MS-763: Rabbi Herbert A. Friedman Collection, 1930-2004. Series I: Wexner Heritage Foundation, 1947-2004. Subseries 1: General Files, 1949-2004. Box Folder 62 13 Denver Beit Din. Background stories [Denver, Colo.]. 1983-1989. For more information on this collection, please see the finding aid on the American Jewish Archives website. 3101 Clifton Ave, Cincinnati, Ohio 45220 513.487.3000 AmericanJewishArchives.org SPECIAL SECTION Conversioa & Patrilineality · ·. DECEMBER 2, ~98 3 Denver's iiitetnationally unique jo~nt conve~sio.n -'tl~agtam breaks down Thjs special section of the lnl'ttllloanlaia edited only for gross grammaticaJ infelicities. sidered to be Jewish by the Reform rab­ Jewish News examines why Denver's inter­ with Denver's rabbis. repetitions, digl'C$Slons, and certain com­ binical body, ir the child is raised Jewishly. The ground rules of the interviews stipu­ nationaJJy unique joint conversfon program mo!Hy agreed upon facts, which constitute This breaks with the long-standing defini­ lated that no type of rabbi would be asked broke down. part of lhe summary below summary of ("A lo OOIJlJJ'lmt on any statement made by ~ For six years until this past summer, the IJN interviews"). • tion or a Jew as a person born of a Jtwish morher ("matrilineaJ descent"), whether or type of rabbi in his respective interview with Denver was the only city in the world in These transcripts, ~ides · illuminating the which Traditional, Conservative, and Re­ not the child is actively raised as a Jew. the UN. Traditional, Reform, Conservative, operation and the brcaJcdown of the joint Orthod.ox, and Reconstnictionist rabbis were form rabbis openly and ofOciaJJy cooperated conversion program, provide a rare glimpse The debate over matrilineal and par.rilincal asked IQ comment on issues they perceived on the conversion of non-Jews to Judaism. into the thinking, the motivations, and the descent in Judaism is a major bone of con­ as Under this arrangement, each rabbi recog­ style of Denver•s 'rabbinical oommunity a.s tention among rabbis tooay. Shortly after the them, and on any substantive conflicts - if nized the validity of the conversion per­ a whole. · Reform rabbinical body passed its patrilincal any - with other groups of rabbis, but not formed de jure by all of the rabbis collec­ In addition to the transcripts, this special resolution, an Orthodox rabbinical body, on statements made lo the JJN by the other tively and de facto by any single rabbi section presents certain ~ey documents writ­ the Rabbinical Council of America. "deplored groups of rabbis. preponderantly. ten by Denver rabbis to their colleagues at and denounced'' the resolution. For technical reasons various UN staff The program broke down with rabbis in the time of the breakdown, last summer (see This debate is uniquely poignant in Denver members participated in interviews with open disagreement with each other. Most pp. 11-12). because it was only in this city that rabbis various groups of rabbis. The interviewers congregational rabbis in Denver devoted one One main reason for the demise of the or different philosophical and theological included Miriam Goldberg, IJN Editor and of their High Holy Day sermons to the topic. conversion program was the passage lasl persuasions ac1ually cooperated openly and fublisher; Doris Sky, UN Managing Editor; In this special section, the transcripts of· spring by the Reform 1abbinical body, the officially in a joint conversion program - Rabbi Hillel Goldberg, IJN Senior Editor; interviews with the congregational rabbis in CentraJ Conference of Ameri6m Rabbis, of a program touching the heart of the issue of Larry Han.kin, lJ N Assist.ant-to·the-Pub· metro Denver - including both those who a resolution declaring that Jewishness is Jewish ge~cology. as does the patritineal­ lisher, and, in one intcrview, Chris Lcppek. panicipated in the joint conversion program established by patrilineal descent in conjunc­ matrilineal debate. Because of its crucial role IJN Special Assignments writer. The tape and those who did not - are presented. tion with "appropr.iaie and timely public and in American Judaism generalJy and in the recordings were transcribed by Larry Han­ formal acts or identification with the Jewish breakdown of Denver's joint conversion pro­ kin, who also coordinated the scheduling of These interviews were condu.ckd by UN faith and people." aram particularly, the issue or patrilineal des­ the interviews. This Conversion and Patri­ staff mtmbets and simultaneously recorded. that . or Jewish This meam babies bom cent was raised equally with that of the joint Uneal ~l special section was conceived, The transcripts from the tape recordings were fathers .,and. non-~ b. motbet'• •Mt:rC9D .. conversion pro.aram in the IJN'a intaview1 t ~ .