Judaism's 5 Different Movements

While Judaism is generally considered one of the oldest non-pagan religions, there a numerous movements that have evolved as society has. The most traditional and most observant movement in the Jewish religion is the Orthodox. Orthodox Jews strictly interpret the Torah (also referred to as the Old Testament or the Five Books of Moses). These Jews strictly adhere to all aspect of Kashruth (keeping Kosher) dietary requirements. Kashruth not only requires not eating meat and dairy together, but is a strict code which specifies how a cow, chicken, lamb or turkey is to be slaughtered and by whom, what parts of a cow can be used, rabbinical supervision of the food preparation process, etc. Their is also a strict code regarding Shabbat (or the Jewish Sabbath, celebrated from Sundown on Friday evening through Sundown on Saturday evening). This code clearly prohibits items that are work-related, and has come to include driving or riding in a car during Shabbat, turning on or off lights, etc. Even in a movement as traditional and adherent as the Orthodox, there are several sub-movements including Lebavitch, Chabbad, Modern Orthodox, Chassidic, etc.

The Conservative movement believes in many of the traditions of the Orthodox, but has made certain modifications for their followers. while Traditional Conservatives adhere to the rules of Kashruth and Shabbat, some Conservative synagogues has made modifications related to driving on Shabbat, and egalitarianism (the Orthodox have strict rules regarding women's place within the community, including codes for a woman's clothing- what parts must be covered, and where women sit in a synagogue (Orthodox do not permit women to sit with men at services). Some Conservative synagogues have adopted a larger role for women as part of the service while others have not, and it has caused internal controversy in many synagogue communities.

The Reform movement was started because many Jews felt a need to maintain their Jewish identity, but did not feel that they wanted or needed to observe many of the other requirements. While Reform synagogues at one time were extremely liberal in their Judaic interpretation, in recent years, many have re-adopted several of the more traditional aspects of the religion. For example, while in some Reform synagogues, most men do not wear head coverings (known as Kippas, or Yamulkes), many Reform congregations encourage the use of Kippas.

A newer movement, only about 6o years old, is Reconstructionism. Reconstructionists define the movement as "Judaism for the evolving Jewish society," and has made numerous adjustments based on that premise. Originally begun by a former Orthodox and Conservative Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan, this movement originally developed to offer women equality in the Jewish religion. An off-shoot of the Conservative movement, Reconstructionism lets its followers decide many things for themselves, based on understanding and learning. Rabbis in the Reconstructionist movement often decribe themselves as well- trained and educated "tour operaqtors," whose function is to help the congregation better understand issues so as to make an intelligent decision.

Kabbalah is an interpretation based on many spiritual writings, and is a deep study of an ancient viewpoint that looked extensively at spiritualism. There are major Kabbalah centers, and one of the most famous is located in Los Angeles.

Unlike some other religions, this multi-faceted look at Judaism permits people with considerably different belief levels to still participate at a level that is comfortable to them. While some prefer one movement over another, and certain movements have at time been intolerant to members of other movements, the many movements permit wider participation. There is extensive writing on all of these movements, and anyone intrigued by one movement or another, can gain considerable understanding and knowledge by further study.