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According to Conservative Judaism, may one use - unfold, carry, and refold - an umbrella in an eruv-enclosed area on Shabbat? What if it is not raining?
I would appreciate a link or quote from an official responsa or statement by a Conservative rabbinical body.
Yehuda Wiesen wrote a "Guide to Practical Halacha and Home Ritual for Conservative Jews" (available here), from which I quote (from the section concerning Shabbat):
There are many and various so called minor restrictions, some of which the Conservative movement seems to follow and others that it does not. For example, Orthodox typically avoid use of an umbrella on Shabbat due to the prohibitions against erecting a tent (in miniature), and carrying (where there is no eruv). Although opening an umbrella does not seem to have been formally addressed by the Law Committee, it appears to me that most (but not all) Conservative Jews use umbrellas, sometimes reflecting lack of knowledge or concern but sometimes reflecting the view that it is not really erecting a tent. The point here is that there are many Shabbat restrictions and other laws that have not been addressed by the Law Committee, and my observation of prevalent practice among some observant Conservative Jews indicates an implied lenient halachic view concerning many practices. In this category I would include tearing toilet paper and bathing, both forbidden by some but commonly done by some observant Conservative Jews.
This guide was written in 1998 and last revised in 2004 according to its website, and I have found no evidence that the situation had changed since then.
