Special to NJJN

July 2, 2009

Rabbi Alan Silverstein, religious leader of Congregation Agudath Israel of West Essex in Caldwell, was elected June 24 as chair of the Masorti Foundation for Conservative Judaism in Israel.

In his new post, Silverstein told NJJN, his goal is “to enhance awareness about and involvement with the Masorti Israel Movement.”

In Israel, he said, the movement encompasses “53 Masorti Israel congregations and havurot, an expanding NOAM Youth Movement with Ramah-NOAM camping, a thriving MAROM network for 20-somethings, training for hundreds of special-needs b’nei mitzva each year, and a wide array of adult learning.” Programs offered by Masorti also include “alternative religious ceremonies for life-cycle milestones, engagement of new Jewish immigrants, and a dynamic revival of Kibbutz Hanaton and Moshav Shorashim,” he said.

Masorti in Israel “is growing,” said Silverstein. “It is no longer guided by “Anglos” but by young sabras as well as by olim from all over the world.

“Masorti Judaism offers the new generation of Israeli Jewish adults a desirable synthesis: both modern and traditional, both committed to classic rabbinic study and to modern textual analysis, both devoted to Jewish law and to Jewish ethics.”

Silverstein said that the life of his synagogue in Caldwell “has been enhanced immeasurably by close engagement with Masorti Jews throughout Israel. I want to bring this blessing to other North American synagogues, to Solomon Schechter Day School communities, to Jewish federations, and to Conservative rabbis, cantors, and educators.”

Among the previous leadership posts Silverstein has held are president of the International Rabbinical Assembly (1993-95), the World Council of Conservative/Masorti Synagogues (2000-05), and the Rabbinical Assembly’s New Jersey Region.

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