IJII

RABBINIC FELLOWSHIP--A NEW INITIATIVE FOR ORTHODOX RABBIS

by Rabbi Marc D. Angel

Orthodox Judaism has been growing more extreme and authoritarian. This tendency has manifested itself in many ways, including a strong shift "to the right" in the rabbinate as well as the community at large.

Many Orthodox rabbis are not happy with the current trends in religious life. Likewise, a large number of Orthodox laypeople are troubled by the ever-growing list of stringencies; and the pressure to conform to external, artificial signs of "piety". Instead of a climate of intellectual freedom and mutual respect, we increasingly find ourselves in a climate of intellectual coercion, where those who dissent from the "establishment" are ostracized and marginalized.

The Institute for Jewish Ideas and Ideals was founded in order to foster an intellectually vibrant, compassionate and inclusive Orthodox Judaism. It values the legitimate diversity of opinions and traditions developed in the Orthodox Jewish world throughout the centuries. It resists efforts to narrow the boundaries of Orthodoxy to one particular viewpoint. Orthodoxy needs to have a grand vision with a broad scope; it needs to see itself as a world religion, not as something akin to a sect.

One of the first initiatives of the Institute was to work for the establishment of a new organization for Orthodox rabbis. In the spring of 2007, months before the Institute even opened, I met with Rabbi Avi Weiss of the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, who is also President of Yeshivat Chovevei Torah. Both of us share the same concerns about negative trends in the Orthodox community; and both of us agreed that we needed to create a grass roots rabbinic group that could work together to move Orthodoxy in a better direction.

We brought together a steering committee to plan a rabbinical conference to explore issues of concern. The hope was to sponsor an initial conference for a small group of like-minded Orthodox rabbis. The first conference was held in West Palm Beach, Florida, October 29-30. Thirty-three rabbis from throughout the United States and Canada (and one from Israel) came together for what proved to be an amazingly dynamic and meaningful event. Everyone had the opportunity to express his opinions candidly, in an environment of respect and intellectual integrity. The event was so powerful that the consensus emerged for us to move ahead to create a larger Rabbinic Fellowship.

Here are some of the points that emerged from our discussions:

Orthodox rabbis need a “safe space” where they can talk candidly about serious issues that are on their minds.

Orthodox rabbis need to be part of a Rabbinic community that is non-authoritarian, where everyone’s voice is valued, where they function in the spirit of mutual respect and intellectual freedom.

Orthodox rabbis need a forum which empowers them to take responsibility for leadership to their communities, and to the community at large.

Orthodox rabbis need a fellowship in which they can develop and implement projects that will benefit the Jewish community, in the spirit of an Orthodox Judaism that is intellectually vibrant, compassionate, inclusive and open.

With these guiding principles, we are convening the inaugural conference of the Rabbinic Fellowship, to be held in West Palm Beach, Florida, April 29-30. We are hoping to have 75-100 Orthodox rabbis in attendance (as of March 18 we already had over 70 reservations). Five leading rabbis from Israel have indicated that they will be participating in our conference, along with rabbis from throughout North America.

For the Rabbinic Fellowship to achieve its potential, it will need the involvement of its rabbis and the support of the community. We will need to exert a tremendous amount of effort to reshape the Orthodox agenda. The work ahead of us is daunting. But I believe that a large segment of the Orthodox community wants--and will stand up for-- change in the status quo. Are you among them?