The most Americanized sect of Judaism was Reform Judaism. Reformed Jews adapted to modern America by lessening their dietary restrictions and permitting the religious calendar to allow for working on the Sabbath, but sought to preserve the moral importance of Judaism. Though the majority of Jewish immigrants joined Orthodox synagogues, many welcomed the opportunity to loosen the traditionally restrictive practices of Orthodox Judaism (Goff & Harvey, 2004, pp. 24, 119). Orthodox Judaism maintained many of the elements of “an earth-bound religious system: food laws, ritual bathing, strict community structure, and tradition based law” (Goff & Harvey, 2004, p. 119). Like Greek and Italian Catholics, this religious structure had protected Jews from a hostile environment, mainly in Germany and eastern Europe. As with Catholicism, Judaism saw a fracture between the Americanized factions and the newly immigrating factions due to differences developed in differing
The most Americanized sect of Judaism was Reform Judaism. Reformed Jews adapted to modern America by lessening their dietary restrictions and permitting the religious calendar to allow for working on the Sabbath, but sought to preserve the moral importance of Judaism. Though the majority of Jewish immigrants joined Orthodox synagogues, many welcomed the opportunity to loosen the traditionally restrictive practices of Orthodox Judaism (Goff & Harvey, 2004, pp. 24, 119). Orthodox Judaism maintained many of the elements of “an earth-bound religious system: food laws, ritual bathing, strict community structure, and tradition based law” (Goff & Harvey, 2004, p. 119). Like Greek and Italian Catholics, this religious structure had protected Jews from a hostile environment, mainly in Germany and eastern Europe. As with Catholicism, Judaism saw a fracture between the Americanized factions and the newly immigrating factions due to differences developed in differing