So what exactly IS a Reconstructionist?

I was raised in a big Reform congregation, and then when I was in high school, my dad left that particular house of worship and helped build (with a group of like, 16 people) a small synagogue in downtown Baltimore, The Bolton Street Synagogue.  Although Bolton Street never technically affiliated, I was informed that it was a "loosely Reconstructionist" shul.  Which is to say (I think)… we had a Reconstructionist rabbi, and progressive politics, but a kosher kitchen.

Although I've learned about Reconstructionism in a loose organic way, I've never read up on the movement, so today I wanted to look into what it means to be a Reconstructionist Jew.  The basic idea:

Reconstructionist Judaism is respectful of traditional Jewish observances but also open to new interpretations and forms of religious expression. As Rabbi Mordecai M. Kaplan (1881-1983), the founder of Reconstructionism, taught, tradition has "a vote, but not a veto." Reconstructionists share a commitment to making Judaism their own by finding in it joy, meaning, and ideas they can believe. Unlike Orthodox and Conservative Judaism, Reconstructionism does not view inherited Jewish law (halahah) as binding. We continue to turn to Jewish law for guidance, if not always for governance. We recognize that in the contemporary world, individuals and communities make their own choices with regard to religious practice and ritual observance.

It should be explained that a lot of Reconstructionist Jews DO observe halacha.  But it's a choice, and an effort to respect the tradition.  Not an obligation.  More focused on the spirit of the law than the letter.

As well, I think a lot of Reconstructionist Congregations and Havurot have their own distinctive flavors.  They resemble each other a little less than say, a Reform congregation resembles another Reform congregation… becuause they place a lot of importnace on community consensus.  So each small community will have a vaguely different aesthetic/ political identity/etc.

Maybe it's what you're looking for?