Hebrew Union College, the Reform seminary, is considering altering its current policy, which does not allow admission to its rabbinical, cantorial or education schools of applicants who are married to or partnered with non-Jews.
A growing chorus of voices – including newly-ordained and long-time Reform rabbis – says that changing it is the only way to be a truly inclusive movement. Other rabbis, including the HUC’s president, say that doing so would undermine their graduates’ ability to model ideals of Jewish commitment.
While the issue has been percolating for some time, it came to a head when two rabbinical students – one on HUC’s Cincinnati campus and one in New York – in the same week last October in their student sermons called on the college to change its policy. And the administration took notice. Rabbi Michael Marmur, HUC’s vice president for academic affairs, immediately began writing what he describes as “a position paper” on the longstanding policy and soon shared it with the college’s top administrators. After discussing it with “the cabinet” of advisors to HUC president Rabbi David Ellenson, Marmur decided to initiate a faculty-wide discussion across HUC’s campuses in New York, Cincinnati, Los Angeles and Jerusalem.
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{Matzav.com Israel}
What do they care? They are already intermarrying all of their sons and daughters in the general community. These people are all falling off the cliff and I do not think that there is a branch to hold onto.
Is anyone who knows what they are about surprised at this new policy? Thought it was their policy already. They make up their own laws. To them Torah is not Divine. They’re a big joke, r,l.