Judaism
9 groups compared
There were about 14.8 million Jews in the world in 2020, about 0.2 percent of the global population (Pew Research Center). Jewish groups share the Torah, belief in one God and the covenant, and they differ on four main questions: whether the Oral Torah and Jewish law (halakha) are binding, how God is understood, how to live in the modern world, and who leads. The tree shows how the movements arose, the table sets the groups side by side, and the cards give each group's beliefs and sources.
How Judaism began and split over time
Judaism's ancient Israelite roots lead through the Second Temple period to Rabbinic Judaism after the destruction of the Temple in 70 CE. The Karaites reject the Oral Torah, and the Samaritans trace themselves to ancient Israel by a different path; both are drawn with dashed lines because their origins are debated by scholars. The modern movements took shape in response to the Emancipation and the Haskalah (Jewish Enlightenment). The Hasidic movement is drawn from Rabbinic Judaism directly; it is also a stream within Haredi Judaism today.
Group name: select it to jump to its cardDirect line of descentDashed: lineage is disputed, a tendency across branches, or the group stands apartDotted: a period or stage, no card
Read left to right, from earlier to later. On a phone, swipe sideways to see the whole tree. Dates are shown only where they are well documented.
HOW ISLAM SEES THIS
Islam teaches that the Torah was revealed by God to Moses (peace be upon him). The Quran says: ‘Indeed, We sent down the Torah, in which was guidance and light’ (Quran 5:44), and ‘We gave Moses the Scripture and made it a guidance for the Children of Israel’ (Quran 17:2). It addresses the Children of Israel directly: ‘remember My favor that I have bestowed upon you and that I preferred you over the worlds’ (Quran 2:47).
The Quran also says that it ‘relates to the Children of Israel most of that over which they disagree’ (Quran 27:76), and that it confirms ‘that which preceded it of the Scripture’ (Quran 5:48). Muslims and Jewish groups differ on later prophets, namely Jesus (peace be upon him) and Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), and on whether and how the text of the Torah has been preserved. Those questions are disputed and are not taken up here.
The pages that follow record what each Jewish group teaches, in its own terms.
Four questions that sort the groups
Are the Oral Torah and halakha binding?
Yes, binding and applied strictly. Haredi, Hasidic, Modern Orthodox
Binding, but developing through history. Conservative
Guidance rather than binding law; individual choice. Reform; Reconstructionist (tradition has a vote, not a veto)
No Oral Torah: the written scripture alone. Karaites (the Tanakh); Samaritans (the Samaritan Pentateuch)
Human reason and culture, not revelation. Humanistic
How is God understood?
One God, as in Maimonides' Thirteen Principles. Haredi, Hasidic, Modern Orthodox
One God, with a range of understandings. Conservative, Reform
Many understandings, including non-supernatural. Reconstructionist
One God. Karaites, Samaritans
Non-theistic: no belief in a God required. Humanistic
How do the groups approach modern life?
Limited engagement with secular culture. Haredi, Hasidic
Torah together with full engagement in modern society. Modern Orthodox
Historical study of Jewish law, within halakha. Conservative
Adapt tradition to modern values. Reform, Reconstructionist, Humanistic
Keep a pre-modern textual approach. Karaites, Samaritans
Who leads?
Rabbis and yeshiva heads. Haredi
A rebbe, often hereditary. Hasidic
Rabbis and rabbinic organizations; no single head. Modern Orthodox, Conservative, Reform
Democratic communities with rabbis. Reconstructionist, Humanistic
Hakham (sages) or a high priest. Karaites (hakham), Samaritans (high priest)
Comparison table
Adherent figures are approximate and come from the groups themselves, Pew, the Institute for Jewish Policy Research or the best available estimate. Groups appear in the same order in the cards below.
