RECONSTRUCTING JUDAISM MOVEMENT
Reconstructing Judaism as As An Approach
Deeply Rooted, Boldly Relevant
Reconstructionists approach Judaism—and life—with deep consideration of the past and a passion to relate it to the present. Applying our understanding of Judaism as the evolving religious civilization of the Jewish people, we draw from the rich wellsprings of Jewish tradition to face the challenges and opportunities of the current moment.
The name “Reconstructionism” was adopted by Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan in the 1920s to communicate that Judaism itself—its structure, beliefs, rituals, customs and culture—must be “reconstructed” in each generation to renew its relevance and ensure its sustainability. We are proud to carry on Kaplan’s legacy of grounded, purposeful and brave innovation.
Embracing Diversity
We believe that an embrace of diversity—in ways of being Jewish, in religious practice, in who is centered in community life and leadership—is both a strength and a requirement. Following Kaplan’s lead, we continually work to expand the boundaries of the Jewish community without watering down what it means to be Jewish.
We seek to engage the glorious range of Jews and the people who love us as community members and conversation partners. We believe we find our humanity most powerfully in communal conversation. We are clear that the Jewish community must make space for all individuals in our fullness and that in doing so, the community itself will be continually remade.
Core Commitments
A Reconstructionist approach is infused by commitments to:
Deeply Rooted, Boldly Relevant
Reconstructionists approach Judaism—and life—with deep consideration of the past and a passion to relate it to the present. Applying our understanding of Judaism as the evolving religious civilization of the Jewish people, we draw from the rich wellsprings of Jewish tradition to face the challenges and opportunities of the current moment.
The name “Reconstructionism” was adopted by Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan in the 1920s to communicate that Judaism itself—its structure, beliefs, rituals, customs and culture—must be “reconstructed” in each generation to renew its relevance and ensure its sustainability. We are proud to carry on Kaplan’s legacy of grounded, purposeful and brave innovation.
Embracing Diversity
We believe that an embrace of diversity—in ways of being Jewish, in religious practice, in who is centered in community life and leadership—is both a strength and a requirement. Following Kaplan’s lead, we continually work to expand the boundaries of the Jewish community without watering down what it means to be Jewish.
We seek to engage the glorious range of Jews and the people who love us as community members and conversation partners. We believe we find our humanity most powerfully in communal conversation. We are clear that the Jewish community must make space for all individuals in our fullness and that in doing so, the community itself will be continually remade.
Core Commitments
A Reconstructionist approach is infused by commitments to:
- Learning from the vast storehouse of Jewish wisdom and practice while understanding that the past has a vote, not a veto;
- Openness to insights from contemporary society, especially democratic practice and commitments to advancing equity;
- Thinking, dreaming and making decisions in conversation with community—the community gathered around us today, the voices of our ancestors, and, as best as we can anticipate, the needs and aspirations of the communities of tomorrow;
- Feeling empowered to reconstruct and co-create rituals, practices, texts and more in order to build the Jewish community we want to live in.
Evolving Religious Civilization
What we mean by “civilization”
The religion of Judaism is centrally important, and it is not the entirety of the Jewish experience. As any “cultural Jew” can attest, their attachment to Judaism may include language, literature, art, music, movies, food, history, land and ethics and may not be oriented toward or limited to rituals and beliefs.
We acknowledge that people were and are the agents of change.
Our understanding of Reconstructionism as a “civilization” gives legitimacy and standing to many different ways of being Jewish—cultural and political as well as religious. It invites people into the experience of expansive community we call “peoplehood.”
What we mean by “evolving”
The Judaism that we live and practice today is the result of millennia of constant evolution. The religion of the Bible is not the same as Moses Maimonides’ Judaism or Golda Meir’s.
Some changes, like the destruction of the Temple in the first century C.E., were forced on us, while some emerged from internal creativity. From generation to generation and country to country, rabbis, teachers, individual Jews and entire communities have created ever new, different and more personally relevant and contemporary ways of acknowledging their identities and celebrating the values, customs and authentic beliefs of Jewish life.
Reconstructionism teaches that while our ancestors made changes unselfconsciously and attributed them to God’s will, we acknowledge that people were and are the agents of change. We embrace the opportunity and obligation to “reconstruct” —to implement change to renew Judaism’s relevance, ensure continuity and align Jewish practice with our highest values.
What we mean by "religious"
Over millennia, religion has been the major preoccupation of the Jewish people and a central expression of Jewish civilization. Today we draw on the wisdom and tradition of our ancestors—as well as our rabbis, teachers and community members—as we seek our own answers to why we are here and what we are called to do.
Meaning and connection through Jewish practice
Reconstructionism teaches that a primary path to discovering life’s meaning is through the rituals, customs, holidays, prayers and moments of everyday holiness that we can experience through Jewish practice.
God as experienced and made mnifest
For Reconstructionists, God is understood, not as something (or someone) to be “believed in,” but rather to be experienced in the everyday blessings of our lives and to be made manifest through our own loving and righteous actions. God is that power that animates life, that we discover in the daily expressions of creation that surround us, in the faces of our families and friends and in the highest strivings of the human spirit. God is not an external being that acts upon us, but a power that works through us.
Read more: https://www.reconstructingjudaism.org/evolving-religious-civilization/
What we mean by “civilization”
The religion of Judaism is centrally important, and it is not the entirety of the Jewish experience. As any “cultural Jew” can attest, their attachment to Judaism may include language, literature, art, music, movies, food, history, land and ethics and may not be oriented toward or limited to rituals and beliefs.
We acknowledge that people were and are the agents of change.
Our understanding of Reconstructionism as a “civilization” gives legitimacy and standing to many different ways of being Jewish—cultural and political as well as religious. It invites people into the experience of expansive community we call “peoplehood.”
What we mean by “evolving”
The Judaism that we live and practice today is the result of millennia of constant evolution. The religion of the Bible is not the same as Moses Maimonides’ Judaism or Golda Meir’s.
Some changes, like the destruction of the Temple in the first century C.E., were forced on us, while some emerged from internal creativity. From generation to generation and country to country, rabbis, teachers, individual Jews and entire communities have created ever new, different and more personally relevant and contemporary ways of acknowledging their identities and celebrating the values, customs and authentic beliefs of Jewish life.
Reconstructionism teaches that while our ancestors made changes unselfconsciously and attributed them to God’s will, we acknowledge that people were and are the agents of change. We embrace the opportunity and obligation to “reconstruct” —to implement change to renew Judaism’s relevance, ensure continuity and align Jewish practice with our highest values.
What we mean by "religious"
Over millennia, religion has been the major preoccupation of the Jewish people and a central expression of Jewish civilization. Today we draw on the wisdom and tradition of our ancestors—as well as our rabbis, teachers and community members—as we seek our own answers to why we are here and what we are called to do.
Meaning and connection through Jewish practice
Reconstructionism teaches that a primary path to discovering life’s meaning is through the rituals, customs, holidays, prayers and moments of everyday holiness that we can experience through Jewish practice.
God as experienced and made mnifest
For Reconstructionists, God is understood, not as something (or someone) to be “believed in,” but rather to be experienced in the everyday blessings of our lives and to be made manifest through our own loving and righteous actions. God is that power that animates life, that we discover in the daily expressions of creation that surround us, in the faces of our families and friends and in the highest strivings of the human spirit. God is not an external being that acts upon us, but a power that works through us.
Read more: https://www.reconstructingjudaism.org/evolving-religious-civilization/
This material is excerpted from the Reconstructing Judaism website.