Why did Reform Judaism start?
To answer this question, one must look at the environment in which Reform was born. This was the time of the French Revolution, a time when European Jews were (for the first time), recognized as citizens of the countries in which they lived. Ghettos were being abolished, special badges were no more, people could settle where they pleased, dress as they liked, and follow the occupations that they wanted. Many Jews settled outside of Jewish districts, and began to live like their neighbors and speak the language of the land. They went to public schools and univeristies, and began to neglect Jewish studies and to disregard the Shulchan Aruch. In 1815, after Napolean’s defeat, Jews lost the rights of citizenship in many countries. Many Jews became Christian in order to retain those rights. Many thoughtful Jews were concerned about this. They relized that many of these changes took place not because of a dislike of Judaism, but in order to obtain better treatment. Many rabbis believed that
