By Andrew Adler
Community Editor
The latest in a series of periodic explorations looking at whether Louisville’s two Conservative synagogues should merge resulted – as have previous looks – in what amounts to a single word: No.
“We regret to inform you that, after a thoughtful, thorough and heartfelt discussion, the Steering Committee [comprising members of Congregation Adath Jeshurun and Keneseth Israel Congregation] does not see a way forward at this time for the potential integration into a single Conservative congregation in Louisville, despite the potential long-term benefits to both congregations and the community at large by doing so,” said a statement emailed on July 23, addressed “Dear Keneseth Israel Family.” (AJ emailed a similar communication to its congregants.)
“The Steering Committee, therefore, recommended to the Boards of Directors of Adath Jeshurun & Keneseth Israel on the basis of our consultant’s professional opinion and expertise that the integration exploration process cease at this time and that our congregations put our efforts into continuing and deepening our congregations’ partnership across worship, educational, and social events while remaining independent congregations [emphasis theirs]. The Steering Committee additionally recommends that each board’s president nominate three of their congregants to serve with both congregations’ clergy on an ad hoc committee to serve these continued partnership efforts.”
That same day, KI board president Alane Goldstein emailed a further statement providing additional context to the year-long joint exploration:
“Throughout the process, we held firmly to values of transparency, collaboration, and mutual respect,” Goldstein wrote. “From the outset, both synagogues agreed upon certain shared principles—guardrails meant to ensure that the process would be fair, balanced, and inclusive of all voices. As the journey unfolded, it became clear to us that some of those foundational understandings had shifted in ways that ultimately proved too challenging to overcome.”
She added: “Keneseth Israel and Adath Jeshurun will continue to seek opportunities for joint programming, shared services, and partnership where beneficial. We believe that our collective strength as a Jewish community in Louisville depends on these kinds of cooperative relationships, and we look forward to building on them in the future. We remain committed to a strong, diverse Jewish community in Louisville, and believe that our collective future will be strengthened by working together in ways that honor the uniqueness of each congregation”
In a subsequent statement dated July 28 and addressed “Dear Congregants,” Adath Jeshurun board president Felissa Goldstein elaborated on the decision to maintain mutually independent status:
“I appreciate your feedback over the past few days, as we have mutually agreed to cease merger discussions with Keneseth Israel,” she wrote. “There have been some additional questions about the process, including the redlines [tinyurl.com/y2uc5av3] that ultimately led to the decision not to move forward. I felt it was important to provide some clarity around these issues.
From the beginning, our leadership approached this process with the goal of exploring whether a merger would strengthen Adath Jeshurun and the future of Conservative Judaism in Louisville. However, as conversations deepened, several clear redlines emerged on both sides.
We also want to address an important question that many are asking: Why was the congregation not invited to vote on this decision? [emphasis hers]
“The committees never reached a point where final recommendations were presented to the steering committee. Due to the nature of the redlines—which raised questions about future building renovations and funding, cemetery plots and burials, and governance post-merger—the steering committee simply did not see a path forward.
We understand that not being part of a final vote is disappointing to many of you. This was a very difficult decision for all members of the steering committee and not one we made lightly. Moving forward, we will continue to seek opportunities to collaborate with Keneseth Israel, while also focusing on strengthening Adath Jeshurun as we know it.”