Rise of Reconstructionist Judaism

Reconstructionist Judaism is a modern Jewish movement that grew out of the ideas of Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan, who taught at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York. He argued that Judaism should be understood as an evolving religious civilization, with its own history, culture, language and ethics, rather than only as a set of divinely revealed laws. The movement rejects the idea that Jews are a chosen people in a literal sense and emphasizes community and democratic decision-making. It was the first to hold a public bat mitzvah ceremony, for Kaplan's daughter Judith, and it was formalized with a rabbinical college in Pennsylvania and a federation of congregations. It is the smallest of the main American Jewish movements.

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