Religion - Jewish Denominations
Over time, the Jewish
community has become divided into a number of religious denominations,
also called "branches" or "movements". Each denomination has a different
understanding of what principles of belief a Jew should hold, and how
one should live as a Jew.
Denominations of Judaism
Traditionally, Judaism is not divided into religious traditions based on
theological difference, although a wide array of communities have
developed independently, distinguishable by their varying practices with
respect to matters that are not considered central ideas within Judaism
(see Maimonides' Jewish principles of faith). Although there are
numerous Jewish communities throughout the world, there are several that
are large enough to be considered "predominant". Ashkenazi communities
comprise approximately 42% of the world's Jewish population, and
Sephardic communities comprise approximately 37%. Of the remainder, the
collectively-named Mizrahi Jewish communities, the "Arab" and "Persian
Jews", comprise the greatest part, with about 16% of the world's Jewish
population. The remaining Jewish communities are divided among a wide
array of small groups, some of which are nearing extinction as a result
of assimilation into surrounding non-Jewish cultures, or assimilation
into surrounding Jewish cultures; increasing intermarriage between
different Jewish groups has had the effect of blurring these identities
for many. Religiously speaking, most Jewish communities have
historically held that there is no relevant role for "dogma"—rather,
that there is Jewish law, only. The extent to which every Jew as an
individual abides by Jewish law has long been regarded as a matter of
personal preference, although the idea has always been prominent that
every Jew should be as observant of the laws as they are able. The
Enlightenment, had a tremendous effect on Jewish identity and on ideas
about the importance and role of Jewish observance. Due to the
geographical distribution and the geopolitical entities affected by the
Enlightenment, this philosophical revolution essentially affected only
the Ashkenazi community; however, because of the predominance of the
Ashkenazi community in Israeli politics and in Jewish leadership
worldwide, the effects have been significant for all Jews.
Divisions within the Ashkenazi Community
Perhaps the greatest dogmatic divisions since the time of the division
between the Sadduccees and Pharisees two millennia ago, are the
divisions within the Ashkenazic community that have arisen in the past
two centuries, ever since the Enlightenment and the Renaissance began to
penetrate the boundaries of northern and eastern European Jewish
communities. The first evidence of this great dogmatic schism was the
development of the "Reform" movement, which sought to reject everything
it considered "ethnic" about Judaism, preferring to regard Judaism as a
religious alternative to Christianity, without any of the cultural or
ethnic trappings that had been traditionally associated with Jewish
observance.
* Orthodox Judaism (includes Hasidic Judaism, Haredi ("Ultra-Orthodox")
Judaism and Modern Orthodox Judaism). Orthodox Jews generally see
themselves as practicing normative Judaism, rather than belonging to a
particular movement.
* Conservative Judaism. Outside of the USA it is known as Masorti
Judaism.
* Reform Judaism (outside of the USA also known as Progressive Judaism)
originally formed in Germany as a reaction to traditional Judaism,
stresses integration with society and a personal interpretation of the
Torah.
* Reconstructionist Judaism. A small liberal Jewish movement, for the
most part found only in the USA. It began as a leftist-leaning
(politically) liberal (religiously) movement within Conservative
Judaism, which formally separated itself from Conservative Judaism in
the 1980s.
* Union for Traditional Judaism (UTJ) [1] began within the Conservative
Judaism community, as did the earlier Reconstructionist movement, but
whereas Reconstructionism moved to the left of the Jewish religious
spectrum, the Union for Traditional Judaism has moved to the right of
the Conservative movement. It is ideologically opposed to the cultural
and ethical liberalism of much of the Conservative community, and
politically and religiously opposed to the segments of the Conservative
community which eventually came to comprise the Reconstructionist
movement. The Union for Traditional Judaism was founded in opposition
primarily to the decision by the Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS) to
ordain women as rabbis. The opposition to this move was based not so
much in philosophical differences, but in an opposition to the fact that
the JTS decided to begin ordaining women as rabbis as a result of a
popular vote among academics at the institution, in contravention of a
similar vote in favor of not ordaining women as rabbis, taken by the
Rabbinical Assembly. Unlike Conservative, Reform and Reconstructionist
Judaism, the Union for Traditional Judaism does not regard itself as a
dogmatic organization, nor even as an association of synagogues, rather
as an organization devoted to promoting its "orthodox-leaning" ideals
among Jews of all "denominations".
Hasidic Judaism
Hasidic Judaism was founded by Israel ben Eliezer (1700-1760), also
known as the Ba'al Shem Tov, or the Besht. His disciples attracted many
followers; they themselves established numerous Hasidic sects across
Europe. Hasidic Judaism eventually became the way of life for many Jews
in Europe; it came to the United States during the large waves of Jewish
emigration in the 1880s.
Early on, there was a serious schism between the Hasidic and non-Hasidic
Jews. European Jews who rejected the Hasidic movement were dubbed by the
Hasidim as mitnagdim (lit. "opponents"). Some of the reasons for the
rejection of Hasidic Judaism were the overwhelming exuberance of Hasidic
worship; their untraditional ascriptions of infallibility and alleged
miracle-working to their leaders, and the concern that it might become a
messianic sect. Since then all the sects of Hasidic Judaism have been
subsumed into mainstream Orthodox Judaism, particularly Haredi Judaism.
