Kaplan, Mordecai (1881–1983). Taught at the Conservative Jewish
Theological Seminary for more than half a century. Kaplan is also the founder
of the fourth denomination in American Jewish life, Reconstructionism. Kaplan
maintained that traditional Judaism gets a vote, not a veto, on how
contemporary Jews express their Jewish commitments. Kaplan promoted the idea
that Judaism is a civilization and American Jews should strive to live in both
the Jewish and American civilizations. Toward that end, Kaplan was an early
supporter of the idea of Jewish community centers, where Jews could congregate
for purposes other than religion. On matters religious, Kaplan was a forceful
advocate of updating traditional rituals and ideas where possible and
abandoning those that could not be updated, such as the idea of the chosen
people.
Courtesy: Professor Shai Cherry
