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Following the rise of the nation state and after Jews as individuals were granted equal civic rights, Jewish communal institutions were forced to relinquish most of their powers and confine their activities primarily to religious matters. The community ultimately ceased to serve as an autonomous framework and became a network of organizations and associations in which membership was voluntary.
At the same time, various groups searched for new ways to preserve their Judaism and made changes to traditions and ritual customs that reflected the spirit of the enlightenment. Other groups that feared assimilation into the surrounding society reinforced a growing trend of self-segregation and continued to uphold the authority of halakha (Jewish law).
New groups and a variety of identities thus emerged in the Jewish world, which would later evolve into the denominations we are familiar with today: Reform Judaism, Conservative Judaism, Modern Orthodox Judaism and ultra-Orthodox Judaism. From the outset, Orthodox society has never accepted the liberal groups and has done everything possible over the years to place obstacles in their path.
