Jewish religious movements
Jewish religious movements, sometimes called "denominations", include diverse groups within Judaism which have developed among Jews from ancient times, including Karaite Judaism and the majority group, Rabbinic Judaism. Samaritans are also considered ethnic Jews by the Chief Rabbinate of Israel. However, experts frequently classify them as a sister ethnicity practicing a separate branch of Yahwism. Today in the West, the most prominent divisions are between traditionalist Orthodox movements and modernist movements such as Reform Judaism originating in late 18th century Europe, Conservative Judaism originating in 19th century Europe, and other smaller ones, including Reconstructionist Judaism and Jewish Renewal movements, which emerged later in the 20th century in the United States.
In Israel, variation is moderately similar, differing from the West in having roots in the Old Yishuv and pre-to-early-state Yemenite infusion, among other influences.
For statistical and practical purposes, the distinctions are based upon a person's attitude to religion. Most Jewish Israelis classify themselves as "secular", "traditional", "religious" or ultra-religious.
The western and Israeli movements differ in their views on various issues. These issues include the level of observance, the methodology for interpreting and understanding Jewish law, biblical authorship, textual criticism, and the nature or role of the messiah and the Messianic Age. Across these movements, there are marked differences in liturgy, especially in the language used in services, with the more traditional movements emphasizing Hebrew. The sharpest theological division occurs between traditional Orthodox and the larger number of non-Orthodox Jews adhering to other movements, so that the non-Orthodox are sometimes referred to collectively as the "liberal" or "progressive streams".
Other divisions of Judaism in the world reflect being more ethnically and geographically rooted, e.g., Beta Israel, and Bene Israel.
Normatively, Judaism excludes certain groups that may name or consider themselves ethnic Jews but hold key beliefs in sharp contradiction, for example, Messianic Judaism, a branch of Protestant Christianity. Historically, the split between Jewish Christianity versus Judaism and Samaritanism became significant with the adoption of Christianity as the Roman state religion.
Terminology
Some Jews reject the term denomination as a label for different groups and ideologies within Judaism, arguing that the notion of denomination has a specifically Christian resonance that does not translate easily into the Jewish context. However, in recent years the American Jewish Year Book has adopted "denomination", as have many scholars and theologians.Commonly used terms are movements, as well as denominations, varieties, traditions, groupings, streams, branches, sectors and sects, trends, and such. Sometimes, as an option, only three main currents of Judaism are named traditions, and divisions within them are called movements.
The Jewish groups themselves reject characterization as sects. Sects are traditionally defined as religious subgroups that have broken off from the main body, and this separation usually becomes irreparable over time. Within Judaism, individuals and families often switch affiliation, and individuals are free to marry one another, although the major denominations disagree on who is a Jew. It is not unusual for clergy and Jewish educators trained in one of the liberal denominations to serve in another, and left with no choice, many small Jewish communities combine elements of several movements to achieve a viable level of membership.
Relationships between Jewish religious movements are varied; they are sometimes marked by interdenominational cooperation outside of the realm of halakha, such as the New York Board of Rabbis, and sometimes not. Some of the movements sometimes cooperate by uniting with one another in community federations and in campus organizations such as the Hillel Foundation. Jewish religious denominations are distinct from, but often linked to, Jewish ethnic divisions and Jewish political movements.
Samaritanism
The Samaritans consider themselves direct descendants of the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh in the Northern Kingdom of Israel, which was conquered by Assyria in 722 BC. Modern genetics suggests some truth in both the Samaritan claims and the Talmudic Jews' claims.The Samaritan Torah preserves a version of the Torah in slightly altered forms. The first historical references to the Samaritans date from the Babylonian captivity. According to the Talmud, the Samaritans are to be treated as Jews in matters in which their practices conform to the mainstream, but are otherwise treated as non-Jews. The Samaritans have dwindled to two communities of about 840 individuals. One such community is located in the Israeli city of Holon, while the other is located near Nablus on Mount Gerizim, in the West Bank.
Today, Samaritans must officially undergo a formal conversion to Judaism in order to be considered Jewish. One example is Israeli TV personality Sophie Tzedaka, who was raised Samaritan and converted to Judaism at the age of 18.
