Who started Reconstructionist Judaism?

Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan
Reconstructionism was developed by Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan (1881–1983) and his son-in-law, Rabbi Ira Eisenstein (1906–2001), over a period of time from the late 1920s to the 1940s.

When was Reform Judaism founded?

The Reform movement began in Germany in 1819, but emerged independently in Britain in 1842 with the establishment of the West London Synagogue.

What does the Hebrew word mikveh mean?

A mikvah is a pool of water — some of it from a natural source — in which observant married Jewish women are required to dip once a month, seven days after the end of their menstrual cycle. “Mikvah” comes from the Hebrew word for “collection,” as in a collection of water.

What is Reform Judaism beliefs?

Reform Judaism (also known as Liberal Judaism or Progressive Judaism) is a major Jewish denomination that emphasizes the evolving nature of the faith, the superiority of its ethical aspects to the ceremonial ones, and belief in a continuous revelation, closely intertwined with human reason and intellect, and not …

What is the equivalent of baptism in Judaism?

tvilah
Although the term “baptism” is not used to describe the Jewish rituals, the purification rites in Halakha Jewish law and tradition, called tvilah, have some similarity to baptism, and the two have been linked. The tvilah is the act of immersion in natural sourced water, called a mikva.

Why did John the Baptist baptize?

John proclaims baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sin, and says another will come after him who will not baptize with water, but with the Holy Spirit.

Who was the founder of the Reconstructionist Judaism?

Mordecai Kaplan: Founder of Reconstructionist Judaism. The smallest of the four branches of American Judaism, Reconstructionism, originated in the philosophy of one individual — Mordecai Kaplan.

What was the first book of the Reconstructionist movement?

In 1935, Kaplan published his book, Judaism as a Civilization: Toward a Reconstruction of American Jewish Life. It was this book that Kaplan claimed was the beginning of the Reconstructionist movement. Judaism as a Civilization suggested that historical Judaism be given a “revaluation… in terms of present-day thought.”

Where was the headquarters of the Reconstructionist movement?

Reconstructing Judaism’s organizational headquarters, Wyncote, Pennsylvania. Reconstructionist Judaism is a modern Jewish movement that views Judaism as a progressively evolving civilization and is based on the conceptions developed by Mordecai Kaplan (1881–1983).

What does Reconstructionist Judaism mean for intermarriage?

Jewish identity. Reconstructionist Judaism allows its rabbis to determine their own policy regarding officiating at intermarriages. Some congregations accept patrilineal as well as matrilineal descent, and children of one Jewish parent, of any gender, are considered Jewish by birth if raised as Jews.