A new liberal Jewish seminary is seeking to take over the Cincinnati campus of Hebrew Union College following the closure of its rabbinical program.
The dispute centers on the future of the historic site and its assets. The College for Contemporary Judaism argues that taking over the campus is necessary to preserve liberal rabbinical education in the Midwest.
This legal struggle began shortly after Hebrew Union College graduated its final rabbinical class in Cincinnati. The closure of the program where the seminary first began was reported on May 5, 2026 [2]. In response, the College for Contemporary Judaism filed a motion in a state lawsuit to secure the campus and its associated assets [1].
Adding to the complexity, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost has filed a second lawsuit [3]. Yost said he is suing to keep the campus open, arguing that Hebrew Union College broke a promise to maintain a Reform rabbinical school in Cincinnati [3].
There are now two separate lawsuits concerning the fate of the Cincinnati campus [3]. While Hebrew Union College has moved to shut down its rabbinical program, the state and the new seminary are contesting how the assets should be handled, or whether the campus can be saved from total closure [1, 3].
The College for Contemporary Judaism represents a new effort to maintain a liberal Jewish presence in the region. Meanwhile, the state's intervention suggests that the original agreements governing the school's presence in Ohio may carry legal obligations that the institution cannot simply ignore.
“The College for Contemporary Judaism filed a motion in a state lawsuit seeking to take over Hebrew Union College’s Cincinnati campus.”
This conflict highlights a tension between the institutional evolution of historic religious organizations and the legal expectations of the communities that host them. By involving the state attorney general, the dispute transforms from a private denominational disagreement into a matter of public and contractual accountability regarding the preservation of cultural and educational landmarks in Cincinnati.
