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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News Conservative Movement green lights livestreaming on Shabbat, holidays
The Conservative/Masorti movement of Judaism has okayed the use of livestreaming on Shabbat and holidays. “[T]he Conservative/Masorti movement of Judaism adopted a teshuvah (or responsum) this week that could allow for the livestreaming of services on Shabbat and festivals, particularly during the Jewish High Holidays this fall,” the movement announced in a press release Thursday…
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Food Kitniyot Kosher for Pesach, Conservative Movement Rules
Editor’s note: In 2016, the Conservative Movement ruled to overturn an 800-year ban on kitniyot, the legumes, corn and rice that observant Ashkenazi Jews typically remove from their homes before Passover. Some Conservative and Reform Jews had been happily enjoying kitniyot on Passover for years. Some began doing so once restrictions had relaxed. Others continued…
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Fast Forward Conservative Movement leaders say virtual minyans are permissible during ‘crisis situation’
(JTA) — The leaders of the Conservative movement’s Jewish law committee issued a crisis declaration allowing the recitation of the Mourner’s Kaddish with a virtual online prayer quorum. In a statement issued this week, Rabbis Elliot Dorff and Pamela Barmash, the co-chairs of the Committee on Jewish Law and Standards, said that given the current…
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Fast Forward Conservative movement apologizes for list of innovative rabbis that featured only men
(JTA) — The Conservative movement’s congregational umbrella group apologized for publishing an article about innovative rabbis that only included men. The article by the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism in the February issue of its Journeys publication featured five rabbis who “meet people where they are.” Among other things, the rabbis organized events in cafes…
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Fast Forward Liberal Rabbis Join Trump’s High Holiday Call After 2-Year Absence
Rabbis from the Reform and Conservative Jewish movements will participate in the White House’s annual High Holidays conference call on Friday, a change in procedure after two years without participating. Rabbi Debra Newman Kamin, the president of the Rabbinical Assembly, the union of Conservative rabbis, told the Forward on Thursday that their board had taken…
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Fast Forward Jewish Theological Seminary Chancellor Arnold Eisen To Step Down
(JTA) — Jewish Theological Seminary Chancellor Arnold Eisen will leave his position at the end of the current academic year. Eisen, who has served for 12 years, will remain on the faculty of the Conservative movement’s seminary. He will continue to teach and research, according to a JTS statement issued Thursday. In the spring, Eisen…
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Opinion Think Israel Is A White Supremacy? Congratulations: Richard Spencer Taught You Well.
In recent years, we have seen two lines of argument used with increasing frequency to mainstream the delegitimization of Israel. The first is characterizing Israel as fundamentally racist because it is a Jewish state. The second is identifying right-wing support for Israel in the United States with nationalist, white supremacist views. Peter Beinart impressively managed…
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News A Thriving Synagogue Hired Its First Female Head Rabbi. Here’s Why That Matters.
Most job interviews are little more than sitting in a windowless room, answering questions from a manager with your resume in one hand and coffee in the other. For rabbis aiming for the pulpit, they’re a little different. This past winter, Temple Israel Center, a large Conservative synagogue in Westchester County, New York, had four…
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Fast Forward Suspected arsonist intended to beat Gov. Josh Shapiro with a sledgehammer, investigators say
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