Mordecai Menahem Kaplan and the reconstruction movement in Judaism

Mordecai Menahem Kaplan (1881-1983), who came from an Orthodox Jewish family, is considered as the founder and leader of the Reconstructionist Movement that emerged in America in the XXth century. He has been one of the most controversial and also influential thinkers in the history of Jewish thought in modern era America. According to Kaplan, Judaism is not a religion but a civilization, and religion is an important part of this civilization. He argues that Judaism is an evolving religious civilization. This civilization is comprised of the history, literature, language, aesthetics, folklore and social organization of the Jews as well as their religious beliefs, folk sanctions, sacred and spiritual ideals. According to Kaplan, contemporary political, economic and ideological order led to the weakening of Judaism which, as a result, went through a crisis and the modern versions of Judaism (Reform, Conservatism and Neo-Orthodox) could not provide a solution to this crisis. The reconstruction of Jewish life is the way out of this crisis. This may be possible by releasing Judaism from supernaturalism and placing it on a naturalistic ground. All the basic concepts of Judaism, especially God, Israel and Torah, should be revaluated and Jews should be able to live their civilization within the American civilization with a pragmatic and democratic construct that conforms to American values. Kaplan, as a Jewish theologian, educator, philosopher, and reformer, has a different and special position in contemporary Judaism with his new approach to the concept of Judaism, and he has tried to put forward a new understanding based on reason and logic, especially for the Jews who could not find a place within the Jewish sects. This study aims to reveal the emergence of Reconstructionist Judaism led by Mordecai. M. Kaplan by emphasizing the reasons for its emergence, its purposes, its principles, its methods, and its constituent elements. Key Words: Mordecai Menahem Kaplan, Judaism, Civilization, Modernism, The Reconstructionist Movement