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Is it true that Reform Judaism is not fully accepted in Israel?
That is correct.
What do Jews do at Pesach?
Outside of Israel, Orthodox and Conservative Jews have 2 seders, but Reform Jews only have 1. Inside Israel, everyone has one Seder.
Does the state of Israel recognize converts to Reform or Conservative Judaism as Jews?
Yes, the State of Israel recognises both Conservative and Reform converts to Judaism for immigration purposes.
Why are Samaritans not accepted by the Nation of Israel?
Samaritans are accepted by the State of Israel (i.e. they can enter and leave, have freedom and movement, and can apply for citizenship), but Samaritans are not accepted as Jews. Samaritans, during the times of Jewish presence in what is now called Israel and Palestine, were not Jews and did not observe Jewish rituals. They were co-inhabitants. (This is similar to how whites and blacks are co-inhabitants of the United States. They both come from the same cities and towns, but are not the same race.)
How is Rosh Hashanah different between the sects of Judaism?
Reform Jews outside Israel generally celebrate Rosh Hashanah for only one day, while all other Jews celebrate Rosh Hashanah for two days. Reform Jews blow the Shofar on Rosh Hashanah even if it falls on Shabbat (the Sabbath), while others refrain from blowing the shofar on Shabbat.
The Orthodox Jews follow a tighter interpretation of the law in the Torah and are the majority in Israel The Reform Jews believe in a more modern interpretation of the law in the Torah and mostly?
Yes, for the most part, that is true.
Will Israel grant me citizenship if I am a reformed Jew?
Note that the Reform movement in Judaism does not call itself or its members Reformed. The Israeli law of return does not distinguish between Orthodox and Reform Jews. It asks about ancestry and community ties. This does lead to confusion, because there are Jews who are citizens of Israel under the law of return who are not considered Jewish by the Israeli rabbinate. This is primarily a problem for Jews who convereted under non-Orthodox auspices.
Are Reform Jews required to support Israel?
== == == == == == There's no requirement for anyone to support the modern State of Israel. However, it is a basic tenet that Eretz Yisroel, the Land of Israel, is the homeland of the Jews and a good number of Jewish laws revolve around this location. Most Jews support and cherish Israel. Reform Jews are no different; indeed, ALL movements within Judaism tend to share the same core values. They differ only in how literally they take the Torah. Israel is the only democracy in the entire Middle East; she is a tiny, tiny country, faced with the daily attacks from Hamas terrorists in Gaza and various other terrorist groups. So yes, many Jews are staunch defenders of Israel; she is their national, religious and spiritual homeland. The group of Jews who tend not to support Israel are the small minority who are ultra, ultra, ultra religious and who argue that we shouldn't have had the Jewish homeland until the Jewish Maschiach (messiah) arrives.
How do orthadox and reform Jews celebrate shabbat differently?
Yes. Orthodox Jews do "everything by the book". Reform Jews do anything they want.
How to convert from Orthodox Judaism to Reform Judaism?
Technically, there is no conversion required for the vast majority of Orthodox Jews who might want to be accepted into a Reform congregation. If an Orthodox Jew shows up in a Reform congregation and takes part in a service, they will be counted as fully Jewish without question. The great difficulties come when Reform Jews get interested in Orthodox Judaism, because Reform accepts as Jews people who are not considered as Jews by the Orthodox -- The Orthodox to not recognize the legitimacy of Reform conversions nor do they recognize as Jews those who claim Jewish status through patrilineal descent.(OK, there is one difficult class where Reform Jews might ask for conversion. The child of a Jewish mother and a non-Jewish father who grew up in a non-religious household would be welcome as a Jew in an Orthodox congregation but might face questions in a Reform congregation because, technically, the Reform acceptance of patrilineal descent is contingent on having a religious upbringing.)
How do reformed Jews celebrate Passover?
Reform Jews have only 1 seder instead of 2.
Are the Ashkenazi Jews and Reform Jews the same Jews?
Reform Judaism had its origins in the Ashkenazi community, but there are plenty of Ashkenazi Orthodox Jews and plenty of Reform Jews with Sephardic backgrounds. In Europe, you can find Liberal synagogues (analogous to the Reform movement in the United States) that are dominated by Sephardic Jews, predominantly in French speaking countries that welcomed many Algerian Jews after the collapse of French North Africa.
