Jewish seminary follows UJ's lead on gays

Four months ago, it seemed like Bel-Air's University of Judaism was stepping out from the shadow of its big brother in New York, the Jewish Theological Seminary. JTS is the flagship of Conservative Judaism and has trained the movement's most esteemed rabbis. The governing body of the Conservative movement, of which the UJ has always been the second-fiddle seminary, adopted an opinion by the UJ's rector that says ordaining gays and lesbians is OK before God. And this month the UJ announced it had admitted its first gay students to its Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies.

It remained unclear if JTS would follow suit. Of the four members who resigned from the governing body after the December vote, two are on the faculty of JTS. But today, JTS said it will start admitting gay students.

Coincidentally, the University of Judaism announced last week that they were going to be merging with Brandeis-Bardin Institute in Simi Valley to build a better overall Jewish cultural, social and educational program. Officials of the newly named American Jewish University hope the move raises the two's collective national profile.