Different Jewish religious movements were forged in Germany during the 19th century. The reform movement in Judaism originated in Germany at the beginning of the 19th century became dominant in many Jewish communities towards mid century. The German reform movement, with Rabbi Abraham Geiger as one of its central leaders, did not support radical reform of religious life as later practised by the American reform movement. Towards the 20th century, most of reform Jews in Germany, who advocated a moderate approach, were called liberals, whereas the term 'reform' was reserved for radical reformers who were a small minority. In the middle of the 19th century a group supporting a more moderate modernisation of Judaism deviated from the reform movement. This Positivist-historical fraction was lead by Rabbi Z. Fraenkel and concentrated mostly in Breslau. From the very beginning, the reform movement gave rise to opposition by the conservative and traditionalist elements in the German Jewish community. As a result, a modern Orthodox movement formed in the course of the 19th century, promoting integration into German society and culture while maintaining traditional Jewish religious practice.
