Religion in Daily Life By the Rev. Edward Chinn, D.Min. Rector, All Saints’ Church 9601 Frankford Ave. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19114 (215) 637-5225 Written 8 August 2000

An Orthodox Jew, Joseph Lieberman, is the first Jewish vice-presidential candidate. His religion makes us think of modern Judaism. Within Judaism there are the Orthodox, Reform, Conservative, and Reconstructionist denominations. Since Lieberman is an Orthodox Jew, let’s begin by asking how Orthodox Judaism differs from other Jewish denominations? Until recent centuries, Judaism was basically Orthodox. The Orthodox see a chain of tradition stretching back to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The first five books of the Bible make up the Torah (instruction). Their main texts are the Torah, the Talmud, and the later commentators. They stress commitment to halachah (Jewish law). In 1990, six percent of America’s six million Jews identified themselves as Orthodox.

Reform Judaism started in Germany in the mid-19th century. German immigrants brought this approach to the United States. Instead of seeing the Torah as dictated by God, they recognized its divinely inspired human authors. Reform Jews look on the law as instructional and inspirational, but not binding (except for its ethical laws). Reform Jews modernized the synagogue worship service. They eliminated much of the Hebrew language and ritual practices. Reform Judaism sees the continuing need to interpret the Jewish tradition from the perspective of individual conscience and informed choice. Today North American Jewry is about 42 percent Reform, making it the largest and fastest-growing Jewish movement.

Conservative Judaism was founded as a response to Reform Judaism. The movement’s founders accepted the Reform idea that changes were needed in an ever-changing world. While they agreed that the Jewish law needed to be adapted to new circumstances, they saw the basis for making personal decisions is not the individual conscience, but the consensus of scholars and the accepted practice of the community. They felt that Reform Judaism had eliminated too many basic Jewish practices. They wanted to conserve some of the theology and rituals that Reform Jews had eliminated. In 1985, Conservatives began to ordain women as rabbis (the first Reform woman rabbi was ordained in 1972). Hebrew is used in synagogue services and traditional prayer garb is worn. In 1990, 40 percent of American Jews claimed to be Conservative.

Reconstructionist Judaism arose in the early 1920s in the United States. It came from the teachings of Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan. Reconstructionist philosophy rejects the idea of a personal supernatural God. Instead, they think of God as a natural force, like gravity, built into the structure of the universe. The followers of Reconstructionism want to reconstruct Judaism because they see it as an “evolving religious civilization.” In 1990, less than 2 percent of America’s Jews said that they were Reconstructionist.

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