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and that women should serve as rab-
bis and cantors.
"The consensus around these
issues speaks to the underlying
unity and distinctiveness of the
Conservative movement," said Steven
Cohen, the Hebrew Union College
sociologist who conducted the survey
pro bono.
Conservative Judaism's struggle
with the homosexuality issue has
consumed the movement for months
and led to dire predictions from sup-
porters and opponents of a more
permissive attitude.
Supporters have cautioned that
failure to liberalize would further
accelerate the movement's decline.
Opponents counter that liberalization
could splinter the movement.
The survey provided some ammu-
nition for that claim, confirming the
view that American clergy are far
more supportive of gay ordination
than their counterparts in Canada
and Israel.
Support for a more permissive
approach is also far more prevalent
among those who are less religiously
observant, describe themselves as
"liberal") and who have friends or
family that are gay.
Among those who call themselves
theologically liberal, 91 percent

Major Survey Findings:

support gay ordination; among the
theologically conservative, 57 percent
oppose it.
In one particularly striking finding,
35 percent of the rabbis, cantors and
JTS students surveyed agreed that
the liberal teshuvah was "outside the
pale of acceptability of halachic rea-
soning," while only half rejected the
proposition.
That survey question was a nod
to Rabbi Joel Roth, who used similar
language in explaining his resigna-
tion from the law committee to pro-
test the liberal responsum.
Sixty-seven percent of Conservative
clergy reported that they were "some-
what embarrassed" by the commit-
tee's decision.
The survey was conducted entirely
online, with 18,676 invitations
e-mailed to Conservative rabbis,
cantors, seminary students, and
lay and professional leadership;
4,861 responded. An additional 722
responded through a Web site.
Cohen said the survey's margin
of error was "negligible" because of
the high percentage of respondents,
though he acknowledged that the
survey represents the views only of
the movement's leadership, not its
rank-and-file. ! I

Large majority favors gay and lesbian rabbis and cantors: Rabbis are
largely in favor (65 percent to 28 percent, with others unsure), as are
the cantors by a similar margin (67 percent to 27 percent), while lay
leaders split 68 percent to 22 percent.
JTS students also favor admitting gay and lesbian rabbinical stu-
dents: 58 percent to 32 percent for the rabbinical students; 58 percent
to 21 percent for the cantorial students, and 70 percent to 21 percent
for all other JTS students. Among Conservative educators, executive
directors and other professionals, 76 percent are in favor to 16 percent
opposed, while lay leaders split 68 percent to 22 percent and students,
USY and others (largely public access respondents) divide 70 percent to
20 percent.
Support for gay ordination:
Higher in the U.S. than Canada, Israel or elsewhere in the world.
Higher among women than among men.
Higher among younger people than among older people (among those
25 and over).
Higher among the less observant than among the more observant.
Gender Gap: Men divide on the issue of gay rabbis and cantors 60
percent in favor to 33 percent opposed. Women are more heavily pro-
acceptance, by a margin of 86 percent to 10 percent.
The survey also found that large majorities of respondents are united
on the centrality of Halachah to Conservative Judaism, support of
women as clergy, and opposition to both patrilineal descent and rabbis
officiating at mixed marriages. These areas provide the basis for shap-
ing consensus and direction in the future.

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