Three rabbis from different areas of Judaism discussed the
decline in Judaism and the importance of Jewish education during a
discussion Thursday at Hillel.
The forum was held in honor of the opening of the new Yitzhak
Rabin Hillel Center and in recognition of Rabbi David
Ellenson’s appointment as President of Hebrew Union
College.
The college is devoted to the development of Reform Judaism, and
has four campuses worldwide, including one in Los Angeles.
The three rabbis come from movements of Judaism that differ in
their adherence to traditional Jewish laws and practices.
Orthodox Judaism is the most traditional of the three groups,
following all laws and practices of normative Jews.
Reform Judaism is the most liberal, bridging traditional Judaism
with the modern life choices one chooses to make.
Conservative Judaism follows most traditional principles but is
open to the modification of certain laws.
Despite their differences, the three rabbis agreed that there
has been a decline in people participating in a Jewish lifestyle,
and emphasized that education is necessary to reverse this
trend.
According to David Myers, UCLA history professor, the Jewish
population in America went down from 5.5 million members to 5.2
million members in the last decade. Â
Ellenson attributed the decrease in the Jewish population to the
permeability in Jewish life today, referring to the multitude of
non-Jewish activities available that may appear more
attractive.
Rabbi Saul Berman, president of Edah, an Orthodox organization,
was in agreement with him, and added that there are many kinds of
lifestyles that are present to Jews today, and being Jewish may not
appear to be the most enticing.Â
The opening of the new Hillel facility should create “a
hub for Jewish activity,” said Rabbi Ismar Schorsch,
chancellor of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, a
conservative institution located in New York.
All three rabbis stressed the importance of Jewish
education. Â
Berman, who participated in the discussion via satellite, said
technology should be used as a tool for Jewish education and that
it should be available to all Jews.Â
He said that Jewish children need to be involved in Jewish
education 12 months of the year. When not in school, they
should be enrolled in Jewish camps and take at least one trip to
Israel in order to keep them actively Jewish.
Schorsch agreed with Berman, adding that Jewish education should
be an “interlocking network of educational institutions to
keep children Jewishly active.”
The lack of conflict among the rabbis was good news to Rabbi
Chaim Seidler-Feller, the spiritual leader at Hillel. He said
that Hillel students are taught to value the truths of Judaism,
which are all the same regardless of denomination.