Conservative Judaism is paramount in Belgium and Italy, and has held its own in some parts of Austria also. The great Rapoport (q. v.) of Prague, one of the finest scholars of that century, may be regarded as the tyjie of the intelligent Conservative Jew, who loved the Juda- ism of the past with fervor and intensitj', but recognised as the duty of the present hour the preparation of his brethren for their place in the world at length grudg- ingly accorded them.
The Judaism of Poland and Russia, as of Palestine and the other Asiatic and the African countries, can scarcely be denominated Conservative. It is stricth' stationary. Education has not yet been sufficiently diifused among the masses to enable them intelligently to comprehend the differences or points of unity in Judaism, conserva- tive or progressive. The study of the Talmud is still pursued with ardor in every Polish village, but the spir- it of Judaism is not as potent as the maintenance of
JUDAISM
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JUDAISM
form or of scholastic authority. Consen'ative Judaism has no history in these countries, yet its scholars have done the world a service in the prescr^'ation of Hebrew literature, and in rescuing from oblivion ancient tliought so peculiarly habited and disguised. It is worthy of note that the chief rabbi at Jerusalem preserves great state, and is regarded as a fiuictionary of signal conse- quencs, but the institutions of learning within his ju- risdiction are mainly sustained by the benevolence of European and American Jews.
The Hebrews in the United States number about half a million. Their material progress has been extraordi- nary. They comprise at present some three hundred con- gregations, of which full one half came to this country only within the last twelve years. The synagogues ri- val the most beautiful and costly churches in the prin- cipal cities. In 1840 there were scarcely ten thousand Jews, and not more than a dozen congregations in the United States. Their synagogues now number two hun- dred and fifty. The Conservative ministry is not strong. Only recently has any active interest been displayed in the higher Hebrew education, the preparation of can- didates for clerical stations. Maimonides College, es- tablished in 18G6 at Philadelphia, has not been suc- cessful in the number of students, although its faculty is scholarly and energetic. The Conservative pulpit is ably supplied in several sj-nagogues of New York, Phil- adelphia, and New Orleans. In other cities the leading scholars are of the progressive or Reform school.
The policy of Conservative American Israelites does not favor ecclesiastical authority. Occasionally eiforts have been made to perfect a union of synagogues, but they have uniformly failed when doctrinal or ritual questions were the points to be determined in conven- tion. The tendency is clearly in favor of independent synagogues, united for piu-poses of a charitaljle, educa- tional, or semi-political character — otherwise recognising no will or exposition of Jewish doctrine superior to that of their respective ministers or secular officials. The co-operative movements for aiding oppressed Israelites in foreign countries, and for repressing anticipated dan- ger or checking legal lUscriminations at home, result- ing in the establishment of the " Board of Delegates of American Israelites," are not confined to the Conserva- tive or to the Progressive congregations. Doctrinal questions are eschewed in this organization, which is jnirely voluntary, and assumes no authority except what maj' be delegated from time to time to interpret the sentiments of American Israelites.
The Conservatives have of late years paid attention to religious education. Elementary schools are attach- ed to most congregations, and in New York a society was formed in 18G5 for the gratuitous instruction in He- brew and in English of children whose parents are not attached to any synagogue, or are miable to contribute to its support. (M. S. I.)
JUDAISM, REFORMED, also called progressive or viodern Judaism, is the Jewish religion as reformed in the 19th century in Germany, Austria, America, and in some congregations of France and England. The places of worship are called temples, distinguished from other Jewish synagogues by choir, organ, regular sermons, and part of the liturgy in the vernacular of the country, and in America also by family pews. The ministers of these temples are rabbis who have attained proficiency in Hebrew lore, and are graduates of colleges or universi- ties; or preachers by the choice of the congregation, who are mostly autodedactic students ; and cantors, ca- pable of reading the divine service and leading the choir. In some congregations the offices of preacher and cantor are united in one person. Large congregations are con- ducted by the ordained rabbi and the cantor : the for- mer is the expounder of the law, and the latter presides over the worship, and is also called Ilazan, or Reader (q. v.). Every congregation elects secular officers to conduct the temporal affairs. The ministers are elected by the congregation for a stated period. A school for
instruction in religion, Hebrew^ and Jewish history is attached to every temple. Like all other Jews, the re- formed also are unitarian in theology, and acknowledge the Old-Testament Scriptures as the divine source of law and doctrine, but reject the additional author- ity of the Talmud, in place of which they appeal to reason and conscience as the highest authority in ox- pounding the Scriptures. They believe in the immor- tality of the soul, future reward and punishment, the perfectibility of human nature, the final and universal triumph of truth and righteousness. They reject the belief in the coming of a jSIessiah ; the gathering of the Hebrew people to Palestine to form a separate govern- ment, and to restore the ancient polity of animal sacri- fices and the Levitical priesthood; the resurrection of the body and the last judgment day; and the authority of the Talmud above any other collection of commenta- ries to the Bible. All these doctrines are expressed m their prayer-books and catechisms. Their hermeneu- tics is rationaUstic. They reject the evidence of mira- cles, relying exclusively upon the internal evidence of the Scriptures, and the common consent of all civilized nations to the divinity of the scriptural laws and doc- trines. Except in the case of IMoses, of whom the Scriptures testify, " Mouth to mouth I speak unto him," the appearance and speaking of angels, as also the ap- pearance and speaking of God, were subjective, in the vision, waking or dreaming, appearing objectively to the prophet, which was not the case in reality. In this respect they follow the guide of Moses ]\Iaimonides. See PniLosornY, Theolooical, of the Jews. In re- spect to doctrine, they hold that all religious doctrines must be taken from the Bible, and must be in harmony witlythe loftiest and purest conceptions of the Deity and humanity suggested by the Scriptures, and confirmed by reason and conscience. In respect to law, they hold that all laws contained in the Decalogue, expressed or im- plied, are obligatory forever, both in letter or spirit. All laws not contained in the Decalogue, expressed or implied, are local and temporal (although the principle expressed by some may be eternal) and could have been intended for certain times and localities only. These theories of Judaism were developed by various Jewish authors between the years 1000 and 1500; partly they are also in the ancient Rabbinical literature, but were dropped after 1500, and taken up again by the disciples and successors of Moses IMendelssohn toward the close of the last centurj^, and gradually developed to the pres- ent system. (I. M. W.)