What sort of liturgy do you use?
Our Jewish community and Rabbi are open to using any liturgies that make prayers accessible and meaningful to the congregation. We use Rabbi Marcia Prager’s, Sim Shalom, on Friday evening. Saturday morning we use prayer books and other siddurim, as well as elements of songbooks and prayer books from various denominational and progressive resources. Our services are generally traditional with lots of Hebrew and some English. We do offer a learner’s minyan that includes less voluminous prayers and more English liturgies.

 

In which way does Conservative Judaism differ from Reconstructionist and Reform Judaism?
There are fewer differences between the various Jewish denominations in North American Jewish life than ever before. The 19th century Reformers were viewed as too radical for the moderate halakhically oriented center of European Jewish thought. Led by Rabbi Zachariah Frankel, the Conservative movement arose in response to Modern Orthodoxy in Germany. Frankel, followed by Solomon Schecter and Louis Ginzburg in this country, argued for the primacy of halakha and the halakhic process, and the continuation of traditional rabbinic thought and decision-making.

American Conservative Jews have been classically a bit more observant and traditional than Reform Jews, but the differences in the practices of the laity are minimal these days, though a higher percentage of Conservative Jews keep Shabbat and Kashrut.

The Reconstructionist Movement grew out of Conservative Judaism over many years and emerged in the 1960’s as a separate denomination, over the objections of its founder, Rabbi Mordechai Kaplan. While the Conservative movement is indebted to Rabbi Kaplan in his teaching about Jewish folkways and peoplehood, it maintains differing views about chosenness, Messiah, and the nature of the Deity. Overall, it has remained closer theologically to Orthodoxy today, but views the Torah in its historical and social context.

The Conservative movement has also remained closer to classical theological statements within the siddur and has preserved the traditional Jewish liturgy more than the Reconstructionist movement. The Conservative movement also believes, as do the Reform theologians, in the autonomy of human choice in taking on the mitzvoth. Jewish law is based on current ethical and historical considerations, as well as the changing nature of Jewish society.

There is a large spectrum of belief under the Conservative tent. While the Conservative perspective remains rooted in traditional Jewish law, it is also a flexible, changing, and dynamic human phenomenon. It seeks a connection to the Divine as a path of walking in faith and righteousness with God.

In the last several years the Conservative movement has aligned itself more closely with liberal legal positions on homosexuality. The conservative movement has recently voted (2007) to accept openly gay qualified Jews for the rabbinate. The United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism (USCJ.org) has left policy around gay issues to the discretion of individual congregations. Or haGan is rooted in the pacific northwest region of the Conserative movement and yet is transdenominational in flavor, meaning it appeals to Jews who are not attached to one specific Jewish denomination.