Marking twenty years of continental leadership and community building, Masorti Europe convened its landmark regional conference at Adath Shalom and DorVador Masorti Synagogues, in the French capital.

The milestone gathering brought together 180 rabbis, community presidents, educators, professionals and emerging leaders for Sunday’s working sessions, with more than 250 participants joining celebrations across the celebratory Shabbat weekend. Delegates represented communities across 17 countries, including 11 European nations alongside global movement partners from Israel, North America, South America, and Australia.

Jacques Adida, President of Massorti France, reflected: “This gathering reinforces our shared commitment to a Judaism that is open, authentic, and forward-looking.”

Held under the banner “Honouring Our Roots, Shaping Our Future,” the conference highlighted the strength, maturity, and growth of Masorti/Conservative Judaism as the continuation of traditional, evolving Jewish life across Europe. Participants engaged in four intensive working tracks addressing deep text study, prayer leadership and communal singing, multi-generational governance, and public advocacy for European Jewish life. As Dr. Wanda Teplitsky, President of Masorti Europe, noted, “Across eleven European countries, our kehilot and emerging minyanim are showing that the future of European Jewry lies in an authentic, traditional, and evolving Judaism.”

A central highlight of the gathering was the exploration of modern, responsive community models. In a featured track entitled “Beyond the Brick Shul,” grassroots leaders and experienced rabbis showcased how traditional-egalitarian kehilot are pioneering forward-thinking, agile approaches to gathering, learning, and prayer. By combining deep halakhic integrity with creative community design, Masorti/Conservative communities are successfully engaging diverse, multigenerational demographics and demonstrating that Jewish belonging is built through shared ownership, vibrant ritual, and personal connection.

Intergenerational continuity and rabbinic excellence were prominent throughout the weekend. Emerging youth and young adult leaders from NOAM and Marom took an active role across plenary discussions and panels alongside ordained clergy from the International and European Rabbinical Assembly and rabbinical students from the Abraham Joshua Heschel Rabbinical Seminary in Germany. Reflecting on this collaboration, Rabbi Jacob Blumenthal, CEO of the Rabbinical Assembly, said, “Seeing lay leaders, rabbis, and dynamic young activists from across the continent learning and building together makes it clear: Masorti Europe is charting a confident, compelling path for an authentic, traditional-egalitarian Jewish future.”

Izzie Solomon, Mazkirut NOAM UK and emerging leader, stressed the importance of listening to youth and entrusting them with real responsibility: “For young Masorti Jews across Europe, community isn't something we are waiting to inherit, we are actively building and shaping it right now.”

Dr Yizhar Hess, Vice-Chair of the World Zionist Organization (WZO) and Executive Vice President of MERCAZ Olami, expressed hope in the dedicated Masorti leadership across the continent. “The true answer is building vibrant, proud Jewish life, a traditional Judaism for modern Jews that embraces our heritage while engaging fearlessly with the modern world,” he said.

The conference concluded on Sunday afternoon with the closing plenary, “Carrying the Flame,” featuring addresses from movement leadership and culminating in a communal singing of Hatikvah.

Tehila Reuben, Interim CEO of Masorti Olami, shared the sense of belonging she felt throughout the gathering: “I’m leaving our Paris conference with a very personal feeling of belonging, and a responsibility to help more people feel it too. We came to celebrate how far we have come in over 20 years, despite the challenges, and to connect with each other to make our future a better place. That is our strength. That’s the work ahead of us, together. Let’s take what we felt here in Paris back to our communities and keep building from there.”

We congratulate Masorti Europe, the host communities, and everyone who helped make the conference a success. Bringing leaders from different countries and generations together creates space to learn from one another, share practical ideas, and build relationships that continue beyond the weekend. These connections help communities grow and support one another, strengthening Masorti/Conservative Jewish life across Europe.

For more personal reflections from leaders and participants, read “Voices from the 2026 Masorti Europe Conference in Paris,” published by Masorti Judaism in the UK: masorti.org.uk/voices-from-the-2026-masorti-europe-conference-in-paris/

Photos by Eva Dray