KIM LAWTON: It was a massive party as some 1,200 Conservative Jews gathered to celebrate their movement’s 100th anniversary. The meeting was sponsored by the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, the umbrella group for the nation’s more than 630 Conservative congregations. From its beginning a century ago, the movement has taken a middle road between the more traditional Orthodox Judaism and the more liberal Reform movement. Rabbi Steven Wernick is head of United Synagogue.
RABBI STEVEN WERNICK (United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism): Conservative Judaism is a centrist approach to Jewish life. It’s a Judaism that is deeply rooted in tradition, yet informed by modernity.
LAWTON: In 1971, about 41 percent of American Jews were part of the Conservative movement. But, according to a new survey by the Pew Research Center, today, only 18 percent of US Jews identify with Conservative Judaism. Wernick believes that’s in part because of how well Jews have fared in American society.
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PBS ' Religion and Ethics Newsweekly–At 100 Conservative Judaism is looking to expand its outreach
KIM LAWTON: It was a massive party as some 1,200 Conservative Jews gathered to celebrate their movement’s 100th anniversary. The meeting was sponsored by the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, the umbrella group for the nation’s more than 630 Conservative congregations. From its beginning a century ago, the movement has taken a middle road between the more traditional Orthodox Judaism and the more liberal Reform movement. Rabbi Steven Wernick is head of United Synagogue.
RABBI STEVEN WERNICK (United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism): Conservative Judaism is a centrist approach to Jewish life. It’s a Judaism that is deeply rooted in tradition, yet informed by modernity.
LAWTON: In 1971, about 41 percent of American Jews were part of the Conservative movement. But, according to a new survey by the Pew Research Center, today, only 18 percent of US Jews identify with Conservative Judaism. Wernick believes that’s in part because of how well Jews have fared in American society.
Read or watch and listen to it all.