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Correspondence

Feb. 1, 1963

Letter to Moses Feuerstein about Israel's Reform Movement (1963)

Orthodoxy & Other Denominations
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Dear Moe: The tendency expressed in the enclosed release is known to me for some time now. There is nothing you or I can or should do about it. My own feeling is that this would consolidate the conservative movement and create an irrevocable break with Orthodoxy. If anyone from the Press should ever ask you what you think of it, especially in light of the lay involvement by The United Synagogue, I strongly urge you to say that it is a completely internal affair and that while you have your opinions you do not feel it appropriate to make any public statement, except for the fact that you do not understand how ”Halakhah” can be decided by non-experts, such as lay leaders of the United Synagogue. Sincerely, Rabbi Norman Lamm
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Letter to Marvin Herskowitz about the Synagogue Council of America (1969)

It seems to be the fate of Orthodoxy, at least in this country, that battles are fought over matters of little or no consequence. We have allowed truly important matters to be bypassed, and have chosen what are, relatively speaking, trivialities on which to stage our strongest stands. The Orthodox Union, as a more or less centrist group, seems peculiarly afflicted by a penchant for the petty. Once again we are evoking great principles and wasting precious time and risking wounded pride and injured feelings on an issue which is trivial.From everything I have heard about the Synagogue Council of America (SCA), it has a limited scope of activity (how much can an address accomplish!). It is not the kind of organization which will seriously affect the destiny of Torah and American Jewry one way or another. I do not by any means wish to deprecate the value of SCA, but it certainly does not seem worthy of the dissension it has produced in our ranks. We will live with it, and without it. It is almost farcical how we have succeeded in making a “yesh me’ayin.”Nevertheless, even insignificant issues must be met if they are thrust upon us against our will. The SCA question has been blown up to unrecognizable dimensions by those who have insisted upon the Union's withdrawal. I have no reason to regret the comment I made some years ago, which seems to have irritated a number of my colleagues, namely, that the demand for secession is a dull, obsessive litany. Indeed, it becomes duller with repetition. It is with considerable reluctance, therefore, that I undertake to set down even these few comments for your consideration.The Study Panel which deliberated on these matters — and SCA was only the most controversial of the so-called “umbrella” groups discussed — performed its task conscientiously and efficiently, at great expense in time and convenience. We heard testimony from a number of distinguished leaders of the community. I personally came to the hearings determined that I wo…
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Letter to R. Weingarten about the Future of the Reform Movement (1997)

Dear Uzi: I just returned from my Israel-Prague trip and haven’t yet had time to unpack and go through my accumulated mail and calls, but I did want to respond to your somewhat anguished query about my interviews with Yom Hashishi and Makor Rishon. I did not see the printed results of the interviews, but – yes – I did and do feel that Reform has no future. I do not say this with any degree of satisfaction or triumphalism, certainly not with Schadenfreude. Indeed, it is tragic to even contemplate where Reform (and, for that matter, most of the American–Jewish community) is going. My prediction is based upon a cold (very cold!) analysis of the demographic data and the simple extrapolations, granted, of course, that no major societal or cultural convulsions will occur. Walk into any Reform Temple in this country and keep both your eyes and ears open and you will sense the tragic mass movement, lemming-like, into obscurity. Of course, if you’re willing to accept patrilinealism and easy “conversions” and “inclusivism” (which includes non-Jewish spouses officiating at various “rituals” in the “service”), then the future shines bright. But are you willing to make that assumption? Are you ready to have your humanism (in the best sense), your compassion, and Ahavat Yisrael so overwhelm your primary sense data and perception of objective facts that you are ready to concede that they are viable for the next few generations as a Jewish community? I am not ready to do that, because such transcendental ignorance does not contribute to healthy and effective communal planning. I repeat that we are facing a tragedy, and I am not in the business of assigning blame – there is enough to go around to all concerned. But this is what I foresee, what I fear, what I think must be said if we are to find or create some harbor for the gathering storm. For me to do otherwise is to submit to cultural correctness, which is every bit as dangerous as political correctness. So, Uzi, that’s where I…
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