• ·&. -. ~~A ') ! • edited. ~by • ~ '# .._ " :,-. .. ~... ... The following is a summary of the pub- · menu, which weruu~IKd by the Tradi­ ing through the program. Some rabbis .ay that the unity wm be fish~ transcripts ofiilter-Mws with Denv~·s tional rabbis alone. TbeM reqWrancnts were WW l1111t Jol•t co•vtniom proan1m bt ~ because some r.t>bis wm not ae,­ rabbis, plus addit/ontµ factual information imm.erlioa.in l.bel.mLtwb ror a.female coo· ~? cept lbc.oJ.hers' converu and· thus ill some , revealed in the interviews but published on­ veit?'"andeitbef~.ot'hlW'•id.tm The Traditional rabbis describe the pro­ cues not perform weddinp jointly1 with ...... ly here, in summary form. brit ~--: symbol.ic."circumcision (see 0Jossary &ram retrospectively as a mistake. Other rab­ 1 ~ other rabbis, or not permit weddings of con- · Who partidpafed in Denver's joint conver­ and Abbreviations) - for a male cooyert. bis would like to see It reestablished, but do grqational, members with· a 1 n~m.,.ccepted sion program? Six years a,go, at the beginning of the pro­ not expect thar lo happen, at least in the near conver\ in)hat rabbi's and member'~<con- . _ D'enver's Traditional, Conservative, and gram, the final ritu~steps were to be super· future. · gregahon.l .. · - ~-<· · ~ • - Reform rabbis. The Orthodox rabbis did vised or witnessed l>Y three Traditional lay­ What ls the status of the converts who pimed Some rabbis say that the-unity will be.in ¥. · not. The Reconstrudionist rabbi would have men. This was quickly abandoned Jn favor lhrough the joint program? creased because the cessation or the joint : participated had he been in Denver at the or having three Traditional rabbis perform All of the rabbis who participated in the conversion program removes a sore point time. Lhese final sup<frvisory tasks. program regard these conversions as valid. between the rabbis and thus frees time and How many conurts went through t.be joint Why dld the joint con,Uslon program break At least one Orthodox rabbi regards virtually moti~ation for working together in other, conversion program in its six years or up? all or them as invalid. neutral areas, such as Israel, Soviet Jewry, ex.isltnct,.? Different reasons were offered by different Are these conversions recognized in Israel? and the like. Rabbi Stanley Wagner estimates: 750. rabbis, including: disagreement over substan­ Yes, but the Israeli rabbinate does not All rabbis say that good personal relation­ Who was chairman or the joint conversion tive theologjcal issues, mainly patrilincaJ des­ know the special cooperative circumstances ships between them will not be affected. pr~gram? cent; concern over the plan of the Union of under which these converts were converted. Do Denver's Reform nbbls unanimously First, Rabbi Bernard Eisenman, for about ' American Hebrew Congregations - the na­ How will conversion now take place In support tbe concept or pl.lrilineal deSttnt? five years; then Rabbi Steven Foster, until tional Reform congregational body - to in­ Denver? Yes and no. Rabbis Foster and Richard the program's demise. troduce in Denver a formal attempt (an The Reform and Reconstructionist rabbis Shapiro voted for the resolution. Rabbi Ray­ What wu tht original impetus behind the "outreach program") to convert unchurched are planning a joint program. Other rabbis mond Zwerin abstained. Rabbi Herbert Rose pro1ram? gentiles; personality conflicts among the rab­ wilJ perform conversions individually. though W,PJ.!ld have voted against it if he had been For Rabbi Jerome Lipsitz, it was the en­ bis; a fight over who has the most power in the Traditionally sponsored Ns'asch present. couragement of Rabbi Steven Rjsltin, rabbi the community; no reason that could not V'nishmah program might in some cases However, the abstention and wouJd-be of the Lincoln Square Synagogue in New have been resolved; pressure· from national serve as a conversion class. negative vote cntruled objections not relating York City; for Rabbi Bernard Eisenman, it rabbiniclt bodies: and concern over the high Will the break-up of lbe conversion program to the concept of· patrilineal per se. All of was the encouragement or Rabbis Riskin and number of Reform-sponsored converts go- affect the. unity or ~envu's rabbl1U1te? these Reform rabbis support the concept Elie.zer Berkovitz, emeritus professor of s4bstantively. Jewish philosophy at Hebrew Theological What is the basis or matrillnw descent? College._ Both Rabbis Riskin and Berkovitz Reform rabbis say that it is a historically are Orthodox rabbis. · G~oss~zy and Abbreviations conditioned law rooted in the.structure of Did all of the participating rabbis CCAR - Ctntral Confercnct of American one final , ritual requirement of conver­ Jewish society in the Middle Ages. Tradi­ compromise? Rabbis; Reform rabbinical body sion, acco.rding to Jewish law (HaJachah); tional apd, especially, Orthodox rabbis say · Yes. All of the panicipating rabbis feel RCA - Rabbinical Cou.ncil of Ameri~ Or­ see milcveb that its authority is not sociological but that they made significant compromises to thodox rabbinical body .