At the conference
Photo: Hanich Zirnitzky
Conservatives: The Rabbinate failed
On the second day of the Conservative Movement's conference, more criticism of Orthodox leaders is heard. 'The Rabbinate no longer educates; it lost touch with the public,' panelists say
Participants at the Masorti (Conservative) conference in Ramat Gan, continued to target the Orthodox institutions: "The Chief Rabbinate in Israel is the most flawed in the Jewish people's history," said Prof. Rabbi Hanan Alexander, chair of the Department of Education at the University of Haifa.
Alexander spoke at a panel that focused on the merits of the Conservative Movement as an intermediary between Reform and Orthodox approaches.
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Some 1,000 participants arrived at the opening of the Conservative Movement's convention. 'This convention carries a message about freedom of religion in Israel and the abolition of the Orthodox monopoly,' says movement's chairman
"The Conservative Movement has a lot to give to the Orthodox framework and particularly to Orthodox women who turn to us for representation and status," claimed Prof. Alexander. "Funerals have also turned into an unbearable experience for some, and many resent the gender bias of the wedding ceremonies. These are two of the issues the Conservatives can tackle and advance. The Rabbinate no longer educates and it lost touch with its public."
Prof. Alexander also addressed the Reforms: "Theirs is not a pluralistic approach. They say that members can choose their individual path, but in reality they require people adhere to a single set of predetermined principles."
At the conclusion of the panel, Chair of the Masorti (Conservative) Movement, Moshe Cohen said "it is time the Masorti Movement's voice be heard –in the local arena and as a rising political force. We ask the government and the Knesset to recognize us."
