Conservative Judaism outreach refers to those

organization An organization or organisation (Commonwealth English; see spelling differences), is an entity—such as a company, an institution, or an association—comprising one or more people and having a particular purpose. The word is derived from ...

al and

education Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty. Va ...

al efforts by the

Conservative Judaism Conservative Judaism, known as Masorti Judaism outside North America, is a Jewish religious movement which regards the authority of ''halakha'' (Jewish law) and traditions as coming primarily from its people and community through the generatio ...

(also known as "Masorti") meant to reach out and attract

Jew Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""Th ...

s and non-Jews, often the spouses and children in cases of

Jewish intermarriage Interfaith marriage in Judaism (also called mixed marriage or intermarriage) was historically looked upon with very strong disfavor by Jewish leaders, and it remains a controversial issue among them today. In the Talmud and all of resulting Jewi ...

, to

Judaism Judaism ( he, ''Yahăḏūṯ'') is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and ethnic religion comprising the collective religious, cultural, and legal tradition and civilization of the Jewish people. It has its roots as an organized religion in the ...

and to

synagogue A synagogue, ', 'house of assembly', or ', "house of prayer"; Yiddish: ''shul'', Ladino: or ' (from synagogue); or ', "community". sometimes referred to as shul, and interchangeably used with the word temple, is a Jewish house of worshi ...

attendance.

Youth movements

Kadima Kadima ( he, קדימה, lit=''Forward'') was a centrist and liberal political party in Israel. It was established on 24 November 2005 by moderates from Likud largely following the implementation of Ariel Sharon's unilateral disengagement plan ...

, a

youth group Youth Group is an Australian rock band based in Newtown, New South Wales. Built around the vocals of singer Toby Martin and production of Wayne Connolly, the sound of Youth Group is reminiscent of indie rock artists such as Teenage Fanclub, Pa ...

affiliated with the

United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism The United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism (USCJ) is the major congregational organization of Conservative Judaism in North America, and the largest Conservative Jewish communal body in the world. USCJ closely works with the Rabbinical Assembly ...

(USCJ), specifically aimed at

ish preteens living in North America in Grades 6–8. *

United Synagogue Youth United Synagogue Youth (USY) is the youth movement of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism (USCJ). It was founded in 1951, under the auspices of the Youth Commission of what was then the United Synagogue of America. USY operates in the ...

(USY) is the youth movement of the

or USCJ with members from the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

and

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

dedicated to creating a fun, educational environment where

ish teenagers can connect in hopes of meeting other Jewish teens in a comfortable atmosphere, combating assimilation, supporting

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

and giving and performing

charity Charity may refer to: Giving * Charitable organization or charity, a non-profit organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being of persons * Charity (practice), the practice of being benevolent, giving and sharing * Ch ...

. The organization is open to all Jewish teenagers. While synagogue membership is not a requirement, most affiliate with the Conservative movement.

Summer camps

There are a number of summer camps under the Conservative Judaism banner, the most important being

Camp Ramah Camp Ramah ( he, מחנה רמה, Machaneh Ramah) is a network of Jewish summer camps affiliated with the Conservative Movement. The camps operate in the United States, Canada, and Israel. All Ramah camps serve kosher food and are '' Shabbat''-o ...

, which was founded in 1947, and its affiliates and namesakes: Camp Ramah in the Berkshires,

Camp Ramah in California Camp Ramah in California is a Jewish summer camp located in Ojai, California. The camp is affiliated with the Conservative Movement and observes the laws of Judaism, Shabbat, and the laws of Kashrut. History The camp was founded in 1956 by ...

Camp Ramah in New England Camp Ramah in New England (CRNE), located in Palmer, Massachusetts, is one of the oldest Ramah summer camps, organized by a Jewish conservation center. The camp traces its roots to Ramah Connecticut in 1953, followed by Ramah at Glen Spey, and has ...

Camp Ramah in Canada Camp Ramah in Canada, ( he, מחנה רמה, transliteration=Machaneh Ramah) is a Jewish summer camp located at Skeleton Lake in Utterson in Muskoka, Ontario, approximately two hours north of Toronto. Part of the National Ramah Commission, Rama ...

, Ramah Darom,

Camp Ramah in the Poconos Camp Ramah in the Poconos is a summer camp affiliated with the National Ramah Commission. Opened in 1950, it is located in the Pocono Mountains in High Lake, Pennsylvania (but is addressed in Lakewood, Pennsylvania, since High Lake does not have i ...

, Camp Ramah (Wisconsin).

Day schools

The Conservative movement has established a number of significant Jewish day schools, mostly using the "

Solomon Schechter Solomon Schechter ( he, שניאור זלמן הכהן שכטר‎; 7 December 1847 – 19 November 1915) was a Moldavian-born British-American rabbi, academic scholar and educator, most famous for his roles as founder and President of the ...

" name:

Solomon Schechter School of Manhattan Schechter Manhattan is a K-8 independent Jewish day school located in the Upper West Side of Manhattan, New York City. The school adheres to a progressive or constructivist educational philosophy, which espouses the value of experiential lear ...

, Solomon Schechter Day School of Essex and Union, Metro Schechter Academy and others as well as schools such as

Rochelle Zell Jewish High School Rochelle Zell Jewish High School (RZJHS), formerly Chicagoland Jewish High School (CJHS), (Rochelle Zell, he, תיכון שיקאגו), located 25 miles northwest of downtown Chicago, is a private, full-day, co-educational high school for pr ...

United Synagogue Day School Robbins Hebrew Academy (RHA), formerly known as United Synagogue Day School, is a private elementary (Nursery to Grade 5) and middle school (Grade 6 to Grade 8) Jewish day school in Toronto, Ontario. Founded in 1957 as the Foundation Day School ...

Hillel Day School Hillel Day School, named after the Jewish religious leader, sage and scholar Hillel, is an independent Pre-K – 8 Jewish day school in Farmington Hills, Michigan, a city in the Detroit metropolitan area. Founded in 1958, it was the first no ...

and others.

Outreach to LGBT Jews

Keshet Rabbis Keshet Rabbis is an organization of Conservative/Masorti rabbis, cofounded in 2003 by Menachem Creditor, which holds that gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Jews should be embraced as full, open members of all Conservative congregations an ...

is an organization of Conservative

rabbi A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as ''semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of ...

s which holds that "

LGBT Jews This is a list of LGBT Jews. Each person is both Jewish (by birth or conversion according to Jewish law, or identifies as Jewish via ancestry) and has stated publicly that they are bisexual, gay, lesbian, pansexual, transgender, and/or queer or ...

" should be embraced as full, open members of all affiliated congregations and institutions. Based on its understanding of Jewish sources and Jewish values, it asserts that

gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late 1 ...

lesbian A lesbian is a Homosexuality, homosexual woman.Zimmerman, p. 453. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate n ...

bisexual Bisexuality is a romantic or sexual attraction or behavior toward both males and females, or to more than one gender. It may also be defined to include romantic or sexual attraction to people regardless of their sex or gender identity, whi ...

and

transgender A transgender (often abbreviated as trans) person is someone whose gender identity or gender expression does not correspond with their sex assigned at birth. Many transgender people experience dysphoria, which they seek to alleviate through tr ...

Jews may fully participate in community life and achieve positions of professional and lay leadership.

References

{{judaism-stub

Youth movements

Summer camps

Day schools

Outreach to LGBT Jews

See also

References