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From: robison@eosp1.UUCP (Tobias D. Robison)
Newsgroups: net.religion.jewish
Subject: Re: Conservative Judaism
Message-ID: <1321@eosp1.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 7-Jan-85 15:28:08 EST
Article-I.D.: eosp1.1321
Posted: Mon Jan  7 15:28:08 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 8-Jan-85 03:35:31 EST
References: <987@hou4a.UUCP>
Reply-To: robison@eosp1.UUCP (Tobias D. Robison)
Organization: Exxon Office Systems, Princeton
Lines: 27
Summary: 

The following quote goes right to the cruxz of the Conservative Jewish
Problem:

In article <987@hou4a.UUCP> mab@hou4a.UUCP (Michael Brochstein) writes:
>
>	Let me start out by saying that there is unfortunately two sides
>to the Conservative movement.  There is the Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS)
>version and the congregational version.  The JTS (or Camp Ramah) version is
>composed of strict observance of the laws (kashrut, shabbat, etc...) whereas
>the average congregant of the average Conservative congregation is not very 
>learned or observant.  Please do not judge the movement by the 
>average congregant...

It is indeed true that the official position of JTS
(generally enforced at the Ramah camps) is much stricter than most
Jews would suspect, and remarkably close to a great deal of the yoke
which Orthodox Jews accept.  But the remarkable lack of acceptance by
the congregation creates a bizarre separation.  The Rabbis can not lead;
they are followers of those who set the religious
standards in their congregation.  Much of the "logical" justification for
Conservative Judaism rests upon the JTS standards that are not observed.
The grandchildren of Congregationist Conservative Jews will know hardly
anything about their religion if they congreagations continue to
follow this pattern.

  - Toby Robison (not Robinson!)
  {allegra, decvax!ittvax, fisher, princeton}!eosp1!robison