After 25 years as an independent congregation using the Conservative liturgy, KI affiliated with the Reconstructionist movement. Rabbi Michael Zimmerman served our congregation from 2003 -2020. Rabbi Matthew Kaufman became KI’s rabbi in 2020.  As Reconstructionist Jews, we have strong commitments both to tradition and to the search for contemporary meaning. We hope for a Judaism that serves as a rich source of spiritual self-expression and moral challenge in the way we live our lives. And we encourage all Jews to enhance their own lives by reclaiming our shared heritage and becoming active participants in the building of the Jewish future.

What is Reconstructionist Judaism, and What is Kehillat Israel’s Liturgical Approach?

Reconstructionism is the “fourth branch of Judaism.” With roots in the early twentieth century, its origins are more recent than those of the Reform, Conservative, and Orthodox movements. Reconstructionism has existed as a religious denomination since 1955, and fully coalesced as a distinct stream of Judaism with the establishment of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in 1968. The movement has been a pioneer in areas such as birth rituals for girls, the bat mitzvah, egalitarianism and acceptance of alternative life styles, and the synthesis of contemporary and traditional forms of ritual observance.

Reconstructionist Jews take their Jewish traditions seriously; they are willing to question conventional answers and challenge the belief in a supernatural or divine origin of the Torah. From a Reconstructionist perspective, just as Jewish civilization has adapted to changing circumstances throughout history, so must it adapt to North American society in our time. While the past, expressed in historical approaches to halakhah (Jewish law), has a vote, it does not have a veto in determining ritual practice and Jewish observance. Instead, one is engaged in constant exploration of one’s Jewish beliefs, values, and practices.

Every Reconstructionist synagogue or chavurah is unique, reflecting the values and concerns of its members. At Kehillat Israel we gravitate towards an intimate and informal style of worship in which everyone is involved and the rabbi (if present) does not dominate.

The father of Reconstructionist Judaism was Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan, whose writings and philosophy led to the conceptual framework from which the movement grew. He felt that Judaism was an evolving religious civilization. Therefore, ritual decisions need to be made with an understanding of historical development and context, knowledge of rabbinical halakhah and how interpretations have varied over time, and respectful consideration for the values of contemporary society and our own personal beliefs. Although democratic processes are and should be involved in decision-making, it goes without saying that not everybody will agree with the ritual choices adopted by a community. We accept these differences of opinion and observance and make every effort to respect and accommodate different approaches to ritual practice.

Reconstructionists are sometimes perceived as not believing in God. This, of course, is inaccurate. Each Jew will have his or her own concept of what God is or is not. Kaplan felt that the Divine works through nature and through human beings; however, Divinity is neither restricted by the laws of science nor relegated to a supernatural realm. Instead, Kaplan posited a subtle, yet pervasive transnatural presence of Divinity in our lives. One of Kaplan’s many influential students, the prominent Conservative rabbi Harold Schulweis, has coined the term predicate theology to explicate Kaplan’s transnatural conception of God. According to Schulweis, relating to God as a predicate rather than as a subject frees us to go beyond a rigidly defined and often problematic conception of God and instead to embrace a myriad of possibilities for Divine manifestation in the world. Many Jews, Reconstructionists included, have trouble with this concept of God and would prefer a more traditional view, yet at the same time do not subscribe to the belief that the Torah and Talmud (oral Torah) are the literal word of God revealed to Moses.

Kaplan also questioned the concept of Jews as the “chosen people.” He believed that “chosenness” reflected chauvinism, ethnic superiority and self-righteousness. Kaplan therefore made the bold step of “reconstructing” Jewish prayer by eliminating from the prayer book references to the chosen people and to other concepts that he considered inappropriate for the values of a contemporary democratic society.

For a fuller understanding of Reconstructionist thought and practice, please see the reading list at the bottom of this section.

How do we put some of these ideas into practice at Kehillat Israel? We are a diverse community in observance and belief. Thus Kehillat Israel utilizes two different siddurim (prayer books) for Shabbat: the Conservative siddur Sim Shalom and the Reconstructionist siddur Kol Haneshamah. They are used for services on alternate Saturday mornings. Services using either siddur tend to be somewhat traditional, albeit informal in nature. Our services are conducted largely in Hebrew and are participatory in nature, with both men and women equally involved. Kol Haneshamah contains gender-neutral language, extensive transliteration, and a number of informative footnotes and commentaries. Sim Shalom, unlike Kol Haneshamah, concludes with a full musaf (supplemental service). In addition, there is a monthly Friday evening service that is more family oriented and the Kehillat Israel Religious School conducts periodic Shabbat morning services. Therefore, within the overarching framework of Reconstructionism, we accommodate a variety of liturgical approaches or practices in Judaism.  At the same time, many of our social and cultural activities are multigenerational, enabling our congregation to interact as a more cohesive community.

Reading List on Reconstructionist Thought and Practice

  • Rebecca Alpert and Jacob Staub, Exploring Judaism, second edition, Reconstructionist Press, 2000. (Get it here.)
  • Emanuel Goldsmith and Mel Scult, editors, Dynamic Judaism: The Essential Writings of Mordecai M. Kaplan, Fordham University Press, 1991. (Get it here.)
  • Mordecai Kaplan, Judaism as a Civilization, Jewish Publication Society, 1934 (reprint, 2010). (Get it here.)
  • Mordecai Kaplan, The Meaning of God in Modern Jewish Religion, Wayne State University Press, 1994. (Get it here.)
  • Mel Scult, Judaism Faces the Twentieth Century: A Biography of Mordecai M. Kaplan, Wayne State University Press, 1994. (Get it here.)
  • Jack Wertheimer, “The Reconstructionism of Kaplanian Reconstructionism,” in A People Divided: Judaism in Contemporary America, ch. 8, Brandeis, 1997. (Get it here.)
  • “Reconstruction: Denominationalism that Works?” Zeek, Fall 2010. Entire issue is devoted to the theme of Reconstructionism.