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.

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Etymology

Origin of Reform Jew

First recorded in 1865–70

Example Sentences

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

The new leader at Central, Rabbi Buchdahl, was born in South Korea; her mother was a Korean Buddhist and her father was an American Reform Jew.

From New York Times • Dec. 6, 2013

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