WHAT DISTINGUISHES THE UTJ FROM INSTITUTIONAL ORTHODOXY?
The UTJ is committed to using the methods of science to deepen our understanding of Torah while using Torah wisdom to help us find the kedushah (sanctity) in science. While some Orthodox institutions profess a commitment to both Torah and secular learning, most of institutional Orthodoxy has never applied scientific method to Torah study and sees the world of secular learning as separate from the world of Torah. Few within establishment Orthodoxy today make outreach to non-observant Jews a part, let alone the centerpiece, of their ideological mission. Of those who do, many seek to draw their recruits closer to a narrow conception of Jewish belief and practice. The UTJ, by contrast, seeks to “draw [Jews] closer to Torah” (Avot 1:12), i.e., to an open-minded, non-politicized observance of mitzvot.
