About Mordecai Kaplan
Mordecai Menahem Kaplan was an American Conservative rabbi, writer, Jewish educator, professor, theologian-philosopher, activist, and religious leader who founded the Reconstructionist movement of Judaism with his son-in-law, Rabbi Ira Eisenstein. He has been described as a "towering figure" in the recent history of Judaism for his influential work in adapting it to modern society, contending that Judaism should be a unifying and creative force by stressing the cultural and historical character of the religion as well as theological doctrine. In 1893, Kaplan began studying for ordination at JTSA, which, at that time, was a Modern Orthodox Jewish institution founded to strengthen Orthodoxy and combat the hegemony of Reform Judaism. Because he was serving as a congregational rabbi, this created significant dissonance, resulting in considerable internal turmoil and anguish over the hypocrisy of practicing and preaching what he no longer believed. In 1909, Kaplan became principal of the newly formed teachers' institute at JTSA (which had joined the Conservative movement), a position he held until his retirement in 1963.
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