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Judaism: Differences Between Orthodox And Reform Jews

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It is easy to see that there will be differences between Orthodox and Reform Jews, simply from the words 'reform' and 'orthodox' themselves, as reform means to change or improve something, and orthodox means established and approved (Dictionary, 2016). Through research it is evident that Reform Jews have taken steps to modernize Judaism, and Orthodox Jews have worked to maintain the traditions of Judaism.

The Orthodox Jews are considered traditional, with strict adherence to the practices of Judaism as it began in its original state. Orthodox Jews believe that the Bible is God's word, and that the Torah, which is considered the sacred core of the Hebrew Bible, is the oral communication between God and Moses on Mount Sinai, that formed …show more content…

Orthodox Jews do not allow women to become rabbis, but Reform Jews allow equal participation of men and women in religion, therefore women are allowed to become rabbis. Orthodox Jews segregate men and women during synagogue worship, and worship is conducted in Hebrew, led by male rabbis (Molloy, 2009, p. 333). Reform Jews do not segregate men and women during worship, and will often conduct worship in non-Hebrew languages. Reform Jews in the 21st century America consider men and women to be equal, but Orthodox Jews believe that females are to maintain the home and males are to work and support the family financially. Orthodox Jews will adhere to a traditional kosher diet, whereas Reform Jews will eat whatever they want and have dismissed any notion of the traditional diet. Another start difference between 21st century America Orthodox Jews and Reform Jews is that Orthodox Jews only celebrate Bar Mitzvah's (coming of age celebrations) for males, while Reform Jews include females in this celebrations. Another traditional aspect of Orthodox Jews in 21st century America is that the men continue to wear a cover on their head, as a sign of respect for God, but Reform Jews choose to bypass this tradition (Molloy, 2009, pp.

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