Latin American Conservative or Masorti Movement

Definition

The Conservative or Masorti (“traditional” in Hebrew) movement is one of the three main denominations within Judaism, one which seeks a balance between tradition and modernization, understanding that times change, but that in adapting to those changes, people need to also preserve Jewish tradition. The Conservative or Masorti Judaism recognizes that the Jewish law or Halakhah must be followed through methods that have been established historically by rabbis; however, it also teaches that the law could be adapted in order to preserve the spirit and essence of Judaism. This opposes the Reform movement’s belief that the Halakhah is not binding and instead emphasizing the ethical purpose of Judaism over ritual practices, and it differs from the Orthodox movement’s idea that one must strictly adhere to the Halakhah.

Introduction

The Conservative movement is considered to have evolved from the ideology of German rabbi, Zacharias Frankel, who in 1845 broke with his more radical...