MODERN DENOMINATIONS OF JUDAISM From Living Judaism by Rabbi Wayne Dosick

Orthodox Judaism  Mainstream Judaism  Belief in the direct revelation of divine law which was recorded in the Torah  It is eternal, unchanging, and the sole guide for life  Carefully and strictly observe the commandments as the direct will of God  Ultra-Orthodox assert that complete separation from secular society

Famous for their dress. From eastern Europe in the early 18 th C. Emphasizes both contemplative meditation and fervent joy. Lubavitch Chasidism (Chabad) is contemporary American Chasidism Chasidism—Sect of Orthodox

Reform Judaism  Early 19 th C. Germany  Assert authorship of Torah to Divinely inspired human beings  Modern worship mostly in vernacular

Conservative Judaism  Response to Reform mid to late 19 th C. Europe  Agree that change was necessary but felt Reform had eliminated too many basic Jewish practices  Motto is “tradition and change”  Fiddler on the Roof Fiddler on the Roof

Reconstructionist Judaism  Early 1920s in US by Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan  Judaism is not merely a religion, but an evolving religious civilization, a peoplehood, a culture, as well as a faith community

All of Judaism  To accept Torah and fulfill its mitzvot  To embrace the ethical mandate of Judaism  To regulate existence to Judaism’s rituals & observances  To support Jewish causes  To be a devoted member of the Jewish community  To maintain a bond and a sense of mutual interdependence with the Jewish Land  To feel a connection to Jewish history  To be committed to the creative survival of the Jewish future