This is the Forward’s coverage of Conservative Judaism, one of the three major streams of U.S. Judaism. Conservative Jews are generally more observant than Reform Jews but less so than Orthodox Jews. The movement is led by the…
Conservative Judaism
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Opinion The Left’s Double Standard on ‘Tolerance’
When is open dialogue prized, and when is it synonymous with capitulation? Two disputes that happened within a day of each other highlighted that question along the deepest fault lines in modern Jewish life: the dispute over religious pluralism, and the relationship between Israeli Jews and their Arab neighbors. On December 9, Israel’s Ashkenazi chief…
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Opinion Chief Rabbi’s Criticism of Conservative Jews Is Doomed To Backfire
(JTA) — At the Jewish Federations of North America General Assembly this year, it was made clear that a healthy Jewish community does not have to have unanimity on all issues, but we do need to be unified and, above all else, have civility in our discourse. It was obvious this week that Israel’s Ashkenazi…
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Fast Forward Reform and Conservative Leaders Push Israeli President for ‘Equal Rights’
(JTA) — It was all hugs and smiles when Israeli President Reuven Rivlin met Friday with leaders of America’s three main Jewish denominations at an event hosted by UJA-Federation of New York. But when it came time to speak, the Reform and Conservative leaders made clear they had no intention of papering over their disappointment…
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News Conservative Judaism Seeks To Rebrand Itself — But as What?
(JTA) — Conservative Judaism is at a crossroads. The movement is committed to Jewish tradition, but it’s seeing a growing number of its young people walk out the door — most often to Reform Judaism. American Jews who self-identify as Conservative increasingly are leading lives at odds with the core values and rules of Conservative…
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Fast Forward Benjamin Netanyahu Vows More Funds for Reform and Conservative
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office will match funding given by the Jewish Agency for Israel to the country’s Conservative and Reform movements, according to a Jewish Agency spokesman. The Jewish Agency provides some $1.09 million each in funding to Israel’s Reform and Conservative movements, in addition to $546,000 in funding to Israeli Orthodox congregations….
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Fast Forward 40% of Conservative Rabbis Would Perform Intermarriages
A survey of 249 Conservative rabbis finds that almost half have defied the movement’s ban on attending interfaith weddings and that 40 percent would officiate at such weddings if the movement permitted them to do so. The survey, conducted by the New York-based Big Tent Judaism (formerly named the Jewish Outreach Institute) is believed to…
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Fast Forward Benjamin Netanyahu Affirms Rights of Reform and Conservative Jews
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reaffirmed his commitment to assuring the rights of all Jewish denominations in Israel. He made the statement in a letter to the AJC, the organization reported Thursday. The statement came in response to a letter sent to Netanyahu by AJC Jerusalem chair Matthew Bronfman and director Avital Leibovich following comments…
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Fast Forward Israelis Object to Orthodox-Only Rabbi Rules: Poll
More than two-thirds of Israelis object to the removal of a Conservative rabbi from a bar mitzvah ceremony for disabled children intended to take place at the Israeli president’s residence. The ceremony has been run for 20 years by the Conservative movement and was scheduled to take place at the end of June. It was…
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