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Reform Judaism

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Reform Judaism refers to the spectrum to beliefs, practices and organizational infrastructure associated with Reform Judaism in North America and in the United Kingdom. For more about the beliefs of Reform Judaisms, see Beliefs and practices in Progressive Judaism.

The term also may refer to the Israeli Progressive Movement, the worldwide Progressive movement, the Reform movement in Judaism, and the magazine Reform Judaism.

Reform Judaism in North America

Reform Judaism is one of the two North American denominations affiliated with the World Union for Progressive Judaism. It is the largest denomination of American Jews today. With an estimated 1.1 million members, it also accounts for the largest number of Jews affiliated with Progressive Judaism worldwide.

Reform Judaism in Britain

UK Reform is one of two Progressive movements in the UK. For details on the relationship between the two progressive movements, see Progressive Judaism (United Kingdom).

Progressive Judaism in Israel

After a failed attempt in the 1930s to start an Israeli movement, the World Union for Progressive Judaism tried again in the 1970s and created the movement now known as the Israeli Progressive Movement. Because the first rabbis in the 1970s were trained in the United States, the Israeli press and public often refers to the Israeli Progressive Movement as "Reform".

Reform movement in Judaism

Along with other forms of non-orthodox Judaism, the US Reform, UK Reform, and Israeli Progressive Movement can all trace their intellectual roots to the Reform movement in Judaism. Elements of Orthodoxy developed their cohesive identity in reaction to the Reform movement in Judaism.

Although US Reform, UK Reform, and Israeli Progressive Judaism all share an intellectual heritage, they have taken places at different ends of the non-orthodox spectrum. The US Reform movement reflects the more radical end. The UK Reform and Progressive Israeli movements, along with the US Conservative movement and Masorti Judaism, occupy the more conservative end of the non-orthodox Judaisms.

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Last updated on Thursday March 13, 2008 at 22:49:25 PDT (GMT -0700)
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