by Debra Rubin
NJJN Bureau Chief/Middlesex

February 3, 2009

The Orthodox movement is “a big tent” encompassing both centrist and more conservative views.

And while Modern Orthodox Jews accept many aspects of the secular world, they must still accept that God “revealed himself as the writer of the Torah” and adhere to Halacha, or Jewish law, according to a Washington rabbi who has written a book on the subject.

“I want to be serious about Halacha and be serious about modernity,” said Rabbi Dr. Barry Freundel, the author of Contemporary Orthodox Judaism’s Response to Modernity.

His talk on Jan. 10 at Congregation Etz Ahaim in Highland Park was a program of the Orthodox Forum of Edison/Highland Park.

Freundel, religious leader of Congregation Kesher Israel in Washington, also known as the Georgetown Synagogue, said the concept of “Torah u’mada,” whereby Jews can remain loyal to the tenets of their faith while participating in and benefiting the outside world, still thrives in Modern Orthodoxy.

However, there are misunderstandings even among its adherents. For example, some view Orthodoxy as discriminating against women because they are denied a leadership role in religious duties. However, Freundel said, there are reasons for the roles of each gender and they should not be viewed as a slight against women.

“There are other kinds of roles for women,” he said. “A woman can serve on a synagogue board.”

‘Alive and well’

Israel has been central to the Modern Orthodox movement for some time. Yet a serious problem developed three years ago when the chief rabbinate of Israel publicly indicated it would not automatically accept conversions performed by American Orthodox rabbis.

“Many rabbis across North America were doing conversions, and the standards were so varied that the potential for abuse was very real,” explained Freundel.

In response, the Rabbinical Council of America, the largest Orthodox rabbinic group in the world, crafted a system for conversion through which a number of regional beitei din, or conversion courts, will supervise the process.

The agreement with the Israeli chief rabbinate was handled by a committee chaired by Freundel. According to the RCA’s website, it will be officially announced in April during the group’s annual convention.

“Modern Orthodoxy is alive and well in Israel,” said Freundel. “We have fought the fight.”

And despite demographics that show Modern Orthodoxy is losing nationally to the rightward shift in the movement, he believes it will continue to attract religious Jews who “have a yearning of the human spirit.”

“Jews have forever wanted to see other things in the world,” he explained. “If they do so in a way that is acceptable, they are a lot better off.”

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