share a neighborhood bearing
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6560-498: Is a greater proclivity to base rulings on earlier sources, in the Rishonim or before them, as far back as the Talmud. Conservative decisors frequently resort to less canonical sources, isolated responsa or minority opinions. They demonstrate more fluidity in regards to established precedent and continuum in rabbinic literature, mainly those by the later authorities, and lay little stress on
6765-676: Is a mostly industrial area west of River Street and east of the Passaic River. Westside Park located off Totowa Avenue and best known as the site of the Holland submarine, Fenian Ram , which was built from 1879 to 1881 for the Fenian Brotherhood . It became the target of graffiti artists because the fence surrounding it was too low and too close to the submarine itself. The sub is now located in Paterson Museum . The climate in this area
6970-400: Is also the smaller Va'ad ha-Halakha (Law Committee) of Israel's Masorti Movement. Every responsa must receive a minimum of six voters to be considered an official position of the CJLS. Conservative Judaism explicitly acknowledges the principle of halakhic pluralism, enabling the panel to adopt more than one resolution in any given subject. The final authority in each Conservative community is
7175-441: Is an active and vibrant retail strip featuring a variety of shops and services catering to a diverse clientele. Twenty-First Avenue used to have a large Italian population. Although there is still a significant Italian presence left in the neighborhood, it also has a large first-generation Hispanic population, particularly Colombian . Wrigley Park is a neighborhood that has suffered from years of poverty, crime, and neglect. It
7380-552: Is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally cool to cold winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Paterson has a humid continental climate , abbreviated Dfa on climate maps. Despite the size of the city, it has no weather reporting station, and thus, no historical climate data. Paterson uses Newark's airport for its local weather. According to then-Mayor Jose Torres, Paterson had 52 distinct ethnic groups in 2014. By 2020, Paterson had
7585-520: Is estimated that some third of religiously affiliated Canadian Jews are Conservative. In 2008, the more traditional Canadian Council of Conservative Synagogues seceded from the parent organization. It numbered seven communities as of 2014. According to the Pew Research Center survey in 2013, 18 per cent of Jews in the United States and in 2020 13 per cent identified with the movement, making it
7790-762: Is known as NOAM, an acronym for No'ar Masorti; its North American organization is called United Synagogue Youth . Marom Israel is the Masorti movement's organization for students and young adults, providing activities based on religious pluralism and Jewish content. The Women's League for Conservative Judaism is also active in North America. The USCJ maintains the Solomon Schechter Day Schools , comprising 76 day schools in 17 American states and 2 Canadian provinces serving Jewish children. Many other "community day schools" that are not affiliated with Schechter take
7995-616: Is known for its hills and sweeping views of the New York City skyline . The Northside section of Paterson is located in the city's 1st Ward. Totowa section is a large neighborhood located west of the Passaic River , southwest of West Broadway and northeast of Preakness Avenue. As the name implies, it borders the town of Totowa . It is mostly Hispanic but with an increasing South Asian community, mainly Bangladeshi . Many Bengali grocery and clothing stores are located on Union Avenue and
8200-459: Is located in the city's 2nd Ward. Riverside is a larger neighborhood in Paterson and, as its name suggests, is bound by the Passaic River to the north and east, separating the city from Hawthorne and Fair Lawn. Riverside is a working-class neighborhood. The neighborhood is mostly residential with some industrial uses. Madison Avenue cuts through the heart of this district. Route 20 runs through
8405-529: Is located in this neighborhood. Part of the 5th Ward is called Near Eastside by residents to differentiate it from the Eastside Park Historic District to its immediate east. Northside , located north of Downtown, suffers from many of the social problems facing the Wrigley Park neighborhood, but to a lesser extent. This neighborhood borders the boroughs of Haledon and Prospect Park and
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8610-463: Is marginalized among senior leadership. A small but influential segment within the JTS and the movement adhered, from the 1930s, to Mordecai Kaplan's philosophy that denied any form of revelation but viewed all scripture as a purely human product. Along with other Reconstructionist tenets, it dwindled as the latter consolidated into a separate group. Kaplan's views and the permeation of Higher Criticism gradually swayed most Conservative thinkers towards
8815-402: Is mostly African-American . Poverty, crime, open-air drug markets, prostitution, vacant lots, and boarded-up windows are all common in this area. However, new houses are being built, and crime has dropped in recent years. This neighborhood is located north of Broadway. It is also known as the '4th Ward'. It was named for a Paterson paper manufacturing family. Sandy Hill is a neighborhood in
9020-466: Is officially credited to the Building Committee and Irving Warshaw, the construction superintendent. The architect's name is not recorded in synagogue records, nor on the building's dedicatory plaque . The Center's National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) nomination form, however, argues that the architect was Louis Abramson, based on visual evidence and one piece of written evidence. Abramson
9225-457: Is often strongly influenced by Franz Rosenzweig and other existentialists , but also attracted many Objectivists who consider human reason paramount. The second school states that God conferred merely his presence on those he influenced, without any communication, and the experience drove them to spiritual creativity. While they differ in the theoretical level surrounding revelation, both practically regard all scripture and religious tradition as
9430-545: Is situated in the Historic District. Downtown Paterson is the main commercial district of the city and was once a shopping destination for many who lived in North Jersey . After a devastating fire in 1902, the city rebuilt the downtown with massive Beaux-Arts-style buildings, many of which remain to this day. These buildings are usually four to seven stories tall. Downtown Paterson is home to Paterson City Hall and
9635-489: Is the first woman elected to this position in the history of JTS. The current dean of the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies is Bradley Shavit Artson . The Committee on Jewish Law and Standards is chaired by Rabbi Elliot N. Dorff , serving since 2007. The Rabbinical Assembly is headed by President Rabbi Debra Newman Kamin, as of 2019, and managed by Chief Executive Officer, Rabbi Jacob Blumenthal . Rabbi Blumenthal holds
9840-437: Is the task of the historian to examine the beginnings and developments of customs and observances; practical Judaism, on the other hand, is not concerned with origins but regards the institutions as they have come to be. This discrepancy between scientific criticism and insistence on heritage had to be compensated by a conviction that would forestall either deviation from accepted norms or laxity and apathy. A key doctrine which
10045-448: Is very diverse having significant Italian, Arab, and Asian populations. The Hillcrest section of Paterson is located in the city's 2nd Ward. People's Park is a neighborhood located north of 23rd Avenue and south of Market Street. Twenty-First Avenue, or "La Veinte y uno", as it is known by most of Paterson's Spanish-speaking community, is located in the People's Park section of Paterson. It
10250-599: The Acharonim and the more prominent Rishonim , but based on many opinions of the lesser Rishonim which is derived from a minority view in the Talmud—that the Sabbatical Year is not obligatory in present times at all (neither de'Oraita nor de'Rabanan ) but rather an act of piety . Ethical considerations and the weight due to them in determining halakhic issues, mainly to what degree may modern sensibilities shape
10455-896: The Arab world , and South Asia . Paterson has the nation's second-largest per capita Muslim population. The area of Paterson was inhabited by the Algonquian-speaking Native American Acquackanonk tribe of the Lenape , also known as the Delaware Indians. The land was known as the Lenapehoking . The Dutch claimed the land as New Netherlands , followed by the British as the Province of New Jersey . In 1791, Alexander Hamilton (1755/57–1804), first United States Secretary of
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#173308615489410660-603: The Constitution and Governor of New Jersey , who signed the 1792 charter that established the Town of Paterson. Architect , engineer , and city planner Pierre L'Enfant (1754–1825), who had earlier developed the initial plans for Washington, D.C. , was the first planner for the S.U.M. project. His plan proposed to harness the power of the Great Falls through a channel in the rock and an aqueduct . The society's directors felt he
10865-482: The Eastside located roughly west of Madison Avenue, north of 21st Avenue, south of Park Avenue, and east of Straight Street. Due to Paterson's significant population turn-over, this neighborhood is now home to a large and growing Hispanic community, mostly first-generation Dominicans . The Sandy Hill section of Paterson is located in the city's 5th Ward. Roberto Clemente Park, which was originally known as Sandy Hill Park,
