The History of the Masorti Foundation

The Masorti Foundation for Conservative Judaism in Israel, a national organization based in New York City, works to ensure a pluralistic, egalitarian, and fully democratic Israel.   It does this by supporting the Masorti Movement in Israel.  That movement is based on values of inclusion combined with traditional practice and Halakha (Jewish Law).  The Masorti Movement in Israel creates opportunities for all Jews to live Jewish lives in Israel unhindered, and on their own terms.

What started as only two synagogues that identified as Conservative in the country until the mid-60’s -Jerusalem’s Emet V’Emunah Congregation, dating back to the mid-1930s, and the Moriah Synagogue in Haifa, established in 1955 by the father of David Siegel, who until recently was the Consul General in LA from Israel, is now nearly 80 strong, all across the country, in rural and city settings. For more than 30 years of it’s history, the Masorti Foundation has supported and nurtured this growth of the Masorti Movement in Israel.

The Masorti Movement in Israel continuously advocates for equal recognition from the Israeli government for all Jews, no matter how they converted, or where they fall on the spectrum of Jewish observance. Masorti is creating real societal change throughout the country. The Masorti Foundation is proud to support this enterprise–vital for Judaism in Israel and throughout the world.