vote or action on them having been taken. By 1980, 20 responsa have been adopted unanimously; 30 have been adopted with a majority and a minority opinion. 79 additional responsa have been submitted in written form, but were not voted upon. 58 rabbis had participated by writing responsa; only a handful had written more than a few and most of them led to no action. Among them are Isaac Klein with 16, Ben Zion Bokser with 12, Aaron Blumenthal with 9, Philip Sigal with 8, and a few others with lesser numbers. This activity demonstrates a major interest in responsa, but also shows its limits. A glance at the subjects of the responsa shows that the ma jority have dealt with ritual matters and only 18 with broader concerns. These simple statistics which obviously need refinement, demonstrate that there is a major difference between concern over halakhah and the ability to react. It is possible that the majority of the Conservative rabbis make their own decisions locally and do not need to ask anyone for guidance; but judging from questions from Conservative colleagues which Solomon B. Freehof and I have received that is unlikely.
Concern over the halakhah is a regular theme of the Conservative Judaism ; it has also been expressed in a broader format in Judaism which has been magnificently edited for many years by Robert Gordis . Various Conservative have written studies which contain sections on halakhah; they reflect the tensions and problems within the Conservative movement on this issue.
The leading practical halakhic authority of the American Conservative movement has been Isaac Klein whose book of responsa and his volume a A Guide to Jewish Religious Practice have formed a unified body of Conservative
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