11070-602: The Great Falls/Society for the Establishment of Useful Manufactures Historic District and the Eastside Park Historic District . In August 2011, Paterson was severely affected in the aftermath of Hurricane Irene , particularly by flooding of the Passaic River , where waters rose to levels unseen for 100 years, leading to the displacement of thousands and the closure of bridges over the river. Touring
11275-455: The Halakha ." The liberal Rabbi Gordon Tucker , along with Gillman and other progressives, supported a far-reaching implementation of this approach, making Conservative Judaism much more Aggadic and allowing moral priorities an overriding authority at all occasions. This idea became very popular among the young generation, but it was not fully embraced either. In the 2006 resolution on homosexuals,
11480-569: The Kingdom of Saxony in 1836, gradually rose to become the leader of those who stood at the middle. Besides working for the civic betterment of local Jews and educational reform, he displayed keen interest in Wissenschaft . But Frankel was always cautious and deeply reverent towards tradition, privately writing in 1836 that "The means must be applied with such care and discretion... that forward progress will be reached unnoticed, and seem inconsequential to
11685-675: The National Register of Historic Places , including museums, civic buildings such as City Hall , Hinchliffe Stadium, Public School Number Two and the Danforth Memorial Library , churches ( Cathedral of St. John the Baptist and St. Michael's Roman Catholic Church ), individual residences, such as Lambert Castle , and districts of the city, such as the Paterson Downtown Commercial Historic District ,
11890-592: The New Jersey Historical Commission , Paterson’s industrialism ended “as the economy and technological needs of the United States changed. By 1983, Paterson was the fifth poorest city in the United States. The town that had called itself Silk City, the Iron City, and the Cotton City, was in economic ruin”. Once millwork and production left the city, Paterson’s poverty became reminiscent of what occurred in
12095-433: The Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem . A Conservative institution that does not grant rabbinic ordination but which runs along the lines of a traditional yeshiva is the Conservative Yeshiva , located in Jerusalem . The Neolog Budapest University of Jewish Studies also maintains connections with Conservative Judaism. The current chancellor of the JTS is Shuly Rubin Schwartz , in office since 2020. She
12300-407: The Shulchan Aruch themselves, criticize the Orthodox for relatively rarely venturing beyond it and overly canonizing Rabbi Joseph Karo 's work. In several occasions, Conservative rabbis discerned that the Shulchan Aruch ruled without firm precedent, sometimes deriving his conclusions from the Kabbalah . An important example is the ruling of Rabbi Golinkin—contrary to the majority consensus among
12505-407: The Tosafists ' opinion, as "redundant labour" ( Sh’eina Tzricha L’gufa ) and be permitted. The validity of this argument was heavily disputed within the movement. In 1952, members of the priestly caste were allowed to marry divorcees, conditioned on forfeiture of their privileges, as termination of marriage became widespread and women who underwent it could not be suspected of unsavory acts. In 1967,
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#173308615489412710-404: The U.S. state of New Jersey . As of the 2020 United States census , Paterson was the state's third-most-populous municipality , with a population of 159,732. an increase of 13,533 (+9.3%) from the 2010 census count of 146,199, which in turn reflected a decline of 3,023 (-2.0%) from the 149,222 counted in the 2000 census . The Census Bureau 's Population Estimates Program calculated
12915-408: The United Federation of Teachers "called a strike that closed 85 percent of the city's 900 schools for 55 days". When Lindsay arrived he was met by a mob of 2,000 people outside the synagogue, who shouted "Lindsay must go" and "we want Shanker ". Halpern admonished the protesters, asking "Is this the exemplification of the Jewish faith?", but many replied "yes". Lindsay was heckled off the podium by
13120-521: The United Synagogue of America , renamed the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism in 1991, was founded as a congregational arm of the RA. The movement established the World Council of Conservative Synagogues in 1957. Offshoots outside North America mostly adopted the Hebrew name "Masorti" ("traditional"), as did the Israeli Masorti Movement, founded in 1979, and the British Assembly of Masorti Synagogues, formed in 1985. The World Council eventually changed its primary designation to " Masorti Olami ." Besides
13325-408: The theistic notion of a personal God . Emet ve-Emunah stated that "we affirm our faith in God as the Creator and Governor of the universe. His power called the world into being; His wisdom and goodness guide its destiny." Concurrently, the platform also noted that His nature was "elusive" and subject to many options of belief. A naturalistic conception of divinity, regarding it as inseparable from
13530-420: The " trefa banquet ", it purportedly made some guests abandon the hall in disgust, but little is factually known about the incident. In 1885, the traditionalist forces were bolstered upon the arrival of Rabbi Alexander Kohut , an adherent of Frankel. He publicly excoriated Reform for disdaining ritual and received forms, triggering a heated polemic with Kohler. The debate was one of the main factors which motivated
13735-484: The 1859 publication of his Darke ha-Mishna (Ways of the Mishna ). He heaved praise on the Beatified Sages , presenting them as bold innovators, but not once affirmed the divinity of the Oral Torah . On the ordinances classified as Law given to Moses at Sinai , he quoted Asher ben Jehiel that stated several of those were only apocryphally dubbed as such; he applied the latter's conclusion to all, noting they were "so evident as if given at Sinai". Hirsch branded Frankel
13940-420: The 1940s and 1950s, when Kaplan's influence grew, his superiors rabbis Louis Ginzberg , Louis Finkelstein and Saul Lieberman espoused a very conservative line. Since the 1970s, with the strengthening of the liberal wing within the movement, the majority in the Rabbinic Assembly opted for quite radical reformulations in religious conduct, but rejected the Reconstructionist Non-Halakhic approach, insisting that
14145-439: The 1st and 2nd Wards of Paterson. Stoney Road is Paterson's southwesternmost neighborhood, bordering Woodland Park to the south and Totowa across the Passaic River to the west. This neighborhood is home to Pennington Park, Hayden Heights, Lou Costello Pool, the Levine reservoir, Murray Avenue, Mc Bride Avenue, and Garret Heights. A strong Italian presence remains in this neighborhood. The Stoney Road section of Paterson
14350-399: The Breslau School (the students of which were often more lenient on matters of headcovering for women, Chalav Yisrael and other issues). Hildesheimer was concerned that Jewish public opinion perceived no practical difference between them; though he cared to distinguish the observant acolytes of Frankel from the Reform camp, he noted in his diary: "How meager is the principal difference between
14555-401: The Breslau School, who don silk gloves at their work, and Geiger who wields a sledgehammer." In 1863, when Breslau faculty member Heinrich Graetz published an article where he appeared to doubt the Messianic belief , Hildesheimer immediately seized upon the occasion to prove once more the dogmatic, rather than practical, divide. He denounced Graetz as a heretic. The Positive-Historical School
14760-540: The Brooklyn and Ocean Parkway Jewish Centers are visually similar to the East Midwood Jewish Center, and the Brooklyn Jewish Center in particular has an identical layout. The written evidence consists of an entry in a souvenir journal commemorating the twentieth anniversary of the Flatbush Jewish Center, stating that Abramson drew East Midwood's plans. The NRHP nomination form speculates that Abramson drew
14965-401: The CJLS chose a middle path: they agreed that the ethical consideration of human dignity was of supreme importance, but not sufficient to uproot the express Biblical prohibition on not to lie with mankind as with womankind (traditionally understood as banning full anal intercourse). All other limitations, including on other forms of sexual relations, were lifted. A similar approach is manifest in
15170-502: The Center to become the rabbi of Temple Emanu-El in Paterson, New Jersey , and Harry Halpern became East Midwood's rabbi. Halpern, who also became an adjunct professor of pastoral psychiatry at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America (JTSA), would go on to serve as rabbi for 49 years, until his retirement in 1977, four years before his death in 1981. The Great Depression took its toll on
15375-466: The Chancellor of Breslau issued an ambiguous defence, writing that his book was not concerned with theology and avoiding giving any clear answer. Now even Rapoport joined his critics. Hirsch succeeded, severely tarnishing Frankel's reputation among most concerned. Along with fellow Orthodox Rabbi Azriel Hildesheimer , Hirsch launched a protracted public campaign through the 1860s. They ceaselessly stressed
