Conservative Halakha - Debate Over Halakhic Foundations

Debate Over Halakhic Foundations

There has recently been debate within Conservative Judaism as to whether and to what extent the movement should continue to base, or claim to base, its practices on halakha. In the keynote address to the December 2005 Biennial convention, JTS philosophy professor Neil Gillman urged Conservative Judaism to “abandon its claim that we are a halachic movement,” which he called “irrelevant to the vast majority of our lay people.”. This speech was strongly criticised.

Rabbi David Golinkin, head of the Schechter Institute in Jerusalem, subsequently replied that "If the Conservative movement abandons its claim that it is a halachic movement, it really has no reason to exist."