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By

Lucian Hudson

Opinion

Offering a third way for Judaism

May 16, 2014 15:47
2 min read

The growth of the Charedi and secular sections of our community identified by the recent JPR community survey has been much remarked upon. Much less noted has been growth by almost a third of those identifying as progressive.

These figures hide a huge "churn". Nevertheless, they demonstrate the ability of Liberal Judaism - in the words of a once famous beer advertisement - to reach the Jews other denominations cannot reach.

The trend is confirmed by the increase in the number of Liberal Jewish communities. In the past few weeks we have seen new Liberal communities established in Suffolk and York, bringing the total number to 40. Over 300 people attended our largest ever biennial conference last weekend. Membership numbers are up, engagement is growing and finances are robust.

But the impact of Liberal Judaism is not just about numbers.

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