15580-653: The Dead are maintained, English translations of the prayers obscure the issue. In Emet , it was stated that death is not tantamount to the end of one's personality. Relating to the Messianic ideal , the movement rephrased most petitions for the restoration of the Sacrifices into past tense, rejecting a renewal of animal offerings, though not opposing a Return to Zion and even a New Temple . The 1988 platform announced that "some" believe in classic eschatology, but dogmatism in this matter
15785-517: The East Bank of the Passaic River in Paterson's original county. Built when Paterson was still Bergen County, River Drive changes to River Road in the greater Eastside Sections of Upper Eastside-Manor Section, East River, and Riverside Sections, and turns into Wagaraw Road north of 1st Avenue / Maple Avenue in the old Bunker Hill extension of Columbia Heights in Fair Lawn an indication of not only entering
15990-535: The East Midwood Jewish Center absorbed three other Conservative Brooklyn congregations. The East Midwood Jewish Center had only three rabbis from its founding until 2014. Reuben Kaufman served from 1924 to 1929, Harry Halpern from 1929 to 1977 and Alvin Kass from 1976 to 2014. In 2014, Matt Carl became the rabbi. East Midwood was organized in 1924 by Jacob R. Schwartz, a dentist who was concerned that his two sons had no nearby Hebrew school which they could attend. From
16195-816: The Industrial Section but also entering the foothills of the Ramapo Mountains in Hawthorne. River Drive then turns into East Main Street to indicate that you have entered the Northside Section. The East River neighborhood which was and still maintains its "blue-collar" working-class identity, was at one time known for its large Jewish community, as well as a Neapolitan/Italian population and more recently other Mediterranean and Adriatic Europeans, Caribbean and South Americans, and other modern immigrant groups from all over
16400-434: The JTS even negotiated a possible merger, though it was never materialized. Upon Schechter's death in 1915, the first generation of his disciples kept his non-sectarian legacy of striving for a united, traditional American Judaism. He was replaced by Cyrus Adler. Paterson, New Jersey Paterson ( / ˈ p æ t ər s ə n / PAT -ər-sən ) is the largest city in and the county seat of Passaic County , in
16605-497: The JTS. The contribution was solicited by Professor Cyrus Adler . It was conditioned on the appointment of Solomon Schechter as Chancellor. In 1901, the Rabbinical Assembly was established as the fraternity of JTS alumni. Schechter arrived in 1902, and at once reorganized the faculty, dismissing both Pereira Mendes and Drachman for lack of academic merit. Under his aegis, the institute began to draw famous scholars, becoming
16810-497: The Jewish partner to maintain his/her Jewish identity, and raise their children as Jews." Despite the centralization of legal deliberation on matters of Jewish law in the CJLS individual synagogues and communities must, in the end, depend on their local decision-makers. The rabbi in his or her or their community is regarded as the Mara D'Atra , or the local Halakhic decisor. Rabbis trained in
17015-614: The Law of the Land. In December 1843 Frankel launched the magazine Zeitschrift für die Religiösen Interessen des Judenthums . In the preamble, he attempted to present his approach to the present plight: "The further development of Judaism cannot be done through Reform that would lead to total dissipation... But must be involved in its study... pursued via scientific research, on a positive, historical basis." The term Positive-Historical became associated with him and his middle way. The Zeitschrift was, along
17220-455: The Movement. The term Conservative Judaism was used, still generically and not yet as a specific label, already in the 1887 dedication speech of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America by Rabbi Alexander Kohut . By 1901, the JTS alumni formed the Rabbinical Assembly , of which all ordained Conservative clergy in the world are members. As of 2010, there were 1,648 rabbis in the RA. In 1913,
17425-870: The Passaic County Courthouse Annex, two of the city's architectural landmarks. City Hall was designed by the New York firm Carrere and Hastings in 1894, and was modeled after the Hôtel de Ville (city hall) in Lyon , France , capital of the silk industry in Europe . The former Orpheum Theatre located on Van Houten Street has been converted to a mosque by the Islamic Foundation of New Jersey. The massive structure, now known as Masjid Jalalabad, can accommodate 1,500 worshipers. As with many other old downtown districts in
17630-422: The Passaic River. The city has attempted to revitalize the area in recent years, including the installation of period lamp posts and the conversion of old industrial buildings into apartments and retail venues. Many artists live in this section of Paterson. A major redevelopment project is planned for this district in the coming years. The Paterson Museum of Industrial History at Rogers Locomotive and Machine Works
17835-496: The Positive-Historical school, for example, sought to demonstrate the continuity and cohesiveness of Judaism over the years—still challenged Conservative leaders. They regarded tradition and received mores with reverence, especially the continued adherence to the mechanism of Religious Law ( Halakha ), opposing indiscriminate modification, and emphasized they should be changed only with care and caution and remain observed by
18040-457: The RA, the international Cantors Assembly supplies prayer leaders for congregations worldwide. The United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, covering the United States, Canada and Mexico, is by far the largest constituent of Masorti Olami. While most congregations defining themselves as "Conservative" are affiliated with the USCJ, some are independent. While accurate information of Canada is scant, it
18245-593: The Reform Hochschule für die Wissenschaft des Judentums maintained very different approaches; but on the communal level, the former's alumni failure to organize or articulate a coherent agenda, coupled with the declining prestige of Breslau and the conservatism of the Hochschule's alumni—a necessity in heterogeneous communities which remained unified, especially after the Orthodox gained the right to secede in 1876—imposed
18450-552: The Reform movement, were overwhelmingly dismissed. Unconverted spouses were largely barred from community membership and participation in rituals; clergy are banned from any involvement in interfaith marriage on pain of dismissal. However, as the rate of such unions rose dramatically, Conservative congregations began describing gentile family members as K'rov Yisrael (Kin of Israel) and be more open toward them. The Leadership Council of Conservative Judaism stated in 1995: "we want to encourage
18655-560: The Talmud Torah. Author and talk show host Dennis Prager taught at the day school. It was later renamed the Rabbi Harry Halpern Day School, in honor of Rabbi Halpern. Like the synagogue, the day school also suffered from Brooklyn's changing (and increasingly Orthodox) demographics; enrollment had dropped from 400 students to 99 by the early 21st century. Invigorated by a new principal, enrollment climbed to 160 by 2008, but
18860-465: The Torah, the CJLS agreed that the ordinance under which women were banned from this due to respect for the congregation ( Kvod ha'Tzibur ) was no longer relevant. In 1972 it was decreed that rennet , even if derived from unclean animals, was so transformed that it constituted a wholly new item ( Panim Chadashot ba'u l'Khan ) and therefore all hard cheese could be considered kosher . The 1970s and 1980s saw
19065-669: The Treasury , helped found the Society for Establishing Useful Manufactures (S.U.M.), which helped encourage the harnessing of energy from the Great Falls of the Passaic River to secure economic independence from British manufacturers. The society founded Paterson, which became the cradle of the Industrial Revolution in America. Paterson was named for William Paterson , statesman, signer of
19270-547: The UAHC was also home to more conservative elements. President Isaac Meyer Wise , a pragmatist intent on compromise, hoped to forge a broad consensus that would turn a moderate version of Reform to dominant in America. He kept the dietary laws at home and attempted to assuage traditionalists. On 11 July 1883, apparently due to negligence by the Jewish caterer, non-kosher dishes were served to UAHC rabbis in Wise's presence. Known to posterity as
19475-781: 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. Conservative Judaism, from its earliest stages,
19680-480: The United States, Downtown Paterson suffered as shoppers and retailers moved to the suburban shopping malls of the region. Many historic buildings are in disrepair or are abandoned after years of neglect. In addition, Downtown Paterson is an Urban Enterprise Zone . The city has, in recent years, begun initiatives in hopes of reviving the downtown area with the centerpiece being the Center City Mall, constructed on
19885-487: The addresses aligning themselves to the now-defunct Jewish Temple, located at the corner of 33rd and Broadway. South Paterson , also known as Little Istanbul or Little Ramallah , is a diverse neighborhood with a growing number of immigrants from the Middle East , with significant Turkish and Arab communities. The neighborhood is located in the 6th Ward, east of Main Street and west of West Railway Avenue. A majority of
