Rabbi’s Update 8/22/2025

Dear Friends:

You may know that I was appointed a member of the Social Justice Commission of Conservative/Masorti Judaism this past March. The Commission has such an unwieldy title because it consists of representatives of all of the institutions of our Movement worldwide: the Rabbinical Assembly, the United Synagogue, the umbrella organizations of Sisterhoods and Men’s Clubs, Masorti International, the Jewish Theological Seminary and the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies. (I serve on the Commission as a representative of the Rabbinical Assembly.)

At my first Commission meeting I learned that the Conservative/Masorti movement was in the process of significantly expanding its impact and the scope of its work by hiring its first ever Director of Social Justice and Public Policy, and investing significant resources to new programming and publication in social justice.

At roughly the same time as the search to fill this new position was announced, the United Synagogue laid off its first (and so far only) Director of Intermarriage Engagement and Inclusion, Dr. Keren McGinity.

Critics questioned whether it made sense to spend money to fill the new Social Justice position if there was no longer enough money for the Engagement and Inclusion position. Other critics, particularly those who are more politically conservative, pointed to cutbacks the United Synagogue had made in youth and college programming (the United Synagogue's college program, Koach, was eliminated several years ago) and said that the money for Social Justice should be spent instead to restore those programs.

A couple of years ago I participated in a cohort for Conservative rabbis led by Dr. McGinity. I found it very valuable and co-authored an article in E-Jewish Philanthropy with three other rabbis who participated in the cohort defending Dr. McGinity and the work she was doing. Earlier, when I was working as a Hillel Director, I received significant program support from Koach. So I am in full agreement with those who argued for the importance of Intermarriage Engagement and Inclusion and of college programming under Conservative auspices.

Whatever the merits of these arguments, however, there is a certain reality which helps to dictate spending decisions. Dr. McGinity’s position was grant funded and the grant ran out. Conversely, the new Social Justice and Public Policy position is funded by a different grant. You cannot take grant money given for one purpose and use it for a different purpose; you either accept the grant and spend it the way the donor wants you to, or you tell the would-be donor “thanks but no thanks.” The youth and college programs which were eliminated had been funded by the United Synagogue’s regular budget which comes for the most part from dues that Conservative shuls pay. As the number of Conservative-affiliated Jews continues to shrink, the United Synagogue receives less dues money and has to determine how best to spend it. (This sentence is a statement of fact without either defending or criticising the actual budgetary decisions the United Synagogue has made.)

In the context of these varied criticisms of the Conservative Movement’s new social justice activism (the new Director of Social Justice and Public Policy, Emily Jaeger, began her work this week), I was interested to read an editorial in the Washington Jewish Week called “The Conservative Movement at a Crossroads.” The editorial argues that if the expanded social justice work is done correctly, it could help to revitalize the Conservative Movement more generally:

A “new” Conservative movement, rooted in its historic synthesis of halakhic commitment and openness to modern scholarship, could articulate a vision in which social justice is one of several pillars, integrated alongside Jewish learning, spiritual life and communal solidarity. Such a vision would not only resonate with younger Jews drawn to activism but also with those seeking depth, meaning and connection to the generations before them. 

I’d encourage you to read the entire editorial and share your thoughts with me.

As a reminder, I am having drop-in hours on Thursday afternoons from 2 to 4 at the shul. For my drop-in hours, you do not need to make an appointment -- that would negate the whole point of drop-in hours -- but I’d urge you to check and make sure I am there regardless as sometimes there are unavoidable pastoral or other emergencies which might take me away from the building.

As always, if I can do anything for you or you need to talk, please contact me at rabbi@kehilatshalom.org or 301-977-0768 rather than through the synagogue office. I am happy to meet you at the synagogue by appointment; if you want to speak with me it’s best to make an appointment rather than assuming I will be there when you stop by. 

Additionally, if you know of a Kehilat Shalom congregant or another member of our Jewish community who could use a phone call, please let me know.

L’shalom,

Rabbi Charles L. Arian