Rabbi Julie Schonfeld
The 1,700-member Rabbical Assembly, the rabbis of Conservative Judaism, passed a resolution calling on synagogues to be “explicitly welcoming” to trans people. Reform and Reconstructionist Judaism already follow that policy, according to The Washington Post.
The statement quotes Torah that says all people are created “in God’s divine image” and a text from the Mishnah, written in the third century, that indicates “non-binary gender expression” at that time.
Not only do the rabbis call on synagogues and other institutions affiliated with Conservative Judaism such as schools and camps to use proper pronouns and allow proper bathroom use, they call on Conservative organizations to advocate for trans rights.
Rabbi Julie Schonfeld, executive vice president of the Rabbinical Assembly, spoke on behalf of the organization since the president recently came out as gay and is taking a leave of absence. Synagogues are run independently and can set their own policies, but she said she’s not heard of any that were objecting to the new policy.
