Which Jew is right for you?

When we started to compare and contrast conservative Judaism with orthodox Judaism, we began to look at what it means to be a orthodox Jew. They participate in a strict following of Jewish law, and go by the Halakha, stressing the importance of following this fully and not moving away from it at all. When we looked into reform and conservative Judaism, they were both open to innovation and modernity and allowed those who followed them to fit Judaism into their own lives. Those groups allow themselves to change over time based on the way things are in the outside world. This liberal view differed completely from the orthodox following who is out to change society, not allow society doesn’t change them. The stereotypes for orthodox Judaism present it as being old and very strict, however to my surprise orthodox groups were the first to introduce things like guitar and internet, so they may not be as traditional as people tend to believe. Other values in orthodox Judaism that differ from reform and conservative is the role that men and women play. They can both be religious authorities by women are limited in occupation and cannot take on the position of something like a Rabbi. The reform traditions look at men and women as totally equal, showing another factor of their more liberal view. Women are also expected to cover up their arms and legs by wearing long pants or skirts and long sleeves or sweaters. They are able to play with this idea of modesty and wear something like a mini skirt with tights which was really interesting to me because when I think of the dress of an orthodox Jew, I would not envision something like that. When we looked at the orthodox website, an individual in class expressed how it was difficult to understand for someone who is not Jewish. The reform and conservative websites were much more accessible and manageable for all people, not only those who have previous knowledge about Judaism. The values that are part of each following, are displayed visually on each of the websites so that they are representational of either reform, conservative or orthodox Judaism.