Chassidic Jews (often referred to as Ultra Orthodox, although they much prefer the term Haredi) cling to a traditional way of life. (The term Chassidic means pious). They tend to belong to distinct communities often centred around the teachings of a particular rabbi. Many of the communities have their origins in particular towns and villages in the eastern Europe of the 19th Century .
A key feature of both Chassidic and Orthodox (see below) Judaism is the belief that Jewish law comes directly from G-d and, therefore, cannot be changed.
Ultra Orthodoxy puts great emphasis on the closeness of the family and community, the distinct roles of men and women, the importance of both prayer and study and an adherence to the letter of the law as set out in the Torah and as understood and explained by the rabbis. Chassidic Jews, particularly the men, are often, but not always, recognisable by their choice of clothing (Dark suits, dark coats and hats together with full beards). In Britain there are many ultra orthodox communities, the best known being the Lubavicher Chassidim, a high profile community, who put much effort into bringing lapsed Jews (ie those who are not haredic) back to the "true faith".
There are many web sites giving haredic viewpoints. An informative site which is well worth visiting is: Chabad-Lubavitch in Cyperspace.
Orthodox Jews share many of the viewpoints of the Chassidic but are far more assimilated into their local communities. They tend to have a rather more flexible approach to interpreting the rules of Torah and are likely to dress indistinguishably from members of the majority community in which they live. Until, relatively recently the majority of British Jews were orthodox. In Britain the main group of orthodox Jewry is the United Synagogue. The Chief Rabbi is the elected senior rabbi of the United Synagogue.
Useful Orthodox websites include Tracy Rich's Judaism 101. (Although it has an American slant this site is an excellent source for fuller information about Jewish thought and practice. It is comprehensive and the explanations are clear).
Progressive Jews are now more numerous in the UK than any other group. They tend towards a more interpretive view of the rules and customs. They see a need to adapt the core beliefs and practices of Judaism to modern circumstances. Progressive Jews are not less serious about their faith but have a different understanding of it.
One obvious difference between progressive and orthodox communities is in the role of women. Progressive communities usually take a more "equal opportunities" view of the roles of men and women in both community and religious life (hence in a progressive community men and women might sit together in the synagogue, women might take an active part in services and the rabbi might be female - all of which would be unthinkable for an orthodox community).
Another difference would be the extent to which the vernacular is used in services. An orthodox service would be conducted almost entirely in Hebrew, with the exception of the D'var Torah (literally words about the Torah - ie. the sermon) and the prayer for the Royal Family. A progressive service would be conducted in a mix of Hebrew and (in Britain) English. Two main groups of progressive Jews in Britain are the Liberal Synagogue and the Reform Synagogues of Great Britain.
Within any orthodox or progressive community you could expect to find wide variations in the degree to which individuals are observant. Observant Jews are often referred to as frum (u as in full).
Each synagogue community is a self-governing entity which may choose to affiliate to one of the major groupings or may, indeed, choose to remain independent. Thus, no two communities are identical in belief or practice.
A quite different division within Judaism is one based on origin. Historically, Jewish communities developed in both Eastern and Western Europe. The Jews of Germany and Eastern Europe, known as ASHKENAZI and those of Spain, Portugal and Western Europe, known as SEPHARDI are the two largest groups. There are a number of smaller groups, too, such as the FALASHA, who originated in Ethiopia and the YEMENITE Jews. Not surprisingly, customs vary considerably between the different groups.
Britain's Jews are mainly either Ashkenazic or Sephardic in origin. The majority of Ashkenazic families came to Britain during the early and middle years of the 20th Century, often as refugees either from antisemitic persecution in countries such as Russia, Lithuania and Poland and, later, Nazi Germany, or as survivors of the Shoah (Holocaust). Many of the Sephardic families have been in Britain much longer than that, often having come here as traders, or artisans during the 18th and 19th centuries. The two groups originally formed separate communities but many present-day communities, and indeed families (my own included), are mixed.
Both Ashkenazi and Sephardi communities were originally widely distributed in their regions of origin and developed languages that were commonly spoken within their own region. Ashkenazi communities spoke Yiddish, whilst Sephardis spoke Ladino.
