The Conservative movement is the second largest of the three main religious denominations within

American Judaism, claiming 18 percent of American Jews, according to a 2013 study by the Pew
Research Center. Historically it has occupied a sort of middle ground between Reform and Orthodox,
maintaining (unlike Reform) that Jewish law remains binding on modern Jews, but affording far greater
leeway than Orthodoxy in adapting those laws to reflect modern realities.

● The movement tolerates a range of religious practice in its commitment to halachic pluralism —
the idea that multiple (and opposing) opinions concerning the requirements of Jewish law can be
considered equally legitimate.
● Most (but not all) Conservative synagogues are egalitarian on gender issues, and the movement
has endorsed religious rulings both in favor of and opposed to same-sex marriage.
● While its rabbis are not permitted to officiate at interfaith weddings, the movement has in recent
years made a greater effort to welcome interfaith couples and families into its congregations. One
of its mottos has been “Tradition and Change.”
● In the mid-20th century, the Conservative movement was the dominant stream of American
Judaism. In some years in the 1950s, the movement was adding 100 new affiliate congregations
annually. But by the end of the century, the movement was in serious decline, with some fretting

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openly that Conservative Judaism was on the road to oblivion.

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Conservative (or Masorti) Judaism has been quite successful in the United States. Conservative Jews
make up the second largest branch of Judaism in the US, with Reform Judaism being the most popular.
The generally progressive nature of the Conservative Jewish experience is founded upon both scripture
and modernity. This yields a progressive, religious movement that still has firm values and identity in a
changing world. Conservative Jews follow biblical law (halacha) as interpreted by a council of rabbis.

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 Scriptural sources important to Conservative Jews include both written (Torah) and oral (Talmud)
sources. Interpreting these sources is the job of both local rabbis and the Committee on Jewish Law
and Standards (CJLS). Unlike some more centrally organized religions, individual rabbis are welcome to
disagree with the CJLS and practice their own beliefs at their temple. The exceptions to this are what are
known as standards.
The standards represent what one may call the most fundamental beliefs of Conservative Jews. They
generally address what rabbis are allowed to officially sanction in the name of the faith. The four current
standards include the following:

● Rabbis cannot officially preside over marriages of mixed faith.

● Remarriages are restricted to those who have obtained official halachic endings to their previous
marriages. These includes death of one spouse, annulment, and the issue of a get (divorce
approved by a council of rabbis).
● Jewish heritage is recognized specifically as arising from the the mother's lineage.
● Conversion to Judaism requires a ritual bath (mikveh) for both men and women, and circumcision
for men.

Repeated, intentional violations of the standards can lead to the termination of a rabbi's membership in

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the Conservative Rabbinical Assembly.

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(https://study.com/academy/lesson/conservative-judaism-beliefs-history-quiz.html)

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