This summer, the Jewish press featured several stories about the Conservative movement’s evolving approach to interfaith engagement: these included eJewishPhilanthropy’s coverage of USCJ cutting its interfaith specialist position; an op-ed in Sources about helping couples “own the work of discussing the relationship between their identities and the religious particularity of Judaism honestly”; and a JTA story about Rabbi Ari Saks, a third-generation Conservative rabbi and member of 18Doors’ rabbinic network who left the movement over his commitment to presiding over interfaith weddings. 

These articles raise important questions: Does this signal a shift in how the Conservative movement will engage with interfaith couples and families? Will the movement embrace more inclusive policies?

While the answers remain unclear, one thing is certain: Conservative rabbis are not waiting to seek out opportunities to deepen their knowledge and skills around interfaith inclusion — and we at 18Doors, a national nonprofit dedicated to creating belonging for interfaith couples and families, are keenly aware of their needs and are addressing them.

The growing need

A 2020 Pew study found that 72% of non-Orthodox Jews who married between 2010–2020 married someone from another background, yet only 27% report feeling a sense of belonging in the Jewish community. The gap between choosing Judaism and feeling a sense of belonging is profound — and clergy are often on the front lines of bridging it.

For Conservative rabbis, this raises both pastoral and communal challenges. How do they support interfaith families navigating Jewish life? What boundaries feel necessary, and where can they stretch? How do they balance halachic commitments with the reality that interfaith couples are part of their communities?

These questions are not theoretical. They appear in decisions about synagogue membership, board eligibility, ritual participation and family lifecycle events. Rabbis cannot avoid them — and many don’t want to. Instead, they are searching for spaces to wrestle with the complexity openly.

Rabbis in pursuit of learning

Over the last several years, we at 18Doors have seen a sharp rise in Conservative rabbis participating in professional development programs focused on interfaith inclusion. These rabbis are not waiting for top-down answers. They are proactively building the skills, language and confidence to support interfaith families in ways consistent with their beliefs.

For example, 18Doors’ Rukin Rabbinic Fellowship, an 18-month cohort-based learning experience on interfaith issues, has seen significant growth in the numbers of Conservative rabbis participating. Rabbi Eytan Hammerman, a fellowship alumnus, reflected that joining the fellowship helped him grapple with “how to be maximally welcoming and inclusive while also protecting the traditions and approaches to halacha (Jewish law) that make up our particular approach to Judaism.” The fellowship’s purpose is not to dictate policies, but to create a forum for real learning, reflection and exchange.

The value of pluralistic, cohort-based learning cannot be overstated. When Conservative rabbis engage with colleagues from across denominations, they sharpen their own perspectives, test assumptions and gain respect for approaches different from their own. The result is not uniformity, but a deeper capacity to lead thoughtfully in their own settings.

What rabbis are confronting

From years of listening to interfaith couples and the professionals who serve them, several themes emerge that Conservative rabbis are now grappling with directly:

• Belonging vs. boundaries: How does the Jewish community make interfaith families feel they truly belong while also maintaining lines that rabbis see as halachically or communally important?
• Lifecycle moments: Weddings remain out of bounds for Conservative rabbis, but baby namings, funerals, b’mitzvah tutoring and pastoral counseling are not. These moments offer rich opportunities for connection — but only if rabbis are properly trained in how to do this.
• Organizational change: Policies on membership, leadership and ritual inclusion often reflect assumptions more than reality. Rabbis who listen directly to interfaith families frequently discover gaps they did not anticipate and then lead their organizations and synagogues to adapt accordingly. 18Doors supports this work through B’Yachad, a program that currently involves several Conservative synagogues.
• Language and communication: Even simple word choices in sermons, websites and bulletins can communicate either welcome or exclusion. Rabbis are learning to be more intentional about how their communities sound to interfaith families.

Beyond policy decisions

The elimination of one staff role at USCJ and uncertainty on the outcomes of the movement’s working group should not obscure the larger reality: Conservative rabbis are not standing still. They are taking ownership of their professional growth, engaging in dialogue with peers and seeking practical tools to serve the growing number of interfaith families in their congregations.

This moment, then, is less about whether the Conservative movement itself will formally prioritize interfaith inclusion and in what ways, and more about what its rabbis are already doing. They are leaning into the hard questions, finding support in cross-denominational networks and discovering ways to balance Jewish tradition with the lived experiences of today’s families.

The real work is happening in study sessions, peer cohorts, pastoral conversations and synagogue board meetings (many of which are supported by 18Doors) where rabbis are wrestling with how to build communities where interfaith couples not only choose Judaism but also feel they belong.

That is the story worth telling — not only what institutions decide, but how rabbis are choosing to learn, stretch and lead.

Adam Pollack is chief program officer at 18Doors.

Sophie Mortman is chief marketing and digital engagement officer at 18Doors.