| Group | Began | Adherents | Torah and halakha | God | Leadership | Distinguishing point |
|---|
| Orthodox |
| Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) Judaism | 19th century | About 2.1 million (JPR) | Written and Oral Torah, binding and applied strictly | One God (Thirteen Principles) | Rabbis and yeshiva heads | Limited engagement with secular culture |
| Hasidic Judaism | 18th century | A subset of Haredim; no reliable count | Torah and Talmud, plus the rebbe's teaching | One God; closeness to God (devekut) and joy | A rebbe, often hereditary | Devekut and the rebbe's court |
| Modern Orthodox Judaism | 19th and 20th centuries | No clear count (Orthodox are 9 percent of US Jews, Pew 2020) | Written and Oral Torah, binding | One God (Thirteen Principles) | Rabbis; no single head | Torah together with engagement in modern society |
| Liberal and non-Orthodox movements |
| Conservative (Masorti) Judaism | 19th century Germany; JTS 1886 | 17 percent of US Jews (Pew 2020) | Halakha binding but developing through history | One God, with a range of understandings | Rabbis; the Rabbinical Assembly | Historical approach to Jewish law |
| Reform Judaism | 1810; US union 1873 | 37 percent of US Jews (Pew 2020) | Torah as inspired; ethics emphasized; individual choice | One God, with a range of understandings | Rabbis; self-governing congregations | Ethical teaching of the prophets; patrilineal descent accepted |
| Reconstructionist Judaism | 1922 (SAJ) | About 15,500 households | Tradition has a vote, not a veto | Many understandings, including non-supernatural | Rabbis; democratic communities | Judaism as an evolving religious civilization |
| Humanistic Judaism | 1963 | 30,000 to 50,000 (published estimates) | Human reason and Jewish culture | Non-theistic | Rabbis and community | No belief in a God required |
| Non-rabbinic groups |
| Karaite Judaism | 8th to 10th centuries | Estimates vary: tens of thousands | The Tanakh alone | One God | Hakham (sages) and community leaders | No Oral Torah or Talmud |
| Samaritans | Ancient; date of separation debated | About 900 (2024) | The Samaritan Pentateuch | One God | A high priest | Mount Gerizim; Moses (peace be upon him) the only prophet |
Group by group
Orthodox
Orthodox Judaism holds that the Written and Oral Torah are binding. Haredi Judaism includes the Hasidic streams; Modern Orthodoxy combines the same commitment with engagement in modern society.
Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) Judaism
OrthodoxAbout 2.1 million (JPR)
Took shape in the 19th century in response to Jewish emancipation, the Haskalah (Enlightenment) and Reform Judaism.
AuthorityWritten and Oral Torah (including the Talmud), the codes of law (such as the Shulchan Aruch), and the guidance of leading rabbis.
GodOne God, as in Maimonides' Thirteen Principles.
ProphetsMoses (peace be upon him) is held to be the greatest of the prophets and the Torah to be wholly from God (the Thirteen Principles of Maimonides, as presented by the Orthodox Union).
LeadershipRabbis and heads of yeshivas (da'as Torah: the guidance of leading Torah scholars).
Core beliefs
- The Torah, written and oral, was given by God at Sinai and its law is binding.
- Halakha is applied strictly; principles do not change.
- Limited engagement with secular culture; separate communities and schools.
- Torah study is the highest value; many men study full time.
- Strict gender roles.
PracticesStrict observance of Sabbath, kosher laws and family purity; full-time Torah study for men; separate education for boys and girls; distinctive dress.
Disputed or notedPopulation figures depend on definition. Haredi communities differ: Lithuanian-style (Litvish/Yeshivish), Sephardi Haredi and Hasidic.
Hasidic Judaism
Orthodox (a stream within Haredi Judaism)A subset of Haredim; no reliable count
Began in the 18th century in Eastern Europe around the Baal Shem Tov (Israel ben Eliezer, c. 1700 to 1760).
AuthorityTorah and Talmud as in Orthodoxy, together with the teachings of the rebbe and Kabbalah-influenced writings.
GodOne God; stresses closeness to God (devekut) and joy in worship.
ProphetsSame as Orthodox Judaism.
LeadershipA rebbe (tzaddik), often hereditary, who leads a court (such as Chabad-Lubavitch, Satmar, Belz, Ger).
Core beliefs
- The rebbe is a spiritual guide for his community.
- Devekut: constant attachment to God, with joy and prayer.
- Full halakhic observance like other Orthodox Jews.
- Court dynasties such as Chabad, Satmar, Belz and Ger.
- Mystical teachings (Kabbalah) are woven into daily life.
PracticesJoyful prayer and singing, gatherings at the rebbe's table (tisch), distinctive dress, Yiddish in many communities.
Disputed or notedSome Hasidic groups differ on Zionism. Chabad-Lubavitch's leadership officially rejects messianic claims about its late rebbe, Menachem Mendel Schneerson, while a minority of followers hold them; Orthodox critics, including the Rabbinical Council of America, have condemned those claims as incompatible with Judaism. Whether such views fall within Orthodoxy is disputed.
Modern Orthodox Judaism
OrthodoxNo clear count (Orthodox are 9 percent of US Jews, Pew 2020)
Grew out of the engagement of Orthodox Jews with modern society, associated with Samson Raphael Hirsch's Torah im Derech Eretz in 19th century Germany and, in America, with Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik in the 20th century. Scholars date and define the movement differently.
AuthorityWritten and Oral Torah and halakha, as in Orthodoxy.
GodOne God, as in Maimonides' Thirteen Principles.
ProphetsSame as Orthodox Judaism.
LeadershipRabbis and rabbinic organizations; no single head.
Core beliefs
- Halakha is binding, as in all Orthodox Judaism.
- Engagement with modern society and secular learning.
- Women take on wider roles in study and leadership in many communities.
- Strong religious Zionism in many communities.
PracticesFull observance of Sabbath and kosher laws, together with secular education, careers and, for most, support for the State of Israel.
