Keruv, Conversion, and Jewish Peoplehood

Announcing a Multisession Convention Discussion

For over a year, the commission on Keruv, Conversion and Jewish Peoplehood has been reaching out to colleagues to deepen our thinking about this topic that is of such crucial importance to all of us. Rabbis throughout our Movement are constantly faced with one of the most difficult challenges of rabbinic practice: “How can I show you that I care for you even when I have to say no?”

Our ideology of upholding tradition while remaining fully engaged in a changing world requires a constant balancing act. Conservative rabbis are finding language to convey the welcome in our hearts while we continue to uphold the values and commitments of our tradition. Most importantly, we need to support each other. In looking at the work being done by our rabbis, the Commission appreciated that this convention could be an opportunity for rabbis to speak openly and candidly with one another.

The Commission, and then the Executive Council have taken the opportunity to have such conversations which we found to be supportive, thoughtful and informative. Through this process, the RA leadership came to appreciate that we need to create this opportunity for all of our colleagues.

In order to create safe and welcoming space for all of us, we have engaged Insyte Parters, a firm specializing in conducting complex conversations with large groups of people. The goal is to give rabbis tools and best practices for navigating the terrain of intermarried couples and keruv in our communities. This will be an extraordinary opportunity to create a safe space to share with and learn from one another.

We hope you’ll join us at convention on May 6-9^th to be part of this important conversation.