It emerged from the conviction that Judaism had to change if it was to remain viable in the modern world.
Reform Judaism reworked ritual authority
Britannica explains that Reform Judaism modified or abandoned many traditional beliefs, laws, and practices in order to adapt Judaism to modern social and cultural conditions.
That is the movement's core gesture. Ritual law is not treated as equally binding in every inherited form.
The movement began in 19th-century Germany
Britannica notes that Reform Judaism emerged in Germany and introduced major liturgical and institutional changes, including vernacular language, organ music, and changes to older ritual norms.
Those reforms were not random. They reflected the belief that modern Jews needed a Judaism that could operate in open society without ghetto-era assumptions.
Why it still matters
Reform Judaism still matters because it offers one of the most influential modern answers to a hard question: how much of inherited ritual authority can be revised without dissolving Jewish identity?
The shortest accurate answer
Reform Judaism is the modern Jewish movement that adapts ritual and law to contemporary life and places strong weight on ethical monotheism and individual and communal choice.