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  • Seventy Years After Judaism as a Civilization:Mordecai Kaplan's Theology and the Reconstructionist Movement
  • Nancy Fuchs-Kreimer (bio)

It is not within the province of the movement to pronounce any one theology as truer than another. All that Reconstructionism stresses is that a Jew, to be a Jew in the full sense of the term, should have a theology in which he believes with all his heart, soul and mind.

—Mordecai Kaplan,Questions Jews Ask

In over 500 pages brimming with ideas for the reconstruction of Jewish life, Judaism as a Civilization never once suggests establishing a fourth movement for American Jews. Nevertheless, 70 years later there are over 100 congregations and havurot that call themselves "Reconstructionist." Having spent the better part of my life actively engaged with several Reconstructionist communities, I welcome [End Page 127] this opportunity to reflect on the thought and practice of the movement in light of Mordecai M. Kaplan's theology.

Most Reconstructionists believe that they are following Kaplan in their basic commitment to a naturalized view of Torah (Jewish law) and Israel (Jewish people). This understanding is correct, as I will briefly illustrate. At the same time, they often think that they are abandoning or significantly deviating from Kaplan's view of God. Yet, I will argue, whereas Kaplan's metaphysics may no longer be current, much of what is happening today in Reconstructionist "God-talk" is congruent with Kaplan's spiritual pragmatism.

I will suggest that Kaplan is more useful in thinking about religion today than is usually acknowledged. Understanding Kaplan as a spiritual pragmatist in the tradition of William James illuminates developments in Reconstructionist theology, helps us understand and build upon the spiritual seeking that has become part of our movement, and suggests some directions for the future.

Kaplan's project was to take the ideas of Torah, Israel, and God, deprive them of the power and prestige of divine revelation, and (here was the tricky part) enhance religious practice, commitment to the Jewish people, and spirituality. He wanted to demystify the key elements of Judaism, to see them as human constructions understood through social science, and then to have people find them more compelling than before. He had faith that a high level of transparency could coexist with depth of obligation and commitment. Those of us who do our work under the banner of Reconstructionism share that faith—at least enough to test it in action. This article will conclude by asking, though not answering, the important Kaplanian question: Is it possible to create a version of Jewish life that, while demoting Torah, Israel, and God from their supernatural status, results in increased willingness to submit to norms, a "maximum"1 identification by Jews with Jewish life, and deeper connections with the holy?

Torah and Israel

Before turning to a discussion of God in Kaplan's theology, we will look briefly at the concepts of Torah and Israel as they have been, in my view, loyally preserved in the movement. Kaplan's post-halakhic, natural vision of Torah has prevailed within Reconstructionism. Reconstructionists consider neither the traditional process nor the content of Jewish law as operative. What has emerged in its place is a new way for Jews to use Jewish tradition to help decide the "way to walk." As David Teutsch [End Page 128] explained in an early foray into this topic, the beliefs and worldviews that underlie halakhic norms are often outmoded. Nevertheless, Jewish ethical values are still important sources of connection.2

Values-based decision-making, with its roots in the British-American tradition of moral philosophy,3 turned out to work well for Reconstructionists as a democratic and naturalist alternative to halakhah. VBDM (as it is fondly called) helps Reconstructionists make decisions on a movement-wide, congregational, and individual level. When the Reconstructionist Commission on Homosexuality began its work, the members found a list of Jewish values created by Teutsch to be a helpful guide.4 Across the country, Reconstructionist congregations are using the "Kashrut Guide"5 to help their communities learn Jewish values and set necessary norms for their communal life. Increasingly, congregants use this method to decide personal matters such as whether to be...

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