United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism

The synagogue also founded the Fuchsberg Jerusalem Center, an educational institution based in Israel and founded in 1972, and it calls the center its “embassy in Israel.” At the same time, the USCJ lobbies political leaders in the United States to adopt policies which it perceives to be beneficial for the state of Israel and the Jewish diaspora. ¹

History and Leadership

The United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism was founded in 1913. Today, it includes close to 600 Conservative Jewish communities across the United States. The Rabbinical Assembly predates the organization, having been founded in 1901. Rabbi Jacob Blumenthal is the current head of the assembly and the chief executive officer of the USCJ. He previously worked with United Synagogue Youth, the organization’s outreach project aimed at young people. ²

Marriage, Gender, and Sexuality

The United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism includes synagogues and groups that align with contemporary left-of-center gender and sexuality philosophies, as well as those with less-strict adherence to Jewish religious law. This has created controversy within the Conservative Jewish movement, especially when member rabbis have proposed approving marriages between Jews and non-Jews. The issue of same-sex marriages is also a controversial, albeit less prevalent, issue within the USCJ, with some rabbis introducing modified versions of the Jewish wedding ceremony to cater to same-sex couples. ³

In 2013, USCJ conducted a survey of member congregations in partnership with Keshet, a Jewish LGBT-interest group, on the degree of “inclusion” for LGBT individuals and households in Conservative Judaism. ⁴

Political Stances

In May 2017, the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism issued a statement on behalf of the Conservative Jewish movement which attacked the Trump administration for its executive action to stem the flow of migrants into the country. In the statement, the organization repeatedly cited its interpretation of Jewish law as reasons for why the United States did not have the right to limit immigration. The USCJ claimed that the administration had to reject any policy that would introduce any controls on migration and insisted that “robust” taxpayer-funded resources be used for migrant welfare programs. ^{1 5}

The USCJ backed President Trump when his policies matched the organization’s preferences, most notably when he moved to formally recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel in December 2017. At the time, some other denominations issued statements opposing the decision. ⁶ The USCJ saw public dissent over the move from some of its own rabbis and lay members, and the organization criticized the Trump administration for the timing of the decision. ⁷

Financials

The United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism spent and raised almost $15 million in 2020, with net assets over $21.5 million. ⁸