The origin of Modern Orthodox Judaism lies in late 18th and early 19th century Germany, where a group of traditional Jews, who accepted some of the new values ​​of the Enlightenment, defended the classical interpretation of Judaism. Their leaders had opposed the establishment of a new temple in Hamburg in 1819, promoted by Reform Jews, who did not consider it obligatory to observe the commandments of Jewish law, halakha. In that year, Rabbi Jacob Ettinger published a manifesto signed by 177 rabbis, condemning the changes made by the Reformists.

One of his students, Rabbi Samson Raphael Hisrch, believed that Judaism had to apply the principles of the Torah to the entire field of human experience, including secular disciplines. He called this “Torah im Derech Eretz”—“Torah and the ways (customs) of the land.” Although he insisted on strict adherence to Jewish beliefs and practices, he argued that Jews should integrate and influence the modern world and foster secular studies compatible with the Torah. This was not new; it had already happened before with Jews in Babylon and medieval Spain.

Its development in the United States is linked to the creation of the Jewish Theological Seminary, an initially Orthodox institution created as a traditional alternative to the Reformist approach. But in 1898, Rabbi Henry Pereira Mendes and a group of rabbis broke away from the JTS and formed the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, the «OU.» The OU was soon recognized in the American Jewish community as the principal spokesperson for the Modern Orthodox movement. At the 1919 convention, 150 congregations, with 50,000 members, formed the OU.

In 1915, Yeshivah College, now Yeshivah University, was founded, and the OU has strongly supported it ever since. Yeshiva University is an educational institution that produces English-speaking, university-educated rabbis who serve the needs of Modern Orthodox congregations. The OU is a pro-Zionist organization that maintains relationships with non-Orthodox Jewish organizations and extends its work to non-Jewish communities. In 1920, the OU began monitoring kashrut as a nonprofit community activity.

The term Orthodox means «one who faithfully follows the principles of a doctrine» and began to be used in Judaism in the 19th century. The Orthodox maintain that they practice the original Judaism that has existed since its beginnings, while other denominations have departed from that path. They claim that Orthodox Judaism extends from the time of Moses to the present. This claim has been refuted by scholars who have shown that even the Judaism practiced in the Middle Ages bears little resemblance to what the Orthodox practice today. These, as a reaction to liberal movements, have made halakhic practice more rigorous than before, even in cases where the sages of the Talmud and previous generations took a more lenient stance. Furthermore, there are Orthodox practices that have no precedents in the past. Orthodoxy is undoubtedly modern.

By Marcos Gojman

Bibliography: Article by Michael Kress and other sources.