The Reconstructionist Judaism website describes their approach to the Jewish religion and to life in general as being with “deep reverence for the past and a passion to relate to the present.” They describe themselves as constantly finding and sharing new ways of being Jewish, there seems to be this constant flow and evolvement. This evolvement has occurred over the course of 3,000 years. One of their selling points is that they stand up for justice, and that they are committed to the democratic practice in Jewish life. They believe that the everyday person has the right and obligation to reconstruct Judaism so that it remains relevant in people’s lives.

The definition of Judaism from the perspective of a reconstructioinist is “the evolving religious civilizations of the Jewish people.” This definition gets broken down into four parts: evolving, religious, civilizations, the Jewish people. The explanation of evolving they give is: “Judaism has changed over centuries of its existence…each generation of Jews has subtly reshaped the faith and traditions of the Jewish people” and that reconstructionists want to nurture this evolution. The term “religious” is associated with how Judaism is the “means by which we conduct our search for ultimate meaning in life.” The use of the term “civilizations” draws attention to their belief that Judaism is more than a religion. Judaism is also shared history, commitment to the homeland and language. Their explanation of the “the Jewish people” it that any Jewish person, from birth or by choice, are members of the “extended family.” Their core values are : sacred study, holiness, diverse and inclusive community, hope and healing, justice and sustainability, and evolving Judaism.

Reconstructionists do draw connections to Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform Jews. They seek to retain the seriousness of orthodoxy, have similar origins as conservatives since they began a school of thought within conservative Judaism, and seeks to maintain the emphasis on the centrality of the prophetic tradition and the insistence that the standards of ethical monotheism be applied universally.

Another essential element is that they consider the past to have a vote but not a veto. They listen to their voices and the voices of the past and put them in conversation with each other, but does not let the past determine everything.

Regarding sexuality and gender identity reconstructionists have always been in the forefront of equality. In 1977 they endorsed civil equality or gay and lesbian individuals. They also consider same sex marriage to be a religious value. In December of 2018 they released a statement opposing the plans for the adoption of a legal definition of sex. In October they opposed Trump’s plan to curtail the rights of Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming individuals afforded them in Title IX. In March 0f 2017 they released a statement affirming their stance on inclusion of Transgender and Non-Binary Jews. They also in October of 2017 opposed religiously based-exemptions to anti-LGBTQ discrimination by joining a brief in the Supreme Court. Finally, in June of 2015 they released a statement in support of the same-sex marriage Supreme Court ruling noting that they were one of the first religious movements and institutions to support marriage rights for these individuals.