200 at Protest Meeting Call for Accepting Women As Conservative Rabbis

An estimated 200 men and women met today in front of the Jewish Theological Seminary of American in the first lobbying effort of a new organization which seeks to induce the fortuity of the Conservative school to accept women as candidates for ordination.

The sponsoring organization, the Group for the Rabbinic Ordination of Women (GROW), called the meeting to demonstrate to the Conservative seminary “and to the public, widespread dissatisfaction” with the decision of the JTS faculty senate “to table the issue of women’s rabbinic ordination.” Simha Rosenberg a spokesperson for GROW, declared, She said another objective was ” to voice strong support for immediate acceptance of women” by the JTS as candidates for ordination.

Ms. Rosenberg told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, before the meeting was held, that GROW had been started in February , 1979 but had been revamped recently to be more active in advocating women’s ordination and in educating Conservative Jews in Jewish law and practice, She said GROW had switched to the more vigorous policy after the JTS faculty postponed last Dec. 20 by a 25-19 vote, any action on ordination of women.

Rabbi Seymour Siegel, professor of theology and ethics, and chairman of the Committee on Law and Standards of the Rabbinical Assembly (RA) the association of Conservative rabbis, told the gathering that “the ordination of women is mandated and desirable according to Jewish law ethics and needs.”

URGES ALL DELIBERATE SPEED

Dr, David Silverman, professor of philosophy at the JTS, read to the assembled group the message he said he would present to the JTS Faculty Senate: “We urgently request that the Senate of the Jewish Theological Seminary promptly reconsider the question of ordination for women, More importantly. we urge them” to vote to grant women the right to serve as rabbis with all deliberate speed”

A resolution to admit women was approved by delegates to the 1979 convention of the RA. The delegates withdrew the resolution on a pledge by Dr, Gerson Coben, JTS chancellor to name a commission of 14 members, representing the entire range of Conservative opinion, with himself as chairman to study the issue and make recommendations.

Francine Klagsbrun, a member of the commission, told the protest meeting today that the movement to ordain women as rabbis was not a “fod. It is a major social revolution, we cannot afford to sit it out.”

Cohen promised the 1977 RA delegates he would commit himself to bringing the commission findings to the JTS Faculty Senate to act on those findings early in 1979, But in April 1979, Cohen said he had agreed to a request from the JTS faculty to defer action on the report– which favored ordination of women –until early in 1980.

In its final report, the commission submitted a recommendation to the 1979 RA convention, declaring it found nothing in Jewish Law barring women from the rabbinate and proposed that “qualified women be ordained as rabbis.” The 25-19 vote tabled the proposal indefinitely.

SEEKING BROAD-BASED SUPPORT

Ms, Rosenberg said that the initial supporters of GROW, including students, professionals and rabbis, expect to attract broad-based support nationally from the Conservative movement’s rabbinate and laity, She said GROW is establishing a speakers’ bureau and a basic resource library to be available to all individuals and organizations interested in the goals of GROW.

Asked after the meeting today what GROW planned to do next. she said that GROW is planning a forum in April and is organizing a group to represent GROW at the 80th RA convention which will be held in Kiamesha lake. N.Y. in May. She said GROW has a membership of more than 100. 75 of them rabbis, and that new members were being enrolled daily.