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
The Latest
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Letters I Was The First Woman Ordained In Israel. Of Course Israel Needs Liberal Judaism
In 1992, when I was the first woman ordained in the State of Israel, I was an oddity at best. This year, we ordained our 100th Israeli Reform rabbi, and they are serving communities and institutions all over Israel. Over 25 years later, my daughter, a native born Israeli, great granddaughter of the founders of…
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Opinion Stop Trying To Bring Liberal Judaism To Israel. We Already Have Too Much Religion
Several years ago, I (Einat) had the honor of speaking at a Conservative Synagogue in NYC. I was asked why, as a proud Israeli feminist, I am not mobilized for the cause of the Women of the Wall. I admitted that while I am a feminist I am also a devout Atheist, and the importance…
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Fast Forward Israeli Police Question Conservative Rabbi For Performing Marriage
JERUSALEM (JTA) — A Conservative rabbi in Israel was awakened by police early Thursday morning and taken in for questioning over performing an illegal marriage ceremony. Rabbi Dov Dubi Haiyun, who lives in Haifa, was taken to a local police station by two officers at 5:30 a.m. for questioning after the Haifa Rabbinical Court filed…
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Fast Forward Charles Krauthammer, Conservative Pro-Israel Columnist, Dead At 68
(JTA) — Charles Krauthammer, a fierce defender of Israel and one of the most widely read conservative columnists of his generation, has died. He was 68. The Pulitizer Prize-winner wrote earlier this month that he had an aggressive form of cancer and had weeks to live. The letter appeared on the websites of both of…
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News Orthodox To Dominate American Jewry In Coming Decades As Population Booms
It’s been nearly five years since the Pew Research Center released its “Portrait of Jewish Americans.” Given its stark conclusions, the study ruffled some feathers even as it expanded our notions of Jewish community. It highlighted the impact of intermarriage and the growth of the Orthodox community, and has impacted policy making for Jewish communal…
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Community I Used To Be A Trump Troll — Until Sarah Silverman Engaged With Me
I used to be That Guy. I always voted Republican. I watched Fox News. I read clickbait articles on Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. I echoed these slanted talking points when I was a Radio show guest prior to the 2016 Presidential General Election. In one sense, I was just your average, conservative, pro-Israel Jewish…
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Fast Forward Conservative Movement Outraged At Israel’s Rejection Of Ugandan Jews
NEW YORK (JTA) — The head of the Conservative movement’s rabbinical organization sharply criticized Israel for reportedly deciding not to recognize Uganda’s Jewish community, whose members converted under Conservative auspices. Rabbi Julie Schonfeld, who leads the Rabbinical Assembly, said the Conservative movement was “shocked and extremely outraged” at the decision, which she called “unlawful.” “This…
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Israel News Israel Will Not Recognize Uganda ‘Jews’
After years of deliberations, the Israeli Interior Ministry has resolved not to grant recognition to the Jewish community of Uganda, Haaretz has learned. Its decision was revealed in a response to the first and only request thus far by a member of the 2,000-strong Ugandan Abayudaya community, who sought to immigrate to Israel under the…
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Culture Why saying ‘L’shana Tova’ on Rosh Hashanah may not be the correct phrase
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Culture A Jewish prophet of the 1980s would be horrified to see that we didn’t heed his warnings
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Opinion With killing of Hezbollah’s chief, Israel occupies the inarguable moral high ground
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Opinion This is the most disorienting Rosh Hashanah in memory
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Opinion Campus protests defined the year since Oct. 7. Could they actually change U.S. policy?
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Special Report At the kibbutz hit hardest on Oct. 7, a wrenching debate over how to rebuild
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