Several people have asked me if I see any hope in the current wave of intolerance in the area of conversion. I am not a very good prognosticator, but my answer is a tentative "yes". I have already written of my admiration for the new movememnt of Open Orthodoxy, and its Israeli counterpart, Tzohar. I realize that many are against my assessment. But my reasons are that unlike Modern Orthodox, these movements are completely halachic rather than "we need to do this because we've always done this" (with the "always" usually going back 100 years or less). It is also spiritually based, rather than a blind commitment to questionable, fairly new legalisms. Perhaps most importantly, these movements consider the needs of all Jews, rather than just the already committed. The establishment, both in Israel and the U.S. is "stonewalling" them. But I believe the walls already show cracks. In response to evidence that many assertions of Modern Orthodoxy are baseless, they have come up with the new concept of "mesorah" (tradition), meaning that the way the American synagogue does things, is in itself a level of Judaism that may not be tampered with. This theory has few sane adherents. But, perhaps even more significantly, I beleive that Chabad is about to play a very major role. When the Lubavitcher Rebbe passed away in 1994, most people thought that the entire movement would soon fade into oblivion. But, on the contrary, it has grown exponentially. I am well aware of the criticisms of Chabad; many of them well founded. But which group is perfect? Some over zealous followers may do unethical, or even heinous things. But the movement as a whole has been wildly successful at bringing in alienated Jews, as well as essentially founding the Noachide movement. When I was in Chabad (1965-1975), the thrust of their outreach was primarily to win new adherents to their own group, and often to stifle other views. This is mostly no longer true. Most Chabad houses around the world try not so much to make new Chabad Hasidim, as to bring people back to Judaism, at any level with which they are comfortable. Chabad is, today, "user friendly". Chabad emissaries may vary in their openness and acceptance, but by and large are tolerant and receptive. I am deeply disappointed by Chabad's submission to the RCA in no longer doing conversions (this was a feature of Chabad houses until the 1980s, with far more liberal standards than are now imposed). I am no longer privy to behind the scenes Chabad considerations, but I can see two possibilities as their reasons for their capitulation. First, the RCA is powerful and influential. . They can cut off funding for Jewish causes with which they are not happy, or even arrange for the removal of a Chabad presence from a community. The Chabad rabbis may have felt that their activities in bringing back lost Jews was their main priority,with pragmatism demanding a moratorium in the area of conversion., There was never any love lost between Chabad and Modern Orthodoxy. Both the OU (which is rarely relied on by Chabad Hasidim) and the RCA are adjuncts of Yeshiva University.The sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe (Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn) once remarked "I don't know in what way Rabbi Yitzchak Elchanan (Spector 1817-1896) could have sinned, as to have such an institution named for him. They should have called in Belkin's College". (The official name of YU's rabbinic school is the Rabbi Yitzchak Elchanan Theological Seminary. Its Dean was a Dr. Belkin). But YU shifted to the right in the mid-1970s, and was no longer considered anathema to Chabad and most "yeshivish" groups. Perhaps Chabad decided that it was both acceptable and expedient to give over the conversion work to them. However, I beleive that there is likely another reason. In middle and small sized Jewish communities around the country, Chabad has been gaining ground, at the expense of Modern Orthodox congregations. People are (usually) made to feel welcome. The scrutiny and judgement one needs to go through at organized synagogues are (usually) absent. Also, Chabad works by getting donations, so their services to the community are almost always free. Recent sex scandals involving some Modern Orthodox leaders, have also served to make Chabad seem more genuine. My strong suspicion is that Chabad feel that they need to "play ball" with the RCA in the short run, but see the day as not far when they will be bigger and more mainstream than the RCA. At that point, they will be able to "call the shots" in American Orthodoxy, including in the conversion arena. I do not see Chabad as ideal, by any means. But it is a great leap forward. Moreover, the leaders of Open Orthodoxy (known for their integrity) have for decades maintained a close relationship with Chabad. I know this will be interesting. i have hopes that it will be good.
No comments:
Post a Comment