This brief article about a downturn in the success of Conservative Judaism hits the nail on the head as far as my own observance is concerned.

Mr. Schorsch partly blames the trend on the poor quality of worship in Conservative synagogues, which he says are so geared toward "entry-level Jews" that those with more religious knowledge leave for the stricter Orthodox congregations. Mr. Schorsch said he often worships at an Orthodox synagogue on Friday nights, the beginning of the Jewish Sabbath, because of the beauty of the service.

"There is really a fatal disconnect," he said. "There is not enough attention being paid to advanced Jews."

This is not to say that I need an Orthodox service, although I do embrace the ideas of modern orthodoxy. It's just that, like society in general, Conservative Judaism has gotten progressively farther away from what could be called traditional Judaism.

I still say that the purpose of religion is to be religious about observance. That means that I find the msot powerful part of my observance to be those things that link me to past generations - lighting candles, fasting on Yom Kippur, the Passover Seder, etc. Deciding to use prayer books with more "interpretaive" English readings, having live music at services, etc. does not make me feel more Jewish at all. At this point, I pretty much go to services so that my kids will grow up to feel completely comfortable in a shul atmosphere, as they do almost nothing for me spiritually. (The one exception is the rabbi's sermon where at least I learn something).