The Jewish Temple I Happened To Visit Was Of The Conservative

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The Jewish Temple I happened to visit was of the Conservative denomination of the Jewish tradition. Conservative in this case does not reference political ties, rather a desire to conserve Jewish culture and tradition in the modern world. The Conservative movement in Germany in the 19th century, with its spiritual leader being Rabbi Zacharias Frankel, and began as a counterpoint to the rise of Reform Judaism in the United States during the 1880’s. Serving as a theological “middle ground” between Reform and Orthodox Jews, Conservatives adhere to Jewish law, albeit not as strictly as Orthodox Jews, while also not entirely embracing modern societal changes as Reformist Jews do. This dichotomy translates into practice via the continual wearing…show more content…
Going off of that, I was surprised that both men and women wore a yamaka, as I assumed that they were only worn by male Jews.
Unfortunately, I arrived late, and thus the service had already begun. What was most intriguing about the service to me was the fact that it was bilingual, as it was done in both English and Hebrew. I was also impressed by the manner in which music corresponded into the service. Many of the prayer were chanted, and were accompanied by a hand-beaten rhythm that was provided by the cantor who was performing the service in the absence of the Rabbi, as was explained to me later. Many prayers were done, both out loud and solemnly in the silence of the parishioners’ hearts, and passages from the Torah were also read aloud in both English and Hebrew. Men and women sat together in the small place of worship, as no clear separation was in place as far as I could tell. I sat in the back and merely observed, along with rising and sitting when I was told as well as reading and praying what was asked of me.
The general tone of the service was that of solemnity. Many of the prayers and songs that were sung called out to God in a way that praised and venerated God by endowing him with titles and appealing to his many qualities and acts He has done for the Jewish people. This style of prayer, along what was said in English, gave the idea that the
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