Between Outreach and "Inreach": Redrawing the Lines of the American Orthodox Rabbinate

Constituency Definition and Contemporary Orthodoxy

Whom do I lead? Whom do I represent? Constituency definition has been a central issue for Orthodox rabbis since the emergence of modern, heterogeneous Jewish life in Europe.¹ If the premodern community rabbi was automatically the religio-legal authority and spiritual leader of all local Jews, the same could not be said for Orthodox rabbis of subsequent generations. In a society in which religious observance could no longer be legally enforced, only those who volunteered to accept the rabbi's command were necessarily under his jurisdiction. That being said, different approaches developed within the Orthodox rabbinate regarding which Jewish populations should be targeted. While some limited their efforts to cultivating a "community of the faithful" that was committed to preserving traditional values, others felt the imperative to move beyond this "natural constituency." They looked for ways, rather, to continue to function as religious leaders for all Jews.²

The following discussion focuses on constituency definition within the contemporary American Orthodox rabbinate. It describes significant changes that have taken place regarding this issue in the last two decades. These, in turn, reflect upon an overall transition that has taken place in American Orthodoxy.

Among the new generation of American Orthodox rabbis that emerged in the early twentieth century, there was a strong feeling that Orthodoxy had to try to appeal to as many Jews as possible. At a time when few congregations existed that could boast of a critical mass of fully observant individuals, it was obvious that Orthodoxy would become obsolete if it only catered to the "pious." The "broad constituency" approach evolved into part of the ethos of American Modern Orthodoxy's flagship rabbinical training ground, the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary of Yeshiva University. Its Americanized, college-educated graduates were dispatched to communities throughout the country with the goal of creating Orthodox congregations that would offer religious services to the entire Jewish population. With this attitude in mind, some even walked a denominational tightrope by accepting pulpits in synagogues with mixed seating.³

Particularly after World War II, however, a second stream in American Orthodoxy emerged.⁴ The survivors and remnants of the leadership of the Lithuanian yeshivas and Hasidic dynasties who arrived directed their efforts toward re-creating the institutions and lifestyles that had been destroyed. Fearful of the seductive power of the treife medina (unkosher state)—which to their minds had tainted the established Modern Orthodox—they sought to establish enclaves in which they could regain their former strength and vitality. As such, their yeshivas and kollels concentrated on producing Torah scholars, rather than multitalented pulpit rabbis. If some of their graduates later served in more heterogeneous Orthodox congregations, this was certainly not the primary goal of their mother institutions.⁵ The main objective, rather, was to create a cadre of rabbis and teachers who could service the needs of this recently imperiled "community of the faithful."⁶

Indeed, the last decades of the twentieth century witnessed the emergence of an empowered American Orthodox population with a thriving congregational life throughout the country. Orthodox education has grown from year to year, on both the elementary and the high school level, as well as in post–high school yeshiva programs.⁷ Moreover, possessing greater confidence in their group's survival, Orthodox Jews grew to expect to be accepted and integrated into general society without compromising their religious standards and lifestyle. Such demands were buttressed by their increased consumer power.⁸

Contemporary American Orthodoxy, of course, encompasses a wide spectrum of Jews. They range from the Hasidic enclavists of Williamsburg and New Square (Upstate New York) to Boca Raton (Florida) Jewry, the fastest growing Orthodox community in America. A popular custom among the members of the latter is splitting their week between rural "golf course estates" and "Shabbes houses" that sit within walking distance of the synagogue.⁹ Broadly speaking, the group known as "Modern Orthodox" has been characterized by its active participation in American life, both through involvement in various forms of culture and by emphasizing the innate value of secular education...