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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Fast Forward Conservative Synagogues Get $375K To Better Include Disabled
The United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism is launching a new push to help congregations become inclusive of people with disabilities. The initiative, funded by a $375,000 three-year grant from the Ruderman Family Foundation, will involve up to 20 congregations. Each synagogue will assess its current handling of disabilities issues, create an action plan to become…
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News Conservative Prayer Book Reaches Out to Diverse New Generation
Do Jews still want to call God their Lord, King and Master? Maybe not. Some words and phrases like this won’t resonate for many American Jews, said Rabbi Edward Feld, the senior editor of a new prayer book for the Conservative movement, Siddur Lev Shalem. “The word ‘king’ is just empty for people living in…
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News Historic Jewish Theological Seminary Plans $96M Campus Modernization
The 130-year-old Jewish Theological Seminary of America is embarking on a $96 million multi-year modernization that will keep its storied past safe — and carry the spiritual center for Conservative Judaism into the next century. JTS officials on Monday said they have put together a deal to sell one old dorm, a small parcel of…
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Opinion The 2 Options Left for Conservative Judaism
(JTA) — The Conservative movement was once the very embodiment of what it meant to be an “American Jew.” As the 130th anniversary of the founding of its flagship Jewish Theological Seminary approaches in 2016, the centrist movement that historically straddled the polarities of Reform and Orthodox is struggling to maintain its identity and attract…
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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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