The ldealConservative

few...
l) ...supportsa Conservativesynagogueby participatingin its 5) ...employsthe valuesol tikkun olam to help in the world's
activities. continualrepair.

ludaismisa communalreligionand our Jewishlivesare infinitely We are Cod's partnersin safeguarding His creation. A
enrichedwhenwe playanactivepartin a synagogue community. Jewdoesnotjust believein repairingthe world, but
Conservative
thatgoal.TheConservative
workstowards Jewis not only pained
*Attendserviceson Shabbatand Festivals. by humansufferingbut doessomething, to relieveit.
*Participate
regularlyin a daily minyan.
*Supportsynagogue socialjusticeprograms. *Participate
in synagogue socialjusticeprograms.
*Attendsynagogue socialevents. * Cive tzedakahregularly.
*Volunteerto work for a local homelessshelter.
2) ..,studiesas a Conservativefew a minimumof one hour per *Makebrkkurholim (visitingthe sick)a regularactivity.
week-or, in the caseof full-timestudents,six hoursper week.
6) .,.makes decisions about fewish behavior only after
Our approachto studyis distinct. We studytextscrilicallyand consideringthe effect thesedecisionswill have on KIal Yisrael
we bring knowledgefrom other disciplinesto help us better [theentirelewish people].
understand ourown heritage.At the sametime,we approachthe
lext with a commitmenlto Dreserve our sacredtraditions. Klal Yisrael,the unityof the Jewishpeople,is a centralvalueof
theConservative Movement.In makingdecisionsaboutour lives
Jewishstudyis essentialbecauseit allows us to appreciateour or ourreligiouspractices,
we mustthink abouttheir impacton the
past,understandour present,and chartwherewe wish to go in entireJewish community.We mustavoidtakingactionsthatwill
the future. divide us from otherlews.

*Attendsynagogue adult [or youth]educationclasses. *Makeaneffortto be involvedin synagogueprogramsto ensure

*Spendtime reading
Jewishbooks. theirsuccess.
*Discuss *Make personaldecisionsonly afterconsideringhow they will
Jewishissueswith your family/friends.
*Studythe Torahportioneachweek. affectthe greatercommunity.
*Takeadvantageof the Internetand othermodernresources
for *Consider theimpactyourchoiceswill haveon the healthof your
Jewishstudy. community.

3)...employslearnedfewishvaluesto guide behavioreven when ties and connectionsto lsrael.

7) ...increases
it conflictswith personalfeelingsor inclinations.
Sinceitsinception,
theConservativeMovementhasbelievedin,
.ludaismis meaningfulonly if it affectsthe way we live our lives. and helpedto further,the causeof Zionism. As Conservative
Our traditionteachesthat studyis meaningfulonly if it leadsto Jews,we mustfind waysto increaseour tiesto lsraelin concrete
action. Judaismmusthavea strongvoice when we makedaily ways.
decisions in our lives.
*JoinMERCAZ(theConservative ZionistOrganization).
*LearnwhatJudaism teachesaboutthe criticalissuesof our limes. *Travelfrequentlyto lsrael.
*Acton the teachings of Judaism. *Sendyour childrenon lsraelprograms.
*Don'tfollow the crowd:follow what our traditionteachesto be *Support lsraelfinancially.
right. *Consider makingaliyah(immigratingto lsrael).

personaljewish living out of commitmentas a

4) ...increases
resuftof thought, by adding a minimum of three new mitzvot a
year.
Conservative.fudaismis uniquein itsapproachlo halakhahand
mitzvot.For us,halakhahis both evolvingand binding. Eachof
us mustcontinueto grow in our commitmentand observance.
8) ...studies
to increasehis or her knowledgeof Hebrew.
Hebrew,as a language,unitesus with Jewsacrosstime and
space. lt is the eternallanguageof our peopleand connectsus
with.lewsin lsraeland throughoutthe world. lt is alsothe Jewish
languageof prayerand study. Yet for many of us, il is not a
languagebut a seriesof letterswe can readbut not understand.

*Add new mitzvot to your Shabbat observance. It is imp€rative

*Climb the ladder in your observance of kashrut.
* Become more aware (and observant ol lhe mitzvot of gemilut
hasadim (actsof loving-kindness).
*Add to your observance of mitzvot connected with thefamily.
*Look for opportunities to recite berakhot.
thal we not only maintainHebrew in our services
but increaseour personalknowledgeof Hebrewasa language.
*Takeclassesin Hebrewasa livinglanguage.
-Studytheprayers andtheirmeanings.
*Pfanto studyat an ulpanin lsrael.

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