Reconstructionism

Building a new path to Judaism 

Reconstructionist Judaism encourages individuals and communities to explore and study issues in order to make informed choices with regard to religious practice and ritual observance. 

Reconstructionists take Jewish tradition seriously, even though we don't accept the divine, supernatural origin of Torah or Halakha (Jewish law). Rather, Reconstructionism turns to Torah and to Jewish law for guidance, not for governance. "The past has a vote, not a veto," is the way its founder, Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan, put it.  

Reconstructionism emphasizes the concept of the evolving religious civilization of the Jewish people in shaping patterns of observance and belief. Reconstructionists believe that just as Jewish civilization has adapted to new circumstances throughout Jewish history, so must it adapt to North American society in the 21st century.  

While every Reconstructionist congregation is different, all are democratic and participatory, support the full equality of men and women, reach out to groups that have been traditionally marginalized in Jewish communal life, support freedom of rabbinic expression, support lifelong learning and show concern for the Jewish people and the state of Israel. The historical and modern state of Israel is central to Reconstructionist thinking.

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