Abstract
The American Reform Movement – the Union for Reform Judaism, and the Israeli Reform Movement – the Israel Movement for Reform and Progressive Judaism are sister organizations and both belong to the international umbrella organization of the Reform movement – The World Union for Progressive Judaism. While both are Reform movements, the Union for Reform Judaism and the Israel Movement for Reform and Progressive Judaism are not identical and are more different than similar. This thesis seeks to provide a thorough comparison between the two movements on key characteristics of Reform Judaism, including egalitarianism, gender and sexual orientation, rituals and liturgy, and the most important question, ‘Who is a Jew?’. The thesis is based on archival research, such as articles, books and responsas. The findings suggest that majority of the differences between the movements are based on the status of each movement in its home-country, the United States of America and Israel. The analysis of these findings suggests that changes in the status of the Israel Movement for Reform and Progressive Judaism can change its characteristics, which can shift it towards the Union for Reform Judaism. The result would be movements not be as different as they are today.