JTS to admit gay rabbinical students

The Jewish Theological Seminary announced Monday that it would change admission policies to accept openly gay students at its rabbinical school. Arnold Eisen, chancellor-elect of the Conservative movement’s flagship institution, made the decision after consulting with the seminary community and conducting a movement-wide survey, both of which found strong support for the change. In December, the movement’s legal authority, the Committee on Jewish Law and Standards, endorsed three opinions on the question of homosexuality. Two upheld the movement’s traditional stance barring gay clergy and commitment ceremonies, while a third opened the door to gay rabbis and commitment ceremonies while upholding the biblical prohibition on male intercourse. The conflicting opinions enabled individual Conservative institutions to make their own policy decisions. In Los Angeles, the University of Judaism’s rabbinical school has already admitted two openly gay students for the fall term. The movement’s other seminaries – in Jerusalem, Budapest and Buenos Aires – are not expected to follow suit.To read the full article on this topic, click here.