Groups within Judaism

It is easy to think that all Jews have the same beliefs and worship in the same way. This is not so. While all Jews will share the same history and the same sense of destiny as God's chosen people they are not all alike. We can divide the Jews into two main groups Orthodox and Non-Orthodox.

Orthodox Jews

Orthodox Jews are in the majority in all the Jewish communities in the world except those in the USA. Orthodox Jews believe that the old traditions of the faith must be kept alive and honoured. Since they hold the Torah to be the actual word of God, as written down by Moses, then all the laws in the Torah must be obeyed. This is because these laws are the will of God and so are true for all times and in all places.

Orthodox Judaism consists of other smaller groups. One of the most important are the Chassidim, who insist that an even stricter code must be followed. The Chassidim stand out from the other Orthodox Jews in their refusal to wear modern clothes. They still wear the clothes that the founders of the Chassidim wore in the 17th century.

Orthodox Jews will follow the laws about the Sabbath and the Kosher food laws to the letter. They will do no work on the Sabbath and will celebrate all the festivals. They do not believe that the laws that were written in the Torah were just for the Jews who lived 3000 plus years ago but that all the laws should be followed today.

Non-Orthodox Jews

Since the end of the 1700s there have been Jews who have tried to 'modernise' Judaism, and to make the Jews more integrated with the non-Jews in the place where they live. Such Jews have had different names. These movements say that there are some things which are vital and central to being a Jew but there are a lot of things that must change with the times. So the non-Orthodox Jew will say the Shema and keep the Sabbath, but they might drive to the synagogue, or work if they were a nurse, or do the shopping. They would also be more relaxed in keeping the strict food laws, and in their relationships with non-Jews. In the more liberal communities they would marry non-Jews.

They would say that a lot of the Torah (book of the law) was written 3000 years ago and so cannot be relevant for today and that we must make up new rules to help us live a different sort of life. Women have been allowed to play a greater part in the worship, and in reform Judaism women are allowed to become Rabbis.

Some important groups of Non-Orthodox Jews are

• Liberal Judaism
• Reform Judaism

Important Words

• Orthodox - Keeping the original traditions of the Jews as they have always bee
• Non-Orthodox - Adapting the teachings of Judaism for the present day
• Reform - More liberal, accept women Rabbis
• Chassidim - Ultra Orthodox Jewish group
• Torah - The book of the Law
• Kosher - Jewish food that fulfils the Kashrut