I also love and embrace diversity. But diversity must exist within agreed upon boundaries, or values become meaningless. And no, I hadn't heard the idea that the Torah at Sinai was given at a level beyond language. I have heard the opposite: the very world we live in is an emanation from HaShem that is based upon the letters of the Hebrew alphabet (see the book, Sefer Yetzira, attributed to Avraham Avinu).

And yes, I must admit that I am angry here, because I feel that I was cheated as a child and young adult precisely by these alternate 'streams' of Judaism. I see the author of this article and the 'rabbis' that he refers to as people who are still trying – willingly or unknowingly – to mislead the Jewish nation.

But I am less frustrated with individuals, and more so with the basic concept of reform and conservative Judaism in general. I was raised in the conservative movement, where I received my bar-mitzvah. My family then joined a reform temple in my community. I always felt in the limited involvement I did have with Judaism, the authority figures in the temple were hiding something from me and my equally-ignorant peers. Our Hebrew school teachers talked about a religion that had commandments in it, but no-one I knew could tell me what those commandments were and why they were important. No-one I knew BELIEVED in the importance of a system of commandments.

Almost by accident, I came to Israel and connected with the life-giving energy-filled cornucopia of Normative ('Orthodox') Judaism. Today, 25 years later, I cringe when I hear people telling me that their own understandings of Judaism – bereft of any real comprehension of and connection to the genuine, holistic coherent tradition – is Judaism itself. They do not realize that Judaism is at is core a unfolding process based on the idea that Torah is really from Sinai, and binding for us and our descendants for all time.

The radical in me shouts: "Stop! Stop with the falsehoods, the window dressing of our faith, 'rabbinic' leadership that substitutes personal and foreign ideologies for genuine tradition." What they are trying to pass off as Judaism is really a form of intellectual robbery.

So I do have a considerable chip on my shoulder, I guess. Now you know why.

You are repeating a libelous falsehood that people, often Jews themselves, spread about Israel. Perhaps if you were to have a little closer look, i.e., if you lived here rather than in that great Jewishly-friendly place, the 'United Kingdom' – you would have a chance to develop a different view that is more in tune with reality.

And yes, this radical type of 19th century "classical German Reform" (as it's called in the US) did exist, and it's basically died out as their congregations either assimilated entirely or demanded something with a bit more meat on the bones. I once had the dubious pleasure of being at such a service: it took me the better part of an hour to even realize I hadn't accidentally walked into a Protestant Church. (The fact that I was nearly the only person present under 65 and wearing a kipa should have told me something, I suppose )