Conservative Movement in Flux
Rabbi Jerome Epstein The new survey of Conservative movement reaction to recent decisions of its Committee on Jewish Laws and Standards clearly shows that the majority of respondents support the committee’s work.
The survey, conducted by Professor Steven M. Cohen, went mainly to Conservative movement clergy, lay leaders and Jewish professionals. It found that significant majorities of respondents support the ordination of rabbis and the investment of cantors who are gay or lesbian.
The survey can be seen as a constructive tool that will provide guidance to their schools in formulating admission policies.
The Conservative movement’s new landscape, as revealed by the survey, is a reality, but we need a new map as we learn to navigate it. Its paths may not be clear to some of us, and for others of us they might be frightening. Still others might find it simply unpleasant - and make their disapproval clear. The challenge is not to convince them that they are wrong or that they should change, but to help them accept the new reality by the way we attend to their concerns.
The fact that two-thirds of our clergy and laypeople sampled are in favor of the ordination of gay or lesbian rabbis and the investiture of gay or lesbian cantors shows that there is great support in the movement for accepting gays and lesbians in our seminaries. But we dare not ignore the full quarter of our clergy and laity who reject such ordination and investiture.
The fact that 63 percent of our clergy and 68 percent of our laity approve of same-sex commitment ceremonies is an indication of how broad the support for such change is. Yet the 28 percent of our clergy and 23 percent of our laity disapprove. That represents a large number of people.
The fact that nearly two-thirds of the sample was prepared to accept gays and lesbians as Camp Ramah counselors or United Synagogue Youth directors indicates significant acceptance. But the 20 percent who reject gays or lesbians in these roles are not trivial.
In civil life, behavior and action are effectively decided by majority rule. In matters of religion, however, we are concerned not only with behavior and action but also with feelings and beliefs. We must not permit ourselves the delusion that legislation will govern feelings. People will believe according to the way each one believes he or she hears the word of God.
In this realm, individual understandings are as vital and valid as majority wills.
Consensus must not be perceived as the implied consent of the minority.
At the same time, we must be careful to understand the difference between principled, religiously based rejection of the Law Committee’s liberal decision and simple homophobia. We as a movement must reject homophobia as we do any other irrational hatred.
The Conservative movement is committed to face the challenge of creating new landscapes to inspire Jews in each generation. Often, change involves taking important themes and values from the past and putting them into a new context. We are committed to doing that. At the same time, we are committed to the reality that the new landscape that results may not be immediately acceptable to many of our members, and it may never be acceptable to some.
Therefore, we must help all our members feel comfortable with the new possibilities and feel free to either accept or reject them.
In the weeks since the Law Committee’s decisions were made, I have received phone calls and e-mails from congregants who are not in the majority. They have told me of their fear that the movement or their synagogue will marginalize them because of their beliefs. They ask not to be condemned or cast out by the majority because their religious beliefs do not allow them to accept the majority’s conclusion. We cannot allow them to be lost to us. If Conservative Judaism is to remain true to its commitment to pluralism, then we must live that pluralism.
I can suggest at least three ways to start.
First, we must learn truly to welcome diversity. We feel comfortable by associating with those who share our beliefs and values. To create unity out of diversity, we must accept our differences of opinion as an instrument in forming a more complete community by welcoming and embracing differences. A person is not wrong just because he disagrees with us.
Second, we must learn actively to encourage diversity. Those who reflect an unpopular opinion are often made to feel uncomfortable. We must change our language and invite those who disagree with us to contribute to our unity through diversity by saying “Can you help me understand how you reach that conclusion?” Or, “I have a different belief on that point - but let’s see where we agree.”
Third, we must learn genuinely to celebrate diversity.
We often view it as a weakness; our society prefers black or white, but in the real world colors combine and blend. It is the unity that is reflected in that blend - not gray, but a bright new color - one that is most authentic. When we reflect this true unity, we should be proud of it. n
Rabbi Jerome M. Epstein is executive vice president of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, one of the commissioners of the study.
The Jewish Week