To Reconstructinist Jews: What do you practice?

Question

I know that the official position of reconstructionist Judaism is that the laws of the Torah and the Talmud are not binding, but do reoconstructionists jews follow laws such as keeping kosher, observing the sabbath, observing holiday rituals etc? Is this common?

Answer 1

its actually kind of an interesting blend.

While your right they hold that personal preference is above and beyond any biblical or rabbinic law many (especially the Rabbis) try to keep some level of observance in the traditional manner.

The reason for this is that they view the Torah as a cultural achievement rather than a divine one. In fact many Reconstructionist Jews are avid atheists. The reason they practice what they do is out of the belief of the superiority of the Jewish culture in that the type of people it has produced. They see the Jewish people as being a positive benefit on the world due to how much they have contributed in history. But consider the religious aspect to be unnecessary.