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Reform Jew

American  

noun

  1. a Jew who adheres to a system of religious worship adapted from Orthodox Judaism to meet the demands of contemporary life, frequently simplifying or rejecting traditional religious law and custom.


Etymology

Origin of Reform Jew

First recorded in 1865–70

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

I love being a Jew and a Reform Jew, and I also believe profoundly in the separation of church and state.

From Slate Mar. 10, 2026

The former disability rights attorney, Reform Jew and lifelong progressive said she does not support Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

From Los Angeles Times Dec. 6, 2023

Ruth Bohm Belmont was a Reform Jew who would go to synagogue on high holidays, but the family wasn’t very observant.

From Washington Post May 6, 2022

So it was that Milton Weinstein, 67, a Brooklyn-born Reform Jew, became one of three bodies from nursing homes that Mr. Chiaramonte borrowed from the Bronx morgue on April 28, 2009, for Einstein’s use.

From New York Times May 15, 2016

For the Reform Jew, the word Zion had just as little meaning as the word dispersion.

From Zionism and Anti-Semitism Zionism by Nordau; and Anti-Semitism by Gottheil by Nordau, Max Simon

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