Saturday, January 24, 2015

the shrinking Conservative Movement

W YORK – The United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism is selling its New York office.
The organization announced Wednesday that it signed a contract last month to sell its two-floor condo in midtown Manhattan for $15.9 million. Proceeds from the sale of the Second Avenue property will go toward paying down its debt, renting new office space and establishing a foundation to fund ongoing programs, United Synagogue said.
United Synagogue is the 102-year-old congregational arm of the Conservative movement. It has taken a financial hit in recent years as Conservative synagogues have shut down, merged with other Conservative or Reform congregations, or pulled out of the congregational group for practical, financial or ideological reasons. The group now has about 600 member synagogues, down from 630 synagogues in 2013 and 675 in 2009. In 1985, it had about 850 synagogues.

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