This Conservative Shul Is Dying

Ary blogs:

As a member of my synagogue’s Ritual Committee, I heard the Vice President lament that several Conservative synagogues are in financial trouble. Apparently, our synagogue has a budget gap of $100,000. Attendance at our daily minyans are so low, the Ritual Committee is considering, consolidating their daily services with a dying Conservative shul one village over.The Conservative movement is clearly dying. Once the most dominant form of practiced Judaism in the United States, it‚Äôs loss of membership can certainly be traced to their decision of making themselves more like Reform Judaism. The Conservative movement, like the Orthodox, believed in Jewish law. They made some minor changes, like having combined seating between men and women. In the last 30 years, the Conservative movement has ordained women rabbis, implemented egalitarian services, and allowed driving on Saturday to synagogue (which is prohibited). Now the Conservative movement has passed two resolutions, one calling for gay marriage and the ordination of gay rabbis, and one still opposing it. My rabbi lamented that people have threatened to leave our shul (including me) if gay marriage is implemented. He laments that people don‚Äôt get this upset about Kosher and Saturday observance. Our shul doesn‚Äôt have that many observant Jews, he cries. The reason why, Rabbi? Our observant members are now members of the Modern Orthodox shul down the road. The Conservative movement has betrayed its roots, being more like Reform won‚Äôt increase membership. Pink tallits don’t get rear ends in the seats on Shabbat. If people want a lack of Jewish law or they want gay marriage, they’ll join a Reform shul. If they don’t, they’ll join a Modern Orthodox shul. It’s as simple as that. Religion is a lot like politics, you have to play to your base. The Conservative movement in the center was a thriving movement. Center left doesn’t work. If they continued Center or center right, Conservadox would have been more popular than Modern Orthodox. The Upper West Side would have been a bastion of the Conservative movement. Watering your beliefs down because it’s politically correct will only further destroy your membership rolls. Our shul is dying and no one understands why. I do.