Statement of Principles of Conservative Judaism / The ideas are embodied in ''Emet Ve-Emunah: Statement of Principles of Conservative Judaism,'' which was made public yesterday. The document is a result of three years of work by a committee of 35 lay people, scholars and rabbis led by Dr. Robert Gordis, a member of the faculty of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America.
Conservative Judaism, whose 2 million members make it the largest branch of the Jewish faith, has long defied easy characterization. The movement traces its beginnings to Rabbi Zechariah Frankel, who in 1845 protested efforts to liberalize Judaism at a conference in Frankfurt. It has often been defined by what it is not: neither Orthodox Judaism to its right, nor Reform Judaism to its left. Respect for Halacha
In the introduction to the 57-page document, which was spurred in part by a relatively sudden revival of Orthodoxy, Dr. Gordis says Conservative Judaism ''articulates a vital, meaningful vision of Judaism for our day'' by ''retaining most of the tradition,'' while confronting a vast array of contemporary issues.