20090-422: The area until 1914 and fostered growth of the city. The district originally included dozens of mill buildings and other manufacturing structures associated with the textile industry and, later, the firearms, silk, and railroad locomotive manufacturing industries. In the latter half of the 19th century, silk production became the dominant industry and formed the basis of Paterson's most prosperous period, earning it
20295-402: The area was still part of Essex County . It became part of the newly created Passaic County on February 7, 1837, and was incorporated as a city on April 14, 1851, based on the results of a referendum held that day. The city was reincorporated on March 14, 1861. The 77-foot-high (23 m) Great Falls and a system of water raceways that harnessed the falls' power provided power for the mills in
20500-409: The area with Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Craig Fugate , U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano declared, "This is as bad as I've seen, and I've been in eight states that have been impacted by Irene." The same day, President Obama declared New Jersey a disaster area . Paterson is in the southern part of Passaic County, which is near the north edge of New Jersey, as
20705-506: The atmosphere of weekdays, like loud noise reminiscent of work). The need to encourage arrival at synagogue also motivated the CJLS, during the same year, to issue a temporal statue allowing driving on that day, for that purpose alone; it was supported by decreeing that the combustion of fuel did not serve any of the acts prohibited during the construction of the Tabernacle , and could therefore be classified, according to their interpretation of
20910-463: The audience inside, and his limousine was "pounded on" and "pelted with trash" by the mob outside (which had grown to 5,000) as he drove away. The strike, which was marked by "threats of violence and diatribes laced with racism and anti-Semitism", ended when the New York legislature suspended the administrator and the board. Following Halpern's retirement in 1977, East Midwood hired as rabbi Alvin Kass ,
21115-447: 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
21320-465: The average spectator." He soon found himself embroiled in the great disputes of the 1840s. In 1842, during the second Hamburg Temple controversy , he opposed the new Reform prayerbook, arguing the elimination of petitions for a future Return to Zion led by the Messiah was a violation of an ancient tenet. But he also opposed the ban placed on the tome by Rabbi Bernays, stating this was a primitive behaviour. In
21525-474: The ban on priests marrying converts was also lifted. In 1954, the issue of agunot (women refused divorce by their husbands) was largely settled by adding a clause to the prenuptial contract under which men had to pay alimony as long as they did not concede. In 1968, this mechanism was replaced by a retroactive expropriation of the bride price , rendering the marriage void. In 1955, more girls were celebrating Bat Mitzvah and demanded to be allowed ascents to
21730-494: The basic plans for the East Midwood Center, and that the Building Committee completed them, in order to save money. Alternatively, Maurice Courland 's 1957 obituary claims the East Midwood Jewish Center as his work. Courland also designed a number of synagogues and New York landmarks, including Brooklyn's Magen David Synagogue . Famous congregational members have included Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg , who
21935-460: The brink of Reform; to describe what the seminary intended to espouse, he used the term "Conservative Judaism", which had no independent meaning at the time and was only in relation to Reform. In 1898, Pereira Mendes, Schneeberger and Drachman also founded the Orthodox Union , which maintained close ties with the seminary. The JTS was a small, fledgling institution with financial difficulties, and
22140-582: The canon, not merely as expounders and interpreters of a legal system given in its entirety to Moses on Mount Sinai. Yet he also vehemently rejected utilizing these disciplines on the Pentateuch, maintaining it was beyond human reach and wholly celestial in origin. Frankel never elucidated his beliefs, and the exact correlation between human and divine in his thought is still subject to scholarly debate. A similar negative approach toward Higher Criticism , while accepting an evolutionary understanding of Oral Law, defined Rabbi Alexander Kohut , Solomon Schechter and
22345-491: The chasm between an Orthodox understanding of Halakha as derived and revealed, applied differently to different circumstances and subject to human judgement and possibly error, yet unchanging and divine in principle—as opposed to an evolutionary, historicist and non-dogmatic approach in which past authorities were not just elaborating but consciously innovating, as taught by Frankel. Hildesheimer often repeated that this issue utterly overshadowed any specific technical argument with
22550-526: The city include Riverside and Totowa. The city borders the municipalities of Clifton , Haledon , Hawthorne , Prospect Park , Totowa and Woodland Park (formerly West Paterson) in Passaic County; and both Elmwood Park (formerly East Paterson) and Fair Lawn in Bergen County . The Great Falls Historic District is the most famous neighborhood in Paterson because of the landmark Great Falls of
22755-457: The city's Arabs live in this section of Paterson. Many of the retail shops and restaurants cater to this community. The neighborhood is characterized by Halal meat markets which offer goat and lamb, and shop signs are in Arabic. South Paterson's Arab community is mostly made up of Jordanians , Palestinians , Syrians , and Lebanese . Lakeview is situated in the southern part of the city, and
22960-464: The congregation, and membership dropped. In order to cope with the financial burdens, dues were raised, teachers were given endorsed notes rather than paychecks, the Executive Secretary was laid off, pews were sold, and individual members provided mortgage guarantees. The synagogue survived, and membership recovered; by 1934 there were 300 members, and by 1944 there were 1,100. From 1955 to 1985,
23165-476: The contemporary equivalents of Talmudic Aggadah , should supersede the legalistic forms when the two came into conflict and there was a pivotal ethical concern. Rabbi Elliot Dorff concluded that in contrast to the Orthodox, Conservative Judaism maintains that the juridical details and processes mainly serve higher moral purposes and could be modified if they no longer do so: "In other words, the Aggadah should control
23370-483: The convictions of its publisher, neither dogmatically orthodox nor overly polemic, wholly opposing Biblical criticism and arguing for the antiquity of custom and practice. In 1844, Geiger and like-minded allies arranged a conference in Braunschweig that was to have enough authority (since 1826, Rabbi Aaron Chorin called for the convocation of a new Sanhedrin ) to debate and enact thoroughgoing revisions. Frankel
23575-415: The core tenets of the faith. The new academic, critical study of Judaism ( Wissenschaft des Judentums ) soon became a source of controversy. Rabbis and scholars argued to what degree, if at all, its findings could be used to determine present conduct. The modernized Orthodox in Germany, like rabbis Isaac Bernays and Azriel Hildesheimer , were content to cautiously study it while stringently adhering to
23780-486: The details of preparing Sabbath ritual enclosures , it draws directly on the opinions of the Shulchan Aruch and Rabbi Hayim David HaLevi . Another tendency prevalent among the movement's rabbis, yet again not particular to it, is the adoption of the more lenient positions on the matters at question—though this is not universal, and responsa also took stringent ones not infrequently. A more distinctive characterization
23985-407: The early 19th century heralded the end of Jewish judicial autonomy and social seclusion. Their communal corporate rights were abolished, and the process of emancipation and acculturation that followed quickly transformed the values and norms of the public. Estrangement and apathy toward Judaism were rampant. The process of communal, educational and civil reform could not be restricted from affecting
24190-444: The early generation of American Conservative Judaism. When JTS faculty began to embrace Biblical criticism in the 1920s, they adapted a theological view consistent with it: an original, verbal revelation did occur at Sinai, but the text itself was composed by later authors. The latter, classified by Dorff as a relatively moderate metamorphosis of the old one, is still espoused by few traditionalist right-wing Conservative rabbis, though it
24395-480: The eastern border of Riverside, providing an easy commute to Route 80 East and New York City . This section is ethnically diverse with a growing Hispanic community concentrating mostly north and along River Street. Many Albanians make their home in the East 18th Street and River Street areas. River View Terrace is located in this neighborhood. Riverside is located in parts of the 3rd and 4th Wards of Paterson. Bunker Hill
24600-689: The emergence of women's rights on the main agenda. Growing pressure led the CJLS to adopt a motion that females may be counted as part of a quorum, based on the argument that only the Shulchan Aruch explicitly stated that it consist of men. While accepted, this was very controversial in the Committee and heavily disputed. A more complete solution was offered in 1983 by Rabbi Joel Roth , and was also enacted to allow women rabbinic ordination. Roth noted that some decisors of old acknowledged that women may bless when performing positive time-bound commandments (from which they are exempted, and therefore unable to fulfill
