Taking into account opinions of a conservative Jewish panel which ended a ban on gay rabbis and same-sex unions, the Jewish Theological Seminary has decided to allow gays and lesbians into its rabbinical and cantorial schools.
Said Chancellor-elect Arnold M. Eisen: “The decision to ordain gay and lesbian clergy at J.T.S. is in keeping with the longstanding commitment of the Jewish tradition to pluralism. Pluralism means that we recognize more than one way to be a good Conservative Jew, more than one way of walking authentically in the path of our tradition and of carrying that tradition forward.”
Despite criticism from some Jewish leaders that the decision goes against Jewish law, the move was hailed by many and seen by some, like Jonathan D. Sarna, a professor of American Jewish history at Brandeis University, as a way to “attract a younger generation of disaffected Jews” to the movement.
The Seminary is located in upper Manhattan.