Welcome to 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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Life Conservative Women Rabbis Celebrate Changes, Still Face Struggles
Much has changed for female rabbis in the 25 years since the first woman was ordained in the Conservative movement — including acceptance by peers and congregants — but some things, including more difficulty getting good jobs and resentment from other women, remain challenging. These issues were explored at a conference at the Jewish Theological…
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Life But Can You Breast-Feed a Baby Doll in Shul?
Just in time for those who like to stock up early on weird and controversial Hanukkah presents for their young relatives comes news of a baby doll which simulates breast feeding. On so many levels this doll strikes me as disturbing in the extreme. The name alone astounds: Bebe Gloton, which translated from its native…
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Life Buckley and the Jews
Among other things, the late William F. Buckley — giant of postwar American conservatism and founder of National Review — played a key role in purging antisemitism from the ranks of his movement. Jason Maoz addresses this aspect of Buckley’s life in a post on Commentary’s Contentions blog: Among his many other accomplishments, William F….
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News Liberal Rabbis Calling on Women To Take the Plunge for Ritual Purity
Top leaders of Conservative Judaism are promoting a plan to encourage female congregants to plunge regularly into a ritual bath, following the adoption last week of rabbinic guidelines by the movement’s central lawmaking body. At a September 13 meeting held in New York at the Jewish Theological Seminary, the Rabbinical Assembly’s Committee on Jewish Law…
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News Paper on Labor Issues Falls Short in Conservative Vote
A rabbinic opinion calling on Jewish business owners to pay their workers a living wage and hire union employees was stymied by the Conservative movement’s top lawmaking body after the opinion received fewer than the minimum number of votes needed for a paper to be approved. At last week’s meeting of the Rabbinical Assembly’s 25-member…
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News Conservative Rabbis Predict Gay Ban Will Fall, Canadian Shuls Weigh Split With Movement
With leaders of Conservative Judaism predicting an end to the outright ban on gay ordination and same-sex marriage, some of the movement’s more traditional Canadian synagogues are threatening to form a breakaway coalition. Several movement leaders, speaking at an August 24 meeting in New York, said that the ordination of gay rabbis and the sanctioning…
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News Key Rabbis Say Conservative Judaism Will Lift Gay Ban
The ordination of gay rabbis and the sanctioning of same-sex marriage within Conservative Judaism is near certain, according to movement leaders who spoke at a meeting in New York on Thursday night. Organized by the movement’s congregational arm, the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, the gathering offered a preview of the halachic opinions on homosexuality…
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