24805-658: The entire understanding of certain passages. This critical approach is central to the movement, for its historicist underpinning stresses that all religious literature has an original meaning relevant in the context of its formulation. This meaning may be analyzed and discerned, and is distinct from the later interpretations ascribed by traditional commentators. Decisors are also far more prone to include references to external scientific sources in relevant fields, like veterinarian publications in Halakhic matters concerning livestock. Conservative authorities, as part of their promulgation of
25010-548: The famed Abraham Nadel was appointed Choral Director. Nadel was known for his outstanding Choir leadership & musicianship; Specifically for his composition of Sim Sholom. Joseph Eidelson [Jozef Ajdelson] became cantor in 1956. Born in Warsaw, Poland, Eidelson previously served as cantor at Warsaw's Sinai Synagogue, and in 1935 at the Great Synagogue of Vilna , Lithuania. In October 1968, then Mayor of New York City John Lindsay
25215-464: The former Rogers Locomotive and Machine Works near the Passaic Falls. Behind Newark and New York, the brewing industry was booming in Paterson in the late 1800s. Braun Brewery, Sprattler & Mennell, Graham Brewery, The Katz Brothers, and Burton Brewery merged in 1890 to form Paterson Consolidated Brewing Company . Hinchliffe Brewing and Malting Company , founded in 1861, produced 75,000 barrels
25420-431: The great weight ascribed to sociological changes in deciding religious policy. The CJLS and the Rabbinical Assembly members frequently state that circumstances were profoundly transformed in modern times, fulfilling the criteria mandating new rulings in various fields (based on general talmudic principles like Shinui ha-I'ttim , "Change of Times"). This, along with the ethical aspect, was a main argument for revolutionizing
25625-498: The hardline Agudas HaRabbanim , founded by emigrant clergy, opposed secular education or vernacular sermons, and its members spoke almost only Yiddish . The Eastern Europeans were alienated by the local Jews, who were all assimilated in comparison, and especially aghast by the mores of Reform. The need to find a religious framework that would both accommodate and Americanize them motivated Jacob Schiff and other rich philanthropists, all Reform and of German descent, to donate $ 500,000 to
25830-410: The home of the city's industrial and political leaders, the neighborhood experienced a significant downturn as industry fled Paterson. In recent years, gentrification has begun to occur in the neighborhood and some of the area's historic houses have been restored. The Eastside Park Historic District is a state and nationally registered historic place. The jewel of the neighborhood is Eastside Park and
26035-416: The idea became obsolete due to the great alienation of many from received forms, that had to be countered by innovative measures to draw them back. The Conservative rabbinate often vacillated on to which degree may the non-practicing, religiously apathetic strata be included as a factor within Catholic Israel, providing impulse for them in determining religious questions; even avant-garde leaders acquiesced that
26240-602: The ideal aspirations and the religious needs of the age, best able to determine... This living body, however, is not represented by... Priesthood, or Rabbihood, but by the collective conscience of Catholic Israel." The scope, limits and role of this corpus were a matter for contention in Conservative ranks. Schechter himself used it to oppose any major break with either traditionalist or progressive elements within American Jewry of his day, while some of his successors argued that
26445-509: The job of assistant porter to head Goldman Sachs from 1930 to 1969. Prior to moving to Flatbush, Pincus Weinberg had been president of Congregation Baith Israel Anshei Emes . East Midwood's first rabbi was Reuben Kaufman, and its first cantor was Jacob Schraeter. Kaufman, a Brooklyn native, had celebrated his bar mitzvah at Baith Israel Anshei Emes. The Real Estate Committee almost immediately purchased land located on Avenue L between East 26th and 27th Streets. Most members, however, felt
26650-590: The joint position as CEO of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism . The current USCJ President is Ned Gladstein. In South America, Rabbi Ariel Stofenmacher serves as chancellor in the Seminary and Rabbi Marcelo Rittner as president of Masorti AmLat. In Britain, the Masorti Assembly is chaired by Senior Rabbi Jonathan Wittenberg . In Israel, the Masorti movement's executive director is Yizhar Hess and chair Sophie Fellman Rafalovitz. The global youth movement
26855-546: The latter did not consider sufficiently devout, or who tolerated mixed seating in their synagogues (though some of those he still regarded as Orthodox). Mendes, president of the Orthodox Union, therefore refused to join. He began to distinguish between the "Modern Orthodoxy" of himself and his peers in the OU, and "Conservatives" who tolerated what was beyond the pale for him. However, this first sign of institutionalization and separation
27060-547: The latter to compose the Pittsburgh Platform , which unambiguously declared the principles of Reform Judaism: "to-day we accept as binding only the moral laws, and maintain only such ceremonies as elevate and sanctify our lives." The explicit wording alienated a handful of conservative UAHC ministers: Henry Hochheimer , Frederick de Sola Mendes , Aaron Wise , Marcus Jastrow , and Benjamin Szold . They joined Kohut, Morais and
27265-453: The latter view, among them rabbis Louis Jacobs and Neil Gillman , also emphasized the encounter of God with the Jews as a collective and the role of religious authorities through the generations in determining what it implied. The stress on the supremacy of community and tradition, rather than individual consciousness, defines the entire spectrum of Conservative thought. The Conservative mainstay
27470-654: The latter. Likewise, while most Conservative synagogues approved of egalitarianism for women in religious life, some still maintain traditional gender roles and do not count females for prayer quorums . The Conservative treatment of Halakha is defined by several features, though the entire range of its Halakhic discourse cannot be sharply distinguished from either the Traditional or Orthodox one. Rabbi David Golinkin , who attempted to classify its parameters, stressed that quite often rulings merely reiterate conclusions reached in older sources or even Orthodox ones. For example, in
27675-532: The legalistic method be maintained. The Halakhic commitment of Conservative Judaism has been subject to much criticism, from within and without. Right-wing discontents, including the Union for Traditional Judaism which seceded in protest of the 1983 resolution to ordain women rabbis—adopted at an open vote, where all JTS faculty regardless of qualification were counted—contested the validity of this description, as well as progressives like Rabbi Neil Gillman , who exhorted
27880-540: The liberal Neolog public in Hungary, which formally separated from the Orthodox, was also permeated with the "Breslau spirit". Many of its members studied there, and its Jewish Theological Seminary of Budapest was modeled after it, though the assimilationist congregants cared little for rabbinic opinion. In Germany itself, Breslau alumni founded in 1868 a short-lived society, the Jüdisch-Theologische Verein. It
28085-549: The local rabbi, the Mara D'Atra (Lord of the Locality, in traditional terms), enfranchised to adopt either minority or majority opinions from the CJLS or maintain local practice. Thus, on the issue of admitting openly homosexual rabbinic candidates, the Committee approved two resolutions, one in favour and one against; the JTS took the lenient position, while the Seminario Rabinico Latinoamericano still adheres to
28290-431: The majority could not serve that function. Right-wing critics often charged that the movement allowed its uncommitted laity an exaggerated role, conceding to its demands and successively stretching halakhic boundaries beyond any limit. The Conservative leadership had limited success in imparting their worldview to the general public. While the rabbinate perceived itself as bearing a unique, original conception of Judaism,
28495-527: The mansions that surround it. This section of Paterson once had a large Jewish population that reached 40,000 at its peak; a synagogue still remains. Eastside Park and what is commonly known as the Upper Eastside are located in Paterson's 3rd Ward. East River Section is a section that is referred to by locals roughly bordering Riverside at 5th Avenue and extending south to Broadway, sandwiched in by Madison Avenue to McClean Boulevard (Route 20). However,
28700-445: The masses lacked much interest, regarding it mainly as a compromise offering a channel for religious identification that was more traditional than Reform Judaism yet less strict than Orthodoxy. Only a low percentage of Conservative congregants actively pursue an observant lifestyle: in the mid-1980s, Charles Liebman and Daniel J. Elazar calculated that barely 3 to 4 per cent held to one quite thoroughly. This gap between principle and
28905-540: The members were to come from immigrants from all over Europe, not just one city or region. East Midwood held its first annual meeting on November 18, 1924 at the Jewish Communal Center of Flatbush (also known as the Flatbush Jewish Center), and there elected its first president, Pincus Weinberg. Weinberg, who was also chair of the Real Estate Committee, was the father of Sidney Weinberg , who rose from