See the articles on Hasidic Judaism and Mitnagdim for more detailed
information.
Other divisions
* Sephardic and Mizrahi Judaism. These communities include the vast
majority of remaining Jewish communities, commonly called either Edat
Sfarad or Edot haMizrach. Doctrinally, according to these communities,
one is either "observant" or "not observant", with numerous gradations
in between. This view is an extension of the traditional Jewish position
that observance of the mitzvot is a matter of progression toward
perfection, rather than an "all or nothing" proposition. Over the past 2
centuries, this position, which appears "tolerant" by comparison, has
been one of the great hallmarks delimiting Sephardic and Mizrachi forms
of Judaism from Ashkanazic "Orthodoxy".
* Karaite Judaism. A small movement which accepts only the written
Tanakh, for the most part found in Israel.
* Beta Israel. The sect of the Ethopian Jews.
* Samaritans. An ancient sect, dating from the Babylonian Exile,
sometimes not regarded as Jews. Identified as the Kuthim (possibly after
the city of Kut, in modern Iraq, from which their ancestors are believed
to have come), who opposed the return of the exiles, as recorded in the
books of Ezra and Nehemiah.
* There exist numerous other small sects within Judaism, and ethnic
groups of Jews. For a more in-depth discussion, see Jewish ethnic
divisions.
Development of modern denominations in response to the Enlightenment
In the late 18th century Europe, and then the rest of the world, was
swept by a group of intellectual, social and political movements that
taken together were referred to as the Enlightenment. These movements
promoted scientific thinking, free thought, and allowed people to
question previously unshaken religious dogmas. The emancipation of the
Jews in many European communities, and the Haskalah movement started by
Moses Mendelssohn, brought the Enlightnment to the Jewish community.
Some Jews felt that Enlightenment values, especially the incorporation
of secular subjects into Jewish education, as well increased integration
with the outside world, would bring much to Judaism. Others, however,
noted that this same era allowed Jews, for the first time, the ability
to easily assimilate into Christian society; this was a powerful
attraction for many Jews, since only by becoming a Christian (at least
nominally) would one be certain to have equal rights and civil
liberties. Further, historical study of the development of the religion
might call into question some previously held dogmas about Judaism; if a
few beliefs were found to be incorrect, where would one draw the line?
In response to the challenges of integrating Jewish life with
Enlightenment values, German Jews in the early 1800s began to develop
the concept of Reform Judaism, adapting Jewish practice to the new
conditions of a increasingly urbanized and secular community. Reform
Judaism quickly spread throughout Europe, eventually reaching America
with the formation of the American Reform Movement and Hebrew Union
College in 1870.
At the same time, more traditional Judaism continued as a series of
loosely linked communities known as Orthodox Judaism. This loose
differentiation did not hold for long. The various groups in Orthodox
Judaism had differing approaches to Jewish law, however, and developed
into a number of different groups, which today can be loosely grouped
into Modern Orthodox Judaism and Haredi Judaism.
The Reform movement splintered in the late 19th century, however, as
some Jews felt that its changes were too radical, but that the
strictures of more Orthodox Judaism were too inflexible. Thus, third
school of thought developed which held that Jewish law and tradition was
not static, but rather had always developed in response to changing
conditions. This approach, Positive-Historical Judaism, held that Jews
should accept Jewish law as normative (i.e. binding) yet must also be
open to developing the law in the same fashion that it had developed in
the past. This school of thought gave birth to the communities now known
as Masorti Judaism, Conservative Judaism, and Traditional Judaism.
In recent years, smaller splinter movements have developed:
Reconstructionist Judaism and Humanistic Judaism. In terms of their
spectrum of beliefs and practices, Reconstructionist Judaism now
overlaps with Reform Judaism, and Humanistic Judaism is now identical to
secular humanism. (See also: Alternative Judaism)
Non-Orthodox denominations of Judaism recognize Orthodox Judaism as a
valid and legitimate form of Judaism, despite theological differences.
Most of Orthodox Judaism, however, does not recognize any form of
Judaism as authentic except for itself; many Orthodox Jews view
non-Orthodox forms of Judaism practice as non-Jewish (though this does
not mean that they view the practitioners of other branches of Judaism
as non-Jewish, see Who is a Jew?).
The issue of Zionism was once heavily divisive in the Jewish community.
Secular non-Zionists believed that Jews should integrate into the
countries in which they lived, rather than moving to Israel; religious
non-Zionists believed that the return to Israel could only happen with
the coming of the Messiah, and that attempting to re-establish Israel
earlier was disobeying God's plan. After the painful events of the
twentieth century, such as World War II and the Holocaust, secular
anti-Zionism has largely disappeared; however some Hasidim are still
opposed to Zionism on religious grounds. One specific example is the
Neturei Karta.
From:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_denominations
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