What is the best description of Conservative Judaism?

Answer 1

This is the group of Jews that most would call "pretty religious." Conservative temples conduct a lot of their services in Hebrew, and while their members won't necessarily go to every Friday night or Saturday morning service, they still tend to be pretty religious. Conservative Jews may keep kosher (not eating certain types of meat unless the animal was killed properly).

Conservative Judaism appeared in the middle of the nineteenth and views the Talmud as important as The Bible.

• Answer 2:

Conservative and Reform Judaism are recent phenomena. They adapt, curtail or change the Torah-laws in contemporary life, to a greater or lesser degree. For example, they might keep kosher only at home but not when eating out.

Torah-observant Judaism dates back for a few thousand years. Originally it was simply called "Torah" or living by the Torah. Today it has the additional name of Orthodox Judaism.Orthodox Jews believe that the Torah must be fully observed (Deuteronomy 13:5). They keep the laws of Judaism as codified in the Shulchan Arukh (Code of Jewish Law), which lists the laws of the Torah as explained in the Talmud. Torah-study is seen as very important (Deuteronomy 5:1); and the modern world is seen as subservient to the Torah (Talmud, Nedarim 32a), not the other way around. Jewish laws are not seen as being irrelevant, inconvenient or outmoded.

Answer 2

Most Common Description (from a Conservative Jewish perspective)

More Jewish than Reform, Less Religious than the Orthodox, so it's just right. (Cue Goldilocks)

Best Philosophical Description (from a Conservative Jewish perspective)

Conservative Judaism represents the natural historical progression and changes in Judaism. Judaism is a system of laws and interpretive techniques that need to be recalibrated by every generation to most faithfully bring the Jewish lifestlye and community into proper focus.

Answer 3

Conservative Judaism is virtually the same as Orthodox Judaism in beliefs. The key differences are that some Conservative Jews will:

- Use electricity during Shabbat - turn appliances on and off

- Drive a car

- In Conservative synagogues the men and women sit together while praying and some synagogues are 'egalitarian' meaning that women participate in all aspects of services including reading from the Torah, leading the prayers, etc.

Answer 4

It is a movement that has made changes and subtractions in the Torah's laws, to a lesser degree than Reform Judaism has done.

Orthodox Jews believe that the Torah must be fully observed (Deuteronomy 13:5). They keep the laws of Judaism in the Shulchan Arukh (Code of Jewish Law), which lists the laws of the Torah as explained in the Talmud. Torah-study is seen as very important (Deuteronomy 5:1); and the modern world is seen as subservient to the Torah (Talmud, Nedarim 32a).
Other Jewish groups (Conservative, Reform) adapt, curtail or change the Torah-laws to a greater or lesser degree.

See also the Related Links.

Link: Types of Jews

Link: What is life like for religious Jews

Link: Why do some Jews not keep Jewish laws

Answer 5

Conservative Judaism is the most religious major Jewish religious movement in Liberal Judaism. Liberal Judaism is generally defined as the sect of Judaism that uses non-Judaic source content to abrogate and modernize Jewish teaching and practice. Within Liberal Judaism there are a number of movements also distinguished by their level of integration with the non-Jewish World, their styles of prayer, and their level of conservatism. Conservative Jews, on the more conservative side typically prefer more Hebrew while praying, pray more often, and may keep kosher or Shabbat. Liberal Jews are often well-acclimated to non-Jewish society and may have many non-Jewish friends and contacts.

Conservative Judaism, uniquely among the various strains of Liberal Judaism, still maintains itself as a halakhically bound Jewish movement. This means that they perform the same type of Jewish legal analysis to determine proper activities and behaviors like the Orthodox Jews do, but because they use Non-Judaic source content alongside Jewish source content, they may come to different conclusions.

Answer 6

Conservative Jews are less strict than Orthodox Jews. Some of them keep kosher, some of them don't.

Answer 7

Conservative Judaism appeared in the middle of the nineteenth century and views the Talmud as important as the Bible.