The Jewish Daily Forward published an article two weeks ago about the Conservative Movement’s new Heksher Tzedek, a new kashrut initiative that adds labor and environmental standards to traditional kashrut standards.  The article portrays this new initiative as an antidote to the divisive debate on same-sex ordination that the movement went through in 2006. 

While I can understand how this new kashrut standard can be unifying (it’s the first thing in a long time that I’ve really admired from the Conservative Movement), it is bizzarre to say, as the author does,

“The most striking element of the support has been that it has come from both sides of the earlier debate about sexuality. Rabbi Loel Weiss of Temple Beth Am in Randolph, Mass., had opposed the liberalization of the movement’s strictures on homosexuality, but he has spoken out in favor of the new movement.” 

Really?  It’s striking that feelings about homosexuality in the Jewish world and halakha have no relationship to feelings on environmentalism and human rights?

But this connection was not invented by the author.  Apparently lots of people see the link.

“Shafran went on in the article to accuse the Conservative movement of
using Hekhsher Tzedek as “a bald attempt to portray itself as something
other than dwindling and desperate,” citing the recent divisions over
sexuality issues.”

Anyway, read the article for yourself…

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