Source: New York Daily News
On May 27, 1999, the Daily News of New York reported that the principles laid down in Pittsburgh by the Central Conference of American Rabbis does not mandate actions for Reform Jews, but it offers "guidelines for observing traditional Jewish practices, such as wearing prayer shawls, following kosher dietary laws, studying Hebrew and Observing Shabbat." Cantor Rebecca Garfein of the Bronx's Riverdale Temple stated: "They're looking for meaning and something to hold on to in the age of globalism, this age of technology, when almost everything today is a push of the button. People are looking for more meaning in their lives." Rabbi Ronald Sobel of Temple Emanu-El in New York was not so optimistic about the principles: "The document itself is unimportant. What is troubling is the atmosphere that has created this document [which is] a departure from historic Reform Judaism that was unapologetically inclusive and universal, [and that is] a step away from a Liberal Jewish religious life where ethics and morality are consciously more important than ceremonies and rituals."