Conservative Judaism
ORG
Conservative Judaism
The Jewish Theological Seminary, the flagship institution of Conservative Judaism in America, appears close to having a new leader at a pivotal period when the movement is struggling with dwindling membership and the question of becoming more accommodating to gay Jews. The selection, which was first reported by The Jewish Forward on its Web site, could have broad ramifications even beyond Conservative Judaism. The seminary's longtime chancellor, Rabbi Ismar Schorsch, who was seen as reluctant to change Conservative Judaism's position on homosexuals, announced that he would step down at the end of the school year, but the search for his successor has dragged on for months. Conservative Judaism, which was once the largest movement in American Judaism, has been in the throes of an identity crisis.