Union for Traditional Judaism.
I was fascinated in my reading of the recent special report in The Economist about the growing movement toward post-denominational Judaism. For those of our faith who are moving past institutional distinctions, it’s not about whether you’re Haredi, Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, or Reconstructionist, but whether you’re on the path of Teshuvah.
My first exposure to this approach came through Chabad in Beijing, and radio personality Denis Prager also openly practices a trans-Denominational form of Judaism, incorporating the Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform movements in his life.
But there are more sparks of the movement, and one of them is the Union of Traditional Judaism, a group whose beliefs fall between Conservative and Modern Orthodox articles of faith. The group seems interesting, but I wonder whether it is trying to hew a road between Orthodox and Conservative, or genuinely attempting to transcend such distinctions. I sincerely hope it is the latter.
Related articles
- Beyond Denominations (hebrewhutong.wordpress.com)
- Haredi Political Party Reportedly On Edge Of Split (failedmessiah.typepad.com)
- What are Orthodox Jews afraid of? (ynetnews.com)
- Looking in the Mirror (thecrimson.com)
Does UTJ even exist anymore? In this post denominational world there are more and more organizations and schools that go outside the box like the Academy and online rabbinical schools. There are even ones who label themselves, but are really pushing the limits of their own movement.