Reconstructionist Judaism growing by leaps and bounds

MONTREAL -- Reconstructionism in the United States and Canada is growing by leaps and bounds -- 15 to 20 percent a year. And that's a sign that more and more North American Jews are looking for spiritual and intellectual paths to Jewish identification, a leading figure in the movement said during a recent visit to Montreal. In an interview with The CJN, Dr. David Teutsch, president of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in Philadelphia, said the movement's biggest challenge these days has been to keep up with the demand. We have to be able to train rabbis in sufficient numbers to keep up with the movement," Teutsch said. We need them for congregations, Hillels, college campuses, chaplaincy departments, communal organizations and Jewish educational centres." Teutsch attributed. the growth in his movement's popularity to several factors. But one of the most important is Reconstructionism's ability to satisfy the spiritual and intellectual longings of North American Jews within the movement's "democratic" structure. He noted that while Reconstructionism does not encourage intermarriage, congregations welcome intermarrieds and converts -- in fact, anyone who considers him or herself Jewish and who "wants to be part of the Jewish community." In Canada, the increase in reconstructionist activity has been harder to measure because Jews tend to be attracted to more conventional streams. But despite having only two bona fide congregations -- in Toronto and Montreal -- an informal Ottawa chavurah group has been seeing a steady growth, Montreal's Reconstructionist Synagogue Rabbi Ron Aigen noted. Teutsch said that more and more, Reconstructionism is drawing adult Jews seeking the movement's "inclusive" approach. While the Jews who come originate from all branches of Judaism, from Orthodox to secular, Teutsch discounted the notion that Reconstruction's rise in popularity has been the result of attracting assimilated Jews or drawing away disenchanted Jews from other streams. He thinks, rather, it has been the movement's increased focus on the study of Jewish lexis, on "spirituality" and the arts, without sacrificing its democratic and intellectual underpinnings. We are talking about wonderful values not bound by halachic decisions," Teutsch said. He believes the increased interest in "spirituality" within Reconstructionism reflects a shift from 30 to 50 years ago. He said previous generations of reconstructionist Jews who rejected "theistic" approaches have been succeeded by generations with a more "integrated" outlook. Now those with modest beliefs want paths into Jewish living," he said. In Philadelphia, Teutsch noted, the increased interest in Reconstructionism has taken the form of a centre for Jewish ethics at the college and an expansion into the arts. The college even boasts a vocal group called the Api Chorus. Teutsch said that while Reconstructionism is still rejected by more fundamentalist elements within Judaism, the movement has friends within mainstream Orthodoxy who possess a "pancommunal" philosophy. Still, Reconstructionism has been gun shy about being perceived as too "liberal." While accepting intermarried couples, the movement discourages intermarriage and most rabbis will not perform mixed couple marriage ceremonies (although some rabbis agree to bear witness at civil marriage ceremonies). The movement has also made welcoming overtures towards the gay Jewish community in terms of being "inclusive," but leaves it up to individual congregational rabbis as to whether to perform "commitment" ceremonies. We are more prone to providing guidelines than rules," Teutsch said. Rabbi Aigen noted that in Montreal, the Reconstructionist Synagogue (Dorshei Emet) is planning an event next Sukkot in support of the Jewish AIDS hospice being organized by the National Council of Jewish Women.