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While the Conservative movement's leaders discussed their denomination's future in Cherry Hill this week, they were enlisting a critical younger cohort to do the same.

At the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism's 2009 international biennial, some of those who applied for the convention and indicated they were under 45, in addition to others who the USCJ recruited separately or individual synagogues nominated, participated in the first concrete programming of the umbrella's Young Leaders Institute.

Of the 35 people who took part, a handful were in their 20s, two were fifth-year Jewish Theological Seminary students, and the majority were in their late 30s, organizer Lisa Alter Krule, executive director of the USCJ's Midwest Region, told The Jewish State.

"If this population isn't tapped, we have the risk of really blending in with the woodwork more than we already are," Alter Krule said.

Young Leaders sessions, which took place on Sunday and Monday at the convention, included "Young/Emerging Leadership Orientation," "Creating Breeding Grounds for Leadership Talent," "Post Game Show: Discussing & Debriefing" Rabbi Steven Wernick's keynote speech on Sunday, "Breakfast with Rabbi Steven Wernick & Top Law/Professional USCJ Leadership," "Convention Workshops," and "Young Leadership Recognition Lunch."

Wernick, who pushed for the Young Leaders Institute to be part of the convention, explained that while synagogues are at their strongest when it comes to assisting preschool and bar mitzvah age children, the fact that 20 and 30 somethings have been getting married later in life means that synagogues need to remember that age bracket as well, so they won't wait over 20 years to receive the attention they deserve.

In simple terms, "young people today are doing things and we need to help them do it," Wernick told The Jewish State.

The Young Leaders participants knew little about the logistics of how USCJ works, Alter Krule said, but their passion for Conservative Judaism was there. Some participants were even vice president of synagogue boards, she said.

"They have their own ideas, dreams, missions, goals," Alter Krule said.

The fact that the first Young Leaders cohort wasn't flooded with 20-somethings means the USCJ isn't quite reaching that age group yet, Alter Krule said, but it wasn't for a lack of effort, as the organization kept up with the digital age by forming a Young Leaders email listserv and even a Facebook group.

Ultimately, the Young Leaders Institute was about beginning to pass the torch to the younger generation, Wernick said, by telling them it's their turn to lead, their role is valued, and that USCJ is there to provide support.

"I think it was an excellent beginning, they are anxious to continue the work that we started," Alter Krule said of the young leaders.