The Reconstructionist Movement

HISTORY

• Founded by Mordecai Kaplan in the 1920s
• First Jewish denomination formed in US
• Rabbinical school started in 1968
• Currently 109 synagogues and approximately 40,000 members
• Influence in American Judaism much greater than size

BELIEFS

• Judaism is more than a religion; it is an evolving religious civilization.
• Judaism is the creation of the Jewish people themselves, not of God.
• Jewish law is not the sole decision maker: i.e. the past "has a vote, not a veto."
• A belief in a non-supernatural deity: "God is the process that leads to salvation"
• The driving force behind Judaism is belonging rather than believing.
• Judaism and working for social justice are inseparable.
• The State of Israel is vital to Jewish cultural and spiritual survival.

Differences between Reform and Reconstructionism

• Reform Judaism values individual autonomy/ Reconstructionism values communal decision making.
• Reform Judaism is the largest of the major US denominations/ Reconstructionism is the smallest.
• Reform Judaism uses more traditional God language/ Reconstructionism uses a more traditional prayer style.

Reform Judaism

HISTORY

• Founded in Germany in the early 1800s
• The 1st Jewish response to Enlightenment
• Key figures:
• Abraham Geiger (1810-1874)
• Isaac Mayer Wise (1819-1900)
• Stephen S. Wise (1874-1949)
• The largest Jewish Denomination with 1.5 million members, 900 synagogues

REFORM BELIEFS

• Belief in God as defined in the Shema.
• Belief that the Torah was written by human hands, in the language of its time, with divine inspiration.
• Belief in the rationality of humanity.
• Belief that the process of reinterpretation of the Torah to the language of today is ongoing, and that every Jew has a stake and a role in that restatement and extension.
• Belief in egalitarianism (equal treatment of the sexes) wherever possible.
• Belief in the strong moral and social action commitment inherent in the Torah and embodied in the concept of Tikkun Olam, rebuilding the world.