\u201cWe see Conservative Judaism as offering nuance at a time when there are so many binaries, and this gives us a path forward to make sure everyone is seen and heard and welcomed into our community,” said Adath Jeshurun\u2019s senior rabbi, Aaron Weininger. (Ethan Roberts\/Courtesy Adath Jeshurun)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Weininger said the decision was reached through a public process with multiple listening sessions and after regular communication with the leadership of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, the denomination\u2019s umbrella organization.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe hope we can play a role in being a living lab for the movement and working for change from within the system as a USCJ congregation,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not the first time Adath Jeshurun has put itself at the forefront of denominational change. Many decades ago, it was among the first Conservative congregations to allow girls to have a bat mitzvah, an initiation ritual previously reserved for boys. In 2023, when Weininger assumed his current position, he became the first openly gay person appointed to the position of senior rabbi at a large Conservative synagogue.<\/p>\n
Adath Jeshurun\u2019s announcement comes as the Conservative movement weighs how to move beyond a history of treating intermarriage as a threat to Judaism, without forsaking its traditional grounding in Jewish law.<\/p>\n
In a report released last year, the Rabbinical Assembly reaffirmed its ban on clergy officiating at weddings of intermarrying couples but called on members to be more welcoming toward mixed families. Since then, a working group with representatives from several Conservative movement bodies has been studying the issue and is expected to release its findings later this year.<\/p>\n
In response to Adath Jeshurun\u2019s announcement, Conservative leaders said they are awaiting the guidance that will come from the working group.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen that work is complete in the coming months, it will inform our professional and lay leadership as they work with congregations like Adath Jeshurun to determine the appropriate path forward, aligned with the movement\u2019s policies and values,\u201d Andy Schaer, president of USCJ, and Rabbi Jay Kornsgold, president of the Rabbinical Assembly, said in a statement.<\/p>\n
Their statement was conciliatory in tone, acknowledging the significance of the issue Adath Jeshurun is seeking to address.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe fully recognize that disapproval has too often discouraged intermarried couples and their families from being part of our synagogue communities and building relationships with our clergy,\u201d it read. \u201cToday, we are, instead, focused on fostering a positive vision of Conservative\/Masorti Judaism that encourages commitment, creativity, and inclusivity.\u201d<\/p>\n
There are a variety of approaches to intermarriage across Jewish denominations. The Reform and Reconstructionist movements permit it, while Orthodox Judaism strictly prohibits it \u2014 leaving Conservative Judaism to chart a middle path.<\/p>\n
But as the movement enters the next phase of its debate on intermarriage, it will do so without the leader USCJ hired in 2020 to focus on the issue. As part of a budget reallocation, USCJ recently eliminated the position of director of intermarriage engagement and inclusion, leading to the layoff of Keren McGinity. A part-time racial justice and inclusion specialist position was also cut.<\/p>\n
McGinity is not currently giving interviews. In a Facebook post, she noted that Adath Jeshurun\u2019s announcement coincided with her final day.<\/p>\n
\u201cMay the Adath clergy and community go from strength to even greater strength,\u201d she wrote. \u201cI can\u2019t think of a post I\u2019d rather read on my last day serving as Director of Intermarriage Engagement and Inclusion.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rabbi Jacob Blumenthal, the CEO of USCJ, said in a letter to synagogue leaders in May that his organization remains committed to intermarriage engagement, albeit under a \u201cdifferent staff structure.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Conservative movement used to forbid its rabbis from even attending intermarriage ceremonies. That ban was lifted in 2018, after 40 years, by a vote of the Rabbinical Assembly\u2019s Committee on Jewish Law and Standards, which sets the movement\u2019s interpretation of Jewish law.<\/p>\n
By now, it is an open secret that some of the 1,600 rabbis belonging to the RA officiate at weddings of intermarrying couples. The RA has expelled some rabbis for flouting the ban, and others have left over the issue.<\/p>\n
The policy change at Adath Jeshurun falls short of permitting officiation. Weininger said the congregation did not believe it could justify that move.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe part of the wedding ceremony known as kiddushin that says, \u2018you are betrothed to me according to the laws of Moses and Israel,\u2019 does not apply to a couple in which one partner has not affirmed that covenant,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He also said the goal was to invite \u201cas much buy-in as possible\u201d and to encourage change throughout the movement.<\/p>\n
Still, he acknowledges that both he and Adath Jeshurun are going against the rules and could face repercussions.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy sense is that USCJ wants to hear different points of view, and I\u2019m hopeful that our process \u2014 which has involved as many voices as possible \u2014 will be welcomed,\u201d he said. \u201cWe hope to work for change within the system. It\u2019s ultimately their decision how to respond.\u201d<\/p>\n
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