29110-458: The most aged group: among those aged under 30 only 11 per cent identified as such, and there are three people over 55 for every single one aged between 35 and 44. As of November 2015, the USCJ had 580 member congregations (a sharp decline from 630 two years prior), 19 in Canada and the remainder in the United States. In 2011 the USCJ initiated a plan to reinvigorate the movement. Beyond North America,
29315-520: The motto adopted by the movement since the 1950s—and the need to balance them were always a topic of intense debate within Conservative Judaism. In its early stages, the leadership opposed pronounced innovation, mostly adopting a relatively rigid position. Mordecai Kaplan 's Reconstructionism raised the demand for thoroughgoing modification without much regard for the past or Halakhic considerations, but senior rabbis opposed him vigorously. Even in
29520-1099: The movement has little presence—in 2011, Rela Mintz Geffen appraised there were only 100,000 members outside the U.S. (and the former figure including Canada). "Masorti AmLat", the MO branch in Latin America , is the largest with 35 communities in Argentina , 7 in Brazil , 6 in Chile and further 11 in the other countries. The British Assembly of Masorti Synagogues has 13 communities and estimates its membership at over 4,000. More than 20 communities are spread across Europe, and there are 3 in Australia and 2 in Africa. The Masorti Movement in Israel incorporates some 70 communities and prayer groups with several thousand full members. In addition, while Hungarian Neolog Judaism , with
29725-464: The movement to cease describing itself as Halakhic in 2005, stating that after repeated concessions, "Our original claim has died a death by a thousand qualifications... It has lost all factual meaning." The main body entrusted with formulating rulings, responsa and statues is the Committee on Jewish Law and Standards (CJLS), a panel with 25 voting legalistic specialists and further 11 observers. There
29930-554: The mundane world, once had an important place within the movement, especially represented by Mordecai Kaplan . After Kaplan's Reconstructionism fully coalesced into an independent movement, these views were marginalized. A similarly inconclusive position is expressed toward other precepts. Most theologians adhere to the Immortality of the Soul , but while references to the Resurrection of
30135-547: The neighborhood's layout unofficially extends to the "Paterson-Newark/Hudson Route" of River Road in the Paterson-Memorial Park section of Fair Lawn whose house addresses are in alignment with the now-defunct Jewish synagogue on the corner of 33rd Street and Broadway, which connects Paterson to Newark/Hudson, and at one time was the main route through River Drive, which starts in Elmwood Park and rides north to south along
30340-520: The new country. The rapid ascendancy of Reform Judaism by the 1880s left few who opposed it, merely a handful of congregations and ministers remained outside the Union of American Hebrew Congregations . These included Sabato Morais and Rabbi Henry Pereira Mendes of the elitist Sephardi congregations, along with rabbis Bernard Drachman (ordained at Breslau, though he regarded himself as Orthodox) and Henry Schneeberger. While spearheaded by radical and principled Reformers like Rabbi Kaufmann Kohler ,
30545-422: The nickname "Silk City." In 1835, Samuel Colt began producing firearms in Paterson, but within a few years he moved his business to Hartford, Connecticut . Later in the 19th century, Paterson was the site of early experiments with submarines by Irish-American inventor John Philip Holland . Two of Holland's early models—one found at the bottom of the Passaic River—are on display in the Paterson Museum , housed in
30750-471: The obligation for others), especially citing the manner in which they assumed upon themselves the Counting of the Omer . He suggested that women voluntarily commit to pray thrice a day et cetera, and his responsa was adopted. Since then, female rabbis were ordained at JTS and other seminaries. In 1994, the movement accepted Judith Hauptman 's principally egalitarian argument, according to which equal prayer obligations for women were never banned explicitly and it
30955-399: The old rabbinic concept of K'lal Yisrael , which he translated as "Catholic Israel", into a comprehensive worldview. For him, the details of divine Revelation were of secondary significance, as historical change dictated its interpretation through the ages notwithstanding: "The centre of authority is actually removed from the Bible", he surmised, "and placed in some living body... in touch with
31160-433: The others in seeking to establish a traditional rabbinic seminary that would serve as a counterweight to Hebrew Union College . In 1886, they founded the Jewish Theological Seminary of America in New York City. Kohut, professor of Talmud who held to the Positive-Historical ideal, was the main educational influence in the early years, prominent among the founders who encompassed the entire spectrum from progressive Orthodox to
31365-622: The outbreak of World War II , moving to Canada and then the United States. There he graduated from Manhattan's Washington Irving High School , and in 1952 received his rabbinic ordination from Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin . From 1948 he had served as ritual director and then rabbi of Congregation Shaare Torah, joining the East Midwood Jewish Center when the two congregations merged. He served until his death in May 2009. Joseph Eidelson retired to become Cantor Emeritus in 1995, 9 years before his death in 2004. Sam Levene became East Midwood's cantor in 2004. Born in Jerusalem and raised in Toronto, Levene
31570-408: The outcome, are subject to much discourse. Right-wing decisors , like Rabbi Joel Roth , maintained that such elements are naturally a factor in formulating conclusions, but may not alone serve as a justification for adopting a position. The majority, however, basically subscribed to the opinion evinced already by Rabbi Seymour Siegel in the 1960s, that the cultural and ethical norms of the community,
31775-479: The people. Rabbi Louis Ginzberg , summarizing his movement's position, wrote: We may now understand the apparent contradiction between theory and practice... One may conceive of the origin of Sabbath as the professor at university would, yet observe the smallest detail known to strict Orthodoxy... The sanctity of the Sabbath reposes not upon the fact that it was proclaimed on Sinai, but on the fact that it found for thousands of years its expression in Jewish souls. It
31980-499: The perceived hierarchy between major and minor legalists of the past. They are far more inclined to contend ( machloket ) with old rulings, to be flexible towards custom or to wholly disregard it. This is especially expressed in less hesitancy to rule against or notwithstanding the major codifications of Jewish Law, like Mishneh Torah , Arba'ah Turim and especially the Shulchan Aruch with its Isserles Gloss and later commentaries. Conservative authorities, while often relying on
32185-503: The procedures. "Opponents of the conference, who feared he went to the other side," noted historian Michael A. Meyer, "now felt reassured of his loyalty". The rabbi of Saxony had many sympathizers, who supported a similarly moderate approach and change only on the basis of the authority of the Talmud. When Geiger began preparing a third conference in Breslau, Hirsch Bär Fassel convinced Frankel to organize one of his own in protest. Frankel invited colleagues to an assembly in Dresden , which
32390-440: The proverbial slippery slope, thereby weakening the entire halakhic structure... thus imposed severe limitations on the conditions and situations where it would be appropriate"—were carefully drafted as temporal, emergency ordinances ( Horaat Sha'ah ), grounded on the need the avoid a total rift of many nonobservant Jews. Later on, these ordinances became accepted and permanent on the practical level. The Conservative movement issued
32595-427: The public demanded mixed seating of both sexes in synagogue, some rabbis argued there was no precedent but obliged on the ground of dire need ( Eth la'asot ), others noted that archaeological research showed no partitions in ancient synagogues. Mixed seating became commonplace in almost all congregations. In 1950, it was ruled that using electricity (that is, closure of an electrical circuit ) did not constitute kindling
32800-431: The public, more pronounced than in any other Jewish movement, is often credited at explaining the decline of the Conservative movement. While some 41 per cent of American Jews identified with it in the 1970s, it had shrunk to an estimated 18 per cent (and 11 per cent among those under 30) in 2013. Fidelity and commitment to Halakha , while subject to criticism as disingenuous both from within and without, were and remain
33005-481: The reading practices of Conservative Jewish approaches, historical evaluation of Jewish law and interpretation of Biblical and Rabbinic texts may align directly with the CJLS decisions or themselves opine on matters based on precedents or readings of text that shine light on congregants' questions. So, for instance, a rabbi may or may not choose to permit video streaming on Shabbat despite a majority ruling that allows for use of electronics. A local Mara D'Atra may rely on
33210-406: The reasoning found in the majority or minority opinions of the CJLS or have other textual and halakhic grounds, i.e., prioritizing Jewish values or legal concepts, to rule one way or another on matters of ritual, family life or sacred pursuits. This balance between a centralization of Halakhic authority and maintaining the authority of local rabbis reflects the commitment to pluralism at the heart of
