The Board of Governors of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR) voted on Monday to end its rabbinical training program, after its currently enrolled students graduate, by the end of 2026.
The Reform movement will continue to train rabbis at its campuses in New York and Los Angeles. In addition, the Cincinnati campus will continue to operate as a research center and offer certain courses.
The movement said in a statement: “Our governors engaged in the session with the understanding that the decisions we were considering were painful and difficult for all, but with a common, expressed commitment to treat each other with respect, embracing our differences in order to reach thoughtful, constructive conclusions.”
It follows a demographic trend showing that the Reform and Conservative streams are shrinking over the long term while Orthodox numbers continue to grow.