Sects in the Second Temple period
Prior to the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE, Jews of the Roman province of Judaea were divided into several movements, sometimes warring among themselves: Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes, Zealots, and ultimately early Christians. Many historic sources such as Flavius Josephus, the New Testament and the recovered fragments of the Dead Sea Scrolls, attest to the divisions among Jews at this time. Rabbinical writings from later periods, including the Talmud, further attest these ancient schisms.The main internal struggles during this era were between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, as well as the early Christians, and also the Essenes and Zealots. The Pharisees wanted to maintain the authority and traditions of classical Torah teachings and began the early teachings of the Mishna, maintaining the authority of the Sanhedrin, the supreme Jewish court. According to Josephus, the Sadducees differed from the Pharisees on a number of doctrinal grounds, notably rejecting ideas of life after death. They appear to have dominated the aristocracy and the temple, but their influence over the wider Jewish population was limited. The Essenes preached an ascetic way of life. The Zealots advocated armed rebellion against any foreign power such as Rome. All were at violent logger-heads with each other, leading to the confusion and disunity that ended with the destruction of the Second Temple and the sacking of Jerusalem by Rome. The Jewish Christians were the original Jewish followers of Jesus. The radical interpretation of Moses' Law by Jesus' disciples and their belief he is the Son of God, along with the development of the New Testament, ensured that Christianity and Judaism would become distinctively different religions.
Rabbinic Judaism
Most streams of modern Judaism developed from the Pharisaic movement, which became known as Rabbinic Judaism with the compilation of the Oral Torah into the Mishna. After the Bar Kokhba revolt and the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE, other movements disappeared from the historical record. However, the Sadducees probably continued to exist in an unorganized form for at least several more decades.Non-Rabbinic Judaism
Non-Rabbinic Judaism, Sadducees, Nazarenes, Karaite Judaism, and Haymanot, contrasts with Rabbinic Judaism and does not recognize the Oral Torah as a divine authority nor the rabbinic procedures used to interpret Jewish scripture.Karaite Judaism
The tradition of the Qara'im survives in Karaite Judaism, started in the early 9th century when non-rabbinic sages like Benjamin Nahawandi and their followers took the rejection of the Oral Torah by Anan ben David to the new level of seeking the plain meaning of the Tanakh's text. Karaite Jews accept only the Tanakh as divinely inspired, not recognizing the authority that Rabbinites ascribe to basic rabbinic works like the Talmud and the Midrashim.Haymanot
refers to the Judaism practiced by Ethiopian Jews. This version of Judaism differs substantially from Rabbinic Judaism but share significant similarities to Karaite Judaism and Samaritanism. Sacred scriptures are written in Ge'ez, not Hebrew, However many words are ascribed in Hebrew. Dietary laws are based strictly on the text of the Orit, without explication from ancillary commentaries. Holidays also differ, with some Rabbinic holidays not observed in Ethiopian Jewish communities, and some additional holidays, like Sigd.Ethno-cultural divisions' movements
Although there are numerous Jewish ethnic communities, there are several that are large enough to be considered predominant. Generally, they do not constitute separate religious branches within Judaism, but rather separate cultural traditions and rites of prayer. Ashkenazi Jews compose about 75% of the world's Jewish population. Sephardi Jews and Mizrahi Jews compose the greatest part of the rest, with about 20% of the world's Jewish population. Israel has two Chief Rabbi—one for the Ashkenazic, another for the Sephardic with Mizrahi Jews. The remaining 5% of Jews are divided among a wide array of small groups, some of which are nearing extinction as a result of assimilation and intermarriage into surrounding non-Jewish cultures or surrounding Jewish cultures. Additionally, special ethnoreligious divisions are also the Italian rite Jews and the Greek Romaniote Jews. Both groups are considered distinct from Ashkenazim and Sephardim.The Enlightenment had a tremendous effect on Jewish identity and on ideas about the importance and role of Jewish observance. Due to the geographical distribution and the geopolitical entities affected by the Enlightenment, this philosophical revolution essentially affected only the Ashkenazi community; however, because of the predominance of the Ashkenazi community in Israeli politics and in Jewish leadership worldwide, the effects have been significant for all Jews.