33415-399: The river then turns south to Passaic town, on the way to Newark , further south. According to the U.S. Census Bureau , the city had a total area of 8.71 square miles (22.55 km ), including 8.41 square miles (21.79 km ) of land and 0.29 square miles (0.76 km ) of water (3.38%). Unincorporated communities , localities and place names located partially or completely within
33620-442: The role of women in religious life and embracing egalitarianism. The most distinctive feature of Conservative legalistic discourse, in which it is conspicuously and sharply different from Orthodoxy, is the incorporation of critical-scientific methods into the process. Deliberations almost always delineate the historical development of the specific issue at hand, from the earliest known mentions until modern times. This approach enables
33825-425: The same name. The Lakeview section of Paterson is located in the city's 6th ward. Hillcrest is a largely residential, middle class enclave , to the west of the downtown area. Its borders' limits are Preakness Avenue to the east, Cumberland Avenue to the west, and Totowa Avenue along with West Side Park and the Passaic River to the south. Hillcrest is one of Paterson's most desirable neighborhoods. The neighborhood
34030-439: The same year, he and the moderate conservative S.L. Rapoport were the only ones of nineteen respondents who negatively answered the Breslau community's enquiry on whether the deeply unorthodox Geiger could serve there. In 1843, Frankel clashed with the radical Reform rabbi Samuel Holdheim , who argued that the act of marriage in Judaism was a civic ( memonot ) rather than sanctified ( issurim ) matter and could be subject to
34235-432: The sanctity of holy texts and refusing to grant Wissenschaft any say in religious matters. On the other extreme were Rabbi Abraham Geiger , who would emerge as the founding father of Reform Judaism , and his supporters. They opposed any limit on critical research or its practical application, laying more weight on the need for change than on continuity. The Prague -born Rabbi Zecharias Frankel , appointed chief rabbi of
34440-420: The school was still not financially stable. In addition, the day school had become more independent in the 1990s, and its relationship with the synagogue deteriorated to that of a tenant to a landlord. As a result, some of the synagogue's board members wanted to evict the school and find a new tenant. In 2009 the synagogue and the school signed a new agreement to bring the two organizations closer again, under which
34645-460: The second largest in the country. Steven M. Cohen calculated that as of 2013, 962,000 U.S. Jewish adults considered themselves Conservative: 570,000 were registered congregants and further 392,000 were not members in a synagogue but identified. In addition, Cohen assumed in 2006 that 57,000 unconverted non-Jewish spouses were also registered (12 per cent of member households had one at the time): 40 per cent of members intermarry. Conservatives are also
34850-493: The second-largest Muslim population in the United States by percentage. Paterson's rapidly growing Bangladeshi American , Turkish American , Arab American , Albanian American , Bosnian American , Dominican American , and Peruvian American communities are among the largest and most prominent in the United States, the latter owing partially to the presence of the Consulate of Peru . Paterson's Muslim population has been estimated at 25,000 to 30,000. Paterson has become
35055-473: The side and rear facades." It also raised $ 40,000 in order to receive a 2:1 " matching grant " of $ 20,000 from the Conservancy, and completed the repair work in 2007. In November 2007 East Midwood was awarded a $ 409,575 New York State Environmental Protection Fund grant to "restore features of the sanctuary including stained glass windows, stained glass dome and skylight." Aaron Pomerantz joined as associate rabbi in 1978. Born in Poland, he had escaped Europe after
35260-401: The source of the allegations of police corruption that led to the formation of the Knapp Commission . Matt Carl joined as rabbi in 2014. A graduate of Vassar College and the JTSA, he had previously served as rabbi of Battery Park Synagogue in Manhattan and Congregation Mount Sinai in Brooklyn. East Midwood Jewish Center ran a successful Talmud Torah for after school Jewish instruction. As
35465-435: The start his intention had been to create a Conservative synagogue: Conservative Judaism was seen as a compromise between Orthodox and Reform , providing the familiar (and lengthy) Hebrew services of Orthodox Judaism, but, like Reform, adding some English prayers. East Midwood differed from earlier Ashkenazi synagogues in New York, as services were to be conducted in Hebrew and English only (not Hebrew and Yiddish ), and
35670-420: The subject with "The Indispensability of Halakha", stating that " Halakha in its developing form is an indispensable element of a traditional Judaism which is vital and modern." Conservative Judaism regards itself as the authentic inheritor of a flexible legalistic tradition, charging the Orthodox with petrifying the process and Reform with abandoning it. The tension between "tradition and change"—which were also
35875-413: The surrounding streets. Masjid Al-Ferdous is located on Union Avenue, which accommodates the daily Bangladeshi pedestrian population. A large Italian presence remains in this neighborhood. Many Peruvian and other Latin American restaurants and businesses are located on Union Avenue. Colonial Village and Brooks Sloate Terraces are located in this neighborhood. The Totowa Section is located in parts of
36080-420: The synagogue would absorb some of the school's costs, and the parents of school children would become members of the synagogue. According to the synagogue's website, however, in 2018 the day school "reorganized itself, and modified into a more orthodox tradition". The Talmud Torah continued to operate as a congregational school. The East Midwood Jewish Center synagogue building's architect is uncertain. The design
36285-797: The television series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel were filmed here. Conservative Judaism Conservative Judaism , also known as Masorti Judaism ( Hebrew : יהדות מסורתית , romanized : Yahadut Masortit ), 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
36490-644: The towns surrounding the Appalachian Mountains once the coal mining industry ended. In 2020, 25.2% of Paterson residents lived in poverty. Competition from malls in upscale neighboring towns like Wayne and Paramus forced large chain stores out of Paterson's downtown. With the decline of the city's industrial base, small businesses became the city's most prominent businesses. But the city still attracts many immigrants, who have revived its economy, especially through small businesses. The downtown area has been struck by massive fires several times, most recently on January 17, 1991. In this fire, almost an entire city block
36695-413: The world, as well as African-Americans. Manor Section is a residential neighborhood in Paterson. It is located east of East 33rd Street, north of Broadway, and southwest of Route 20 and the Passaic River . The Manor section of Paterson is located in the city's 3rd Ward. The layout and culture of the Manor Section also extends into the neighboring Lyncrest and Rivercrest sections of Fair Lawn , with all
36900-401: Was confirmed at East Midwood, rather than having her bat mitzvah there, because (at the time) Conservative Judaism did not have bat mitzvah ceremonies for girls (a fact Ginsberg could not understand). When Ginsberg was 13 she also had essays published in the synagogue's bulletin about Stephen S. Wise , and on prejudice and world unity following the Holocaust . Filmmaker Marc Levin was also
37105-468: Was "philosophically unjustified". The notions of Election of Israel and God's covenant with it were basically retained as well. Conservative conception of Revelation encompasses an extensive spectrum. Zecharias Frankel himself applied critical-scientific methods to analyze the stages in the development of the Oral Torah , pioneering modern study of the Mishnah . He regarded the Beatified Sages as innovators who added their own, original contribution to
37310-399: Was 1,000 families. At that time the membership had become divided over the issue of role of women in the synagogue. Though some members left the congregation over this issue, by 2009 East Midwood had become fully egalitarian. According to then-Vice President Michael Sucher "Those individuals who championed depriving women of the rights to be full members of the congregation were overruled by
37515-434: Was 34.68% (50,706) White , 31.68% (46,314) Black or African American , 1.06% (1,547) Native American , 3.34% (4,878) Asian , 0.04% (60) Pacific Islander , 23.94% (34,999) from other races , and 5.26% (7,695) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 57.63% (84,254) of the population. Of the 44,329 households, 38.7% had children under the age of 18; 35.4% were married couples living together; 29.5% had
37720-414: Was a breach with the past and that Hebrew was of dire importance and great sentimental value. The others immediately began quoting all passages in rabbinic literature allowing prayer in the vernacular. Frankel could not contend with the halakhic validity of their decision, but he perceived it as a sign of profound differences between them. On the 17th he formally withdrew, publishing a lambasting critique of
