Twenty-First Century Judaism

In twenty-first century Judaism, it is only in the United States (and some other Western countries) that there are diverse and active branches of Judaism, each with its own seminaries for training rabbis and cantors, its own organizations for clergy, and its own association of synagogues. These institutions, along with others within the American Jewish community, come together in support of common causes (or in opposition to common foes) and also pursue their own separate agendas.

Throughout most of the rest of the world, Orthodox or traditional Judaism predominates. In the State of Israel, due to an intricate system of political and historical alliances, only Orthodox rabbis are authorized to perform bar mitzvahs, weddings, or funerals, and only Orthodox authorities can supervise and approve conversions to Judaism. As of 2013, changes in this monolithic approach are being proposed, and some are being tentatively carried out. It is a mark of the unifying force of Judaism that, even with these disputes, almost all Jews support the State of Israel as the homeland for Jews.