Disputed or notedModern Orthodoxy and Haredi Judaism disagree on how much to engage with the secular world. 'Modern Orthodox' and 'Dati' do not overlap exactly.
Liberal and non-Orthodox movements
These movements grew out of the modern era and differ from Orthodoxy, and from one another, on the authority of halakha and on belief in God.
Conservative (Masorti) Judaism
Non-Orthodox17 percent of US Jews (Pew 2020)
Grew from Zecharias Frankel's 'positive-historical' approach in 19th century Germany; the Jewish Theological Seminary was founded in New York in 1886.
AuthorityTorah and halakha as binding but developing through history; the Committee on Jewish Law and Standards issues rulings.
GodOne God, with a range of understandings.
ProphetsSame as other Jewish movements.
LeadershipRabbis and rabbinic organizations (the Rabbinical Assembly).
Core beliefs
- Halakha is binding but evolves.
- Critical study of Jewish texts and history.
- Egalitarian practice in most congregations.
- Hebrew and traditional liturgy kept.
PracticesObservance of Sabbath and kosher laws, with changes in some areas, for example women counted in the prayer quorum and ordained as rabbis.
Disputed or notedIts position between Orthodox and Reform is contested by both. Pew's Israeli Masorti category is broader than the Conservative movement.
Reconstructionist Judaism
Non-OrthodoxAbout 15,500 households
Founded by Mordecai Kaplan; the Society for the Advancement of Judaism (1922) was the first Reconstructionist synagogue.
AuthorityJudaism as 'an evolving religious civilization'; tradition has a vote, not a veto.
GodMany understandings of God are accepted, including non-supernatural views.
ProphetsSame as other Jewish movements.
LeadershipRabbis and communities, with a democratic structure.
Core beliefs
- Judaism is a religious civilization that evolves.
- Tradition has a vote, not a veto.
- Diverse views of God are accepted.
- Rejects the idea that the Jews are a 'chosen people'.
PracticesRituals are reconstructed for each generation; communities decide practice.
Disputed or notedOrthodox Judaism does not accept Reconstructionist views on divine revelation.
Humanistic Judaism
Non-theistic30,000 to 50,000 (published estimates)
Founded in 1963 by Rabbi Sherwin Wine at the Birmingham Temple, Michigan.
AuthorityHuman reason and Jewish history and culture.
GodNon-theistic: does not rely on belief in God.
ProphetsNot applicable; rituals do not refer to God.
LeadershipRabbis and leaders; community governance.
Core beliefs
- Judaism as the culture and history of the Jewish people.
- No belief in a supernatural God required.
- Human responsibility for ethics.
- Celebrates holidays and life events without reference to God.
PracticesJewish holidays and life-cycle events marked with non-theistic ceremonies.
Disputed or notedOrthodox, Conservative and Reform leaders dispute that a non-theistic movement is a form of Judaism as a religion.
Non-rabbinic groups
Groups that trace themselves to ancient Israel but do not accept Rabbinic Judaism's Oral Torah as binding. Whether the Samaritans are a form of Judaism is debated.
Karaite Judaism
Non-rabbinicEstimates vary: tens of thousands
Developed in the 8th to 10th centuries; the Ananites, associated with Anan ben David, were among its forerunners. Karaite thought took shape in Iraq and Persia.
AuthorityThe Hebrew Bible (Tanakh) alone; rejects the Oral Torah and the Talmud as binding.
GodOne God.
ProphetsSame as other Jewish groups.
LeadershipHakham (sages) and community leaders.
Core beliefs
- The Tanakh alone is the source of law.
- The Talmud and Oral Torah are not binding.
- Each person must interpret the Bible for himself or herself.
- Different calendar and Sabbath practices.
PracticesSabbath, festivals and dietary laws interpreted from the Bible by each generation's scholars, with differences from Rabbinic practice; for example, no lights burn on the Sabbath.
Disputed or notedKaraite origins are debated by scholars. Population estimates differ.
Samaritans
Related Israelite religionAbout 900 (2024)
Ancient community in Samaria; their separation from Judaism is dated variously, with scholars debating when and how.
AuthorityThe Samaritan Pentateuch (the five books of Moses (peace be upon him)).
GodOne God.
ProphetsMoses is the only prophet recognized.
LeadershipA high priest.
Core beliefs
- Only the Five Books of Moses are scripture.
- Mount Gerizim, not Jerusalem, is the holy place.
- Moses is the only prophet.
- A priestly community led by a high priest.
PracticesPassover sacrifice on Mount Gerizim; Sabbath and festivals.
Disputed or notedWhether Samaritans are a form of Judaism, a separate religion, or a related Israelite religion is debated. They call themselves Israelites.
Descriptions follow each group's own statements of belief where available. Who counts as a Jew is itself disputed between the movements; the Reform card notes the main point of disagreement. Groups that exist but are not listed here can be added.