Believers
There have been a number of sects or movements within Judaism, some of which have been active since ancient times, whilst others have emerged only recently. The podcast below explains the various viewpoints within Judaism. The podcast script and some related images are below if you wish to follow on.
Podcast
The Jewish population is somewhere between 13-15 million worldwide. Around six million of these reside in Israel. The rest of the Jewish population is referred to as being in ‘diaspora’ or dispersion, which references the diaspora of the Jews in ancient times. Behind Israel, the United States has the largest Jewish population, numbering approximately five million people. There are also large Jewish populations in France, Russia, the United Kingdom and Australia. Judaism, although one of the five major world religions, has a relatively small group of adherents, accounting for 0.22% of total believers.
There have been diverging movements within Judaism since ancient times, most notably in the split between the Essenes, Sadducees and Pharisees. However, this site will focus on the movements within Judaism that are most prevalent in modern times. These fall into three main groups: conservative, orthodox and reformist Judaism.
Conservative Judaism focuses on a literal or strict interpretation of the Torah, and adherence to traditional ritual and dietary practices. However, it is less strict on some matters of faith than Orthodox Judaism, and forms a middle ground between Orthodox and Progressive Judaism Within Israel Conservative Judaism is known as traditional Judaism. It was developed in the 19th Century, mainly within the United States and Europe.
Reformist, liberal or progressive Judaism, focuses on the same beliefs as other forms of Judaism, but tries to adapt them towards modern times. It mainly differs from other forms of Judaism in the way in which progressive Jews interpret the Torah and other sacred texts. They see Jewish laws as changing over time due to different interpretations of the texts. Parts of progressive services are said in the host language, rather than Hebrew, and men and women are allowed to sit together in the Synagogue.
Orthodox Judaism is the traditional form of Judaism, and was by far the most common movement up until the mid 19th Century. It is characterised by strict adherence to traditional practice, and literal interpretation of the Torah. The differences between orthodox and conservative Judaism are slight, and mainly differ in the some ritual practices, like dress or were women can sit in the Synagogue.
According to a survey conducted by the United Jewish Communities, approximately 10% of American Jews identify with orthodox beliefs. A further 26% are conservative, and 35% subscribe to reformist views. Twenty percent of those surveyed stated that they did not identify with a particular denomination, and 9% listed alternative views.
There are other, minority movements within Judaism, which include the ultra-orthodox movement. This is characterised by an especial zeal for prayer and adherence to particular codes of dress and ritual practice. There are also secular Jews, who do not practice their Judaism. These people are still considered to be Jewish, as any person whose mother is a Jew is considered to be Jewish.
Another movement with Judaism, whilst being more political than religious, is the Zionist movement. Since ancient times, the Jewish people had been forcibly scattered across the world. The last time there was a predominately Jewish state before the creation of Israel was in the Roman province in Judea. After a Jewish revolt against the Romans, culminating in the destruction of The Temple at Jerusalem in 70 C.E and the siege of Masada in 73 C.E, many of the Jewish people became slaves and were forced out of Palestine.
The Zionist movement established that there was a Jewish national identity, and that the Jewish people had been promised the land of Palestine by God. It eventually culminated in the partition of Palestine and the creation of the Jewish state of Israel. Of particular importance to the Jewish people was the city of Jerusalem, which has religious significance in Judaism, Islam and Christianity. The city was partitioned under the 1948 resolution into two halves, one half Jewish occupied, and the other for the native Palestinians. The State of Israel later seized control of the city following a series of wars against the surrounding Arab nation. This issue has become a subject of some controversy today.
Although all of these movements have different viewpoints on some issues, the core principles of their beliefs are the same. They are therefore all component parts of the larger Jewish religion.
The Jewish population is somewhere between 13-15 million worldwide. Around six million of these reside in Israel. The rest of the Jewish population is referred to as being in ‘diaspora’ or dispersion, which references the diaspora of the Jews in ancient times. Behind Israel, the United States has the largest Jewish population, numbering approximately five million people. There are also large Jewish populations in France, Russia, the United Kingdom and Australia. Judaism, although one of the five major world religions, has a relatively small group of adherents, accounting for 0.22% of total believers.
There have been diverging movements within Judaism since ancient times, most notably in the split between the Essenes, Sadducees and Pharisees. However, this site will focus on the movements within Judaism that are most prevalent in modern times. These fall into three main groups: conservative, orthodox and reformist Judaism.
Conservative Judaism focuses on a literal or strict interpretation of the Torah, and adherence to traditional ritual and dietary practices. However, it is less strict on some matters of faith than Orthodox Judaism, and forms a middle ground between Orthodox and Progressive Judaism Within Israel Conservative Judaism is known as traditional Judaism. It was developed in the 19th Century, mainly within the United States and Europe.
Reformist, liberal or progressive Judaism, focuses on the same beliefs as other forms of Judaism, but tries to adapt them towards modern times. It mainly differs from other forms of Judaism in the way in which progressive Jews interpret the Torah and other sacred texts. They see Jewish laws as changing over time due to different interpretations of the texts. Parts of progressive services are said in the host language, rather than Hebrew, and men and women are allowed to sit together in the Synagogue.
Orthodox Judaism is the traditional form of Judaism, and was by far the most common movement up until the mid 19th Century. It is characterised by strict adherence to traditional practice, and literal interpretation of the Torah. The differences between orthodox and conservative Judaism are slight, and mainly differ in the some ritual practices, like dress or were women can sit in the Synagogue.
According to a survey conducted by the United Jewish Communities, approximately 10% of American Jews identify with orthodox beliefs. A further 26% are conservative, and 35% subscribe to reformist views. Twenty percent of those surveyed stated that they did not identify with a particular denomination, and 9% listed alternative views.
There are other, minority movements within Judaism, which include the ultra-orthodox movement. This is characterised by an especial zeal for prayer and adherence to particular codes of dress and ritual practice. There are also secular Jews, who do not practice their Judaism. These people are still considered to be Jewish, as any person whose mother is a Jew is considered to be Jewish.
Another movement with Judaism, whilst being more political than religious, is the Zionist movement. Since ancient times, the Jewish people had been forcibly scattered across the world. The last time there was a predominately Jewish state before the creation of Israel was in the Roman province in Judea. After a Jewish revolt against the Romans, culminating in the destruction of The Temple at Jerusalem in 70 C.E and the siege of Masada in 73 C.E, many of the Jewish people became slaves and were forced out of Palestine.
The Zionist movement established that there was a Jewish national identity, and that the Jewish people had been promised the land of Palestine by God. It eventually culminated in the partition of Palestine and the creation of the Jewish state of Israel. Of particular importance to the Jewish people was the city of Jerusalem, which has religious significance in Judaism, Islam and Christianity. The city was partitioned under the 1948 resolution into two halves, one half Jewish occupied, and the other for the native Palestinians. The State of Israel later seized control of the city following a series of wars against the surrounding Arab nation. This issue has become a subject of some controversy today.
Although all of these movements have different viewpoints on some issues, the core principles of their beliefs are the same. They are therefore all component parts of the larger Jewish religion.