Sign up for Weekday J and get the latest on what's happening in the Jewish Bay Area.

"Judaism that excludes others is not Judaism; it's a sect," said Rabbi Bradley Artson during Sunday's forum at Oakland's Temple Beth Israel, which was sponsored by several East Bay Conservative synagogues.

Conservative Judaism "includes women and gays, people who did not have a place at the table before," said the spiritual leader of Congregation Eilat in Mission Viejo.

"Someone has to stand for a Judaism that stands for all of it," he added, drawing applause from the audience. "I want all [segments of Judaism] to thrive and do well. There's a place for all."

To illustrate his point Artson, who was one of the forum's keynote speakers, told a story about a little girl who was raised in an Orthodox Jewish family. She followed the laws of kashrut and studied Torah, Hebrew and Talmud. She developed such a love of Judaism that she decided she wanted to be a rabbi when she grew up.

"Girls can't be rabbis," her mother told her.

So the little girl pursued her other passion, ballet. When she told her mother she wanted to be a ballerina, her mother said, "Jewish girls aren't ballerinas."

That little, girl, Sue Deutch, found her home in the Conservative movement. She now works as an assistant cantor at Congregation Eilat while studying to be a cantor and taking ballet lessons in her spare time.

"That's why I love Conser-vative Judaism," said Artson. "Conservative Judaism is traditional Judaism in the 20th century."

Raised in the Reform tradition in San Francisco, Artson, an accomplished author and professional, spoke with passion. He praised the Conservative movement for its open, flexible and developing tradition.

"Traditional does not mean homophobic, misogynist or paternal," he said.

Describing Conservative Judaism as liberal theology and traditional practice, he said the very nature of Judaism is to discuss and disagree on the Torah's meaning. It is such disagreements that produce new insight.

"The Torah is not meant to be read alone," said Artson. "God's presence is found when Jews argue about the Torah."

He pointed out that the Torah itself contains contradictions reflecting the different factions of Judaism that existed when it was written. But rather than choosing one view over another, the authors included all voices.

The writers of the Torah "refused to buy into the divisions," Artson said. He praised the Scripture's flexibility, which allows it to be interpreted to embrace subjects that were never anticipated at the time it was written.

"Disagreements present new insight."

As a parallel example, Artson used Thomas Jefferson's writing of the clause in the U.S. Constitution providing that all men are created equal. Since Jefferson owned slaves, Artson asked rhetorically if that made the founding father a hypocrite.

"No," he said, answering his own question. "The idea [of equality] was greater than he knew."

While Artson takes a liberal approach to theology, when it comes to tradition — kashrut and Shabbat observance — he feels flexibility is not appropriate because structure forms the core of behavior that unites Jews as a community.

And although he disagrees with the approaches of other movements, he does not advocate opposing them.

"It is a valuable way of being a Jew," he said. "But it's no more valuable than ours. Don't trash [other movements]. Do better than them."

Artson emphasized that he wants to see all forms of Judaism thrive and do well. Recently he has been engaging in dialogue with a Chassidic rabbi.

He urged parents to make sure their children get a traditional Jewish education by sending them to religious school and Jewish camps. Nor should adults neglect continued studies. He recommended taking classes or designing courses and asking one's rabbi to teach them.

"Study every day. Pray every day. Infuse your life with mitzvot," he said. "God can only work through you. God can only speak through you."