37925-480: Was a graduate of the H.L. Miller Cantorial School and the JTSA's cantorial program. Kass retired to become Rabbi Emeritus in 2014. During his tenure Kass, also served as a New York City Police Department chaplain for over 40 years, and had previously served as a United States Air Force chaplain for two years. At one point during his service as Police Department chaplain he and his family received months of 24-hour security after death threats, and at another he defused
38130-402: Was a leading architect of synagogue-centers at that time. He designed a number of New York examples, including the original synagogue-center, the Manhattan Jewish Center (1918), as well as the Brooklyn Jewish Center, the Flatbush Jewish Center, and the Ocean Parkway Jewish Center (all constructed in Brooklyn between 1920 and 1924). While the Flatbush Jewish Center has been completely remodeled,
38335-429: Was added to the National Register of Historic Places . Membership dropped during the Great Depression , and the synagogue suffered financial hardship, but it recovered, and by 1941 had 1,100 member families. In 1950 the congregation built an adjoining school; at its peak its enrollment was almost 1,000. As neighborhood demographics changed in the late 20th century, and Brooklyn's Jewish population became more Orthodox ,
38540-451: Was booed and jeered by a huge crowd at the East Midwood Jewish Center, in an infamous incident during the 1968 New York City teachers strike. Lindsay had supported a school decentralization plan that had pitted mostly black parents against mostly Jewish teachers and school administration; after the administrator of the Ocean Hill — Brownsville school board dismissed 13 teachers and 6 administrators (mostly Jewish) for opposing decentralization,
38745-474: Was defeated, with workers returning at the end of the strike without having negotiated any changes. In 1919, Paterson was one of eight locations bombed by self-identified anarchists. During World War II , Paterson played an important part in the aircraft engine industry. By the end of the war, however, urban areas were in decline; Paterson was no exception. Beginning in the late 1960s, the city suffered high unemployment rates and white flight . According to
38950-447: Was dissolved within a year, boycotted by both Reform and Orthodox. Michael Sachs led the Berlin congregation in a very conservative style, eventually resigning when an organ was introduced in services. Manuel Joël , another of the Frankelist party, succeeded Geiger in Breslau. He maintained his predecessor's truncated German translation of the liturgy for the sake of compromise, but restored the full Hebrew text. The Breslau Seminary and
39155-537: Was engulfed in flames due to an electrical fire in the basement of a bar at 161 Main Street. Firefighter John A. Nicosia lost his life in the fire. A plaque honoring his memory was later placed on a wall near the area. The area was so badly damaged that most of the burned buildings were demolished, with an outdoor mall standing in their place. The most notable of the destroyed buildings was the Meyer Brothers department store, which closed in 1987 and had since been parceled out. Paterson includes numerous locations listed on
39360-454: Was far from conclusive. Mendes himself could not clearly differentiate between the two groups, and many he viewed as Orthodox were members of the USoA. The epithets "Conservative" and "Orthodox" remained interchangeable for decades to come. JTS graduates served in OU congregations; many students of the Orthodox Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary and members of the OU's Rabbinical Council of America , or RCA, attended it. In 1926, RIETS and
39565-416: Was impossible and he would only damage his reputation among the traditionalists. On the 16th, the issue of Hebrew in the liturgy arose. Most present were inclined to retain it, but with more German segments. A small majority adopted a resolution stating there were subjective, but no objective, imperatives to keep it as the language of service. Frankel then astounded his peers by vehemently protesting, stating it
39770-406: Was influential, but never institutionalized itself as thoroughly as its opponents. Apart from the many graduates of Breslau, Isaac Noah Mannheimer , Adolf Jellinek and Rabbi Moritz Güdemann led the central congregation in Vienna along a similar path. In Jellinek's local seminary, Meir Friedmann and Isaac Hirsch Weiss followed Frankel's moderate approach to critical research. The rabbinate of
39975-414: Was mainly concerned with teaching Jewish Law. The hardline Orthodox Samson Raphael Hirsch , who fiercely opposed Wissenschaft and emphasized the divine origin of the entire halakhic system in the Theophany at Sinai, was deeply suspicious of Frankel's beliefs, use of science and constant assertions that Jewish Law was flexible and evolving. The final schism between Frankel and the Orthodox occurred after
40180-420: Was marked by ambivalence and ambiguity in all matters theological. Rabbi Zecharias Frankel , considered its intellectual progenitor, believed the very notion of theology was alien to traditional Judaism. He was often accused of obscurity on the subject by his opponents, both Reform and Orthodox . The American movement largely espoused a similar approach, and its leaders mostly avoided the field. Only in 1985 did
40385-479: Was only their inferior status that hindered participation. In 2006, openly gay rabbinic candidates were also to be admitted into the JTS. In 2012, a commitment ceremony for same-sex couples was devised, though not defined as kiddushin . In 2016, the rabbis passed a resolution supporting transgender rights. Conservative Judaism in the United States held a relatively strict policy regarding intermarriage. Propositions for acknowledging Jews by patrilineal descent, as in
40590-550: Was ordaining merely a rabbi per year. But soon after Chancellor Morais' death in 1897, its fortunes turned. Since 1881, a wave of Jewish immigration from Eastern Europe was inundating the country—by 1920, 2.5 million of them had arrived, increasing American Jewry tenfold. They came from regions where civil equality or emancipation were never granted, while acculturation and modernization made little headway. Whether devout or irreligious, they mostly retained strong traditional sentiments in matters of faith, accustomed to old-style rabbinate;
40795-401: Was postponed indefinitely. In 1854, Frankel was appointed chancellor in the new Jewish Theological Seminary of Breslau , the first modern rabbinical seminary in Germany. His opponents on both flanks were incensed. Geiger and the Reform camp long accused him of theological ambiguity, hypocrisy and attachment to stagnant remnants, and now protested the "medieval" atmosphere in the seminary, which
41000-419: Was small and of little influence. Jewish immigration to the United States bred an amalgam of loose communities, lacking strong tradition or stable structures. In this free-spirited environment, a multitude of forces was at work. As early as 1866, Rabbi Jonas Bondi of New York wrote that a Judaism of the "golden middleway, which was termed Orthodox by the left and heterodox or reformer by the right" developed in
41205-404: Was taking too long and was over budget, and he was replaced by Peter Colt, who used a less complicated reservoir system to get the water flowing to factories in 1794. Eventually, Colt's system developed some problems and a scheme resembling L'Enfant's original plan was used after 1846. Paterson was originally formed as a township from portions of Acquackanonk Township on April 11, 1831, while
41410-652: Was the adoption of the historical-critical method in understanding Judaism and setting its future course. In accepting an evolutionary approach to the religion, as something that developed over time and absorbed considerable external influences, the movement distinguished between the original meaning implied in traditional sources and the manner they were grasped by successive generations, rejecting belief in an unbroken chain of interpretation from God's original Revelation, immune to any major extraneous effects. This evolutionary perception of religion, while relatively moderate in comparison with more radical modernizers—the scholarship of
41615-477: Was to be held on 21 October 1846. He announced that one measure he was willing to countenance was the possible abolition of the second day of festivals , though only if a broad consensus will be reached and not before thorough deliberation. Attendants were to include Rapoport, Fassel, Adolf Jellinek , Leopold Löw , Michael Sachs , Abraham Kohn and others. However, the Dresden assembly soon drew heated Orthodox resistance, especially from Rabbi Jacob Ettlinger , and
41820-459: Was to fulfil this capacity was the collective will of the Jewish people. Conservatives lent great weight in determining religious practice, both in historical precedent and as a means to shape present conduct. Zecharias Frankel pioneered this approach; as Michael A. Meyer commented, "the extraordinary status which he ascribed to the ingrained beliefs and practices of the community is probably the most original element of his thought." He turned it into
42025-472: Was willing to agree only to a meeting without any practical results, and refused the invitation. When the protocols, which contained many radical statements, were published, he denounced the assembly for "applying the scalpel of criticism" and favouring the spirit of the age over tradition. However, he later agreed to attend the second conference, held in Frankfurt am Main on 15 July 1845—in spite of warnings from Rapoport, who cautioned that compromise with Geiger
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