Trefa Banquet

The so-called "Trefa Banquet" was an elegant and sumptuous dinner held on July 11, 1883, at the Highland House restaurant in Cincinnati, Ohio. Held in honor of the first graduating class of Hebrew Union College (including David Philipson, a major source on the event) and the delegates to the eighth annual meeting of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations, it offended a number of guests by featuring non-kosher (treyf) foods. It became symbolic of the growing divide within American Reform Judaism, which would eventually lead to the birth of Conservative Judaism.

Trefa Banquet

The so-called "Trefa Banquet" was an elegant and sumptuous dinner held on July 11, 1883, at the Highland House restaurant in Cincinnati, Ohio. Held in honor of the first graduating class of Hebrew Union College (including David Philipson, a major source on the event) and the delegates to the eighth annual meeting of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations, it offended a number of guests by featuring non-kosher (treyf) foods. It became symbolic of the growing divide within American Reform Judaism, which would eventually lead to the birth of Conservative Judaism.