The Phoenix Jewish news., 1961-09-08
Jewish Book Corner
An AnaIysis Of American Judaism

ton, or they are Orthodox, leaning
very strongly to traditional point
of view.
Conservatives. like other groups,
have not yet developed distinct
form which could necessarily call
itself Conservative. The tendency
for most Conservative rabbis is to
lean toward the Liberal point of
view and adopt a more lenient at
titude in terms of practice.
THERE HAS come into existence
fourth group, entitled the Re-
constructioniSt, whose program was
created by one unique personality
in American Judaism, DR.. Morde-
cal M. Kaplan. The Reconstruc-
tionists tried to formulate their
own prayer book, their own liturgy,
and their own thinking in a way
which they feel is necessary for
the growth of American Judaism.
The great genius of DR.. Kaplan,
a professor emeritus of the Jewish
Theological Seminary, represents
one of the great minds and philoso-
piers of American Judaism. He
has the quality to diagnose the ills
and ailments of American Jewry.
He sees the weaknesses of each
group - reform lacking in a strong
concept of the Jewish people, Or
thodoxy weak in that it emphasizes
the supernatural interpretations OF
Jewish law, and Conservative Ju-
daism weak in intrangencies.
On the basis of all this, the Re
constructionist looks upon Juda-
ism as a religious civilization; that
what is necessary to develop a CEN
ter in the congregational life is the
concept of the Jewish people at
tached to its qualities of civiliza-
ton in terms of the Hebrew lang
uage, literature, art, and music.
This emphasis upon the cultural
and sociological needs brought
about a radical revision of the
theological understanding of Juda'
ism.
The great weakness of Recon
struction is that, although it pro-
vides a very practical program OF
Jewish cultural existence for Amer
lean Jews, it holds to a naturalist
point of view in which God is de-
fined as a forceful process h a t
makes for mans salvation. This
kind of God-concept, which devoids
the idea of God of the personal and
spiritual qualities, seriously Grip
pies the whole approach to the
problem of Jewish prayer and Spir-
itual development.
REFORM Is MOVING to the
right in terms of putting within it.
self more tradition and a greater
substance of Jewish traditional
practices, and Conservative is NOV
ing towards the left in many in
stances away from the strict Or
thodox tradition. The logical con-
clusion is that there could come a
middle ground of perhaps the union
between the Reform and the Con-
servative group. What the Orthos
dox group will do remains to be
seen.
The real question is well put by
my dear professor, DR.. Samuel At
las of the Hebrew Union College
faculty:
Reforms danger is emptiness;
Orthodoxy's blindness; and Con-
servatism something of BOTH"
THE PROBLEM is primarily to
develop a strong Jewish commun-
ity, and to learn to go above de-
nominational loyalties for the COM
mon welfare. The future OF Juda-
ism in America will depend upon
how strong the Jewish community
itself is, in providing with a COM
mon means the cultural, spiritual
and moral inspirations that C a n
build congregations that will join
hands to make for a stronger be-
lief in Torah, in the Jewish people,
and in the God of our people, the
God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob,
who lives in the hearts of people
who say, II shall not die, but live,
and declare the works of our God. ="