Jewish Renewal

Jewish Renewal is a Jewish religious movement that started in the 1970s and 1980s and works toward the fusing of modern Judaism with incluences from Kabbalah, Hasidism, and various musical and meditation practices. The founder of Jewish Renewal was Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi who was originally from the Chabad Hasidic community. The Jewish Renewal movement has trained rabbis who would go on to serve in Reform and other non-Orthodox synagogues, bringing Hasidic and mystical Jewish practice to these other settings. Because of this, Jewish Renewal is sometimes described as "transdenominational", meaning that its followers and influence are not restricted to a single type of community.

Another major leader of Jewish Renewal is Rabbi Arthur Waskow who emphasised creativity in Jewish practice and the need to combine religion and advocacy on social issues.

The original Jewish Renewal group was called "B’nai Or Religious Fellowship", later renamed from B’nai Or ("Children of Light") to P'nai Or ("Faces of Light"). It was later renamed to ALEPH. The ALEPH organization ordained rabbis, cantors, and other rabbinic pastors. Over 200 rabbis were ordained through Jewish Renewal.

Most Jewish Renewal congregations and other religious activities are in the United States, however, some Jewish Renewal rabbis and centers are located elsewhere around the world.

The relative size of Jewish Renewal is somewhat small, but it is not known exactly. The total number of Jews affiliated with Jewish Renewal is not known. However, Jewish Renewal, along with Reconstructionist Judaism and Humanistic Judaism (and other such minor Jewish religious groups), represent around 4% of the roughly 7.5 million Jews in the United States (or 300,000 Jews).

Category:Judaism