My question for our speakers on Monday is this, how can an enlightened society expect Jews to learn and adapt their beliefs?  In the centuries since Rome adopted Christianity we have seen the christian faith change in innumerable ways with the creation of the Benedictine, Franciscan and Lutheran orders as new needs of the people needed addressing and the old became corrupt.  In that same time period we see that Judaism has remained remarkable unchanged in Europe with jews still looking to the Talmud for guidance.  Rather then question and create new thoughts the jews have remained rooted in their beliefs, unable to move forward with the rest of society.  The Church has acknowledged new orders and embraced the new age.  Latin has been deemed a dead language, useful for the study of old scripture and the writings of church fathers, but no longer is it necessary to know Latin to read for the book.  The jews have remained mired in their languages, unwilling to move forward with the rest of society.  How then can we expect them to move forward into an enlightened age?
But perhaps I am too harsh.  The jews have been limited in the education they can receive for years and perhaps it is too early to judge whether they are ready to move forward.  If given the chance would the jews be willing to learn modern languages and rethink the Talmud so that they might be able to further the goals of their country in becoming an enlightened people.