What do you do if you are Jewish and that identification is important to you, but you feel you cannot authentically offer traditional prayers of devotion to an anthropomorphic deity that claims to care about such things as what you eat?
You could become a Humanistic Jew. So suggested Rabbi Adam Chalom in a talk in Milwaukee on March 3.
Chalom leads Kol Hadash-A Humanistic Jewish Congregation located in Highland Park, Ill. He visited Milwaukee to discuss the topic “What is Humanistic Judaism?”
The gathering was held at Bucketworks, an artist and business cooperative located in Walker’s Point. Approximately 25 people came to learn about this somewhat newer and less well-known denomination of Judaism.
Some audience members said they attended because they did not feel any affinity with synagogues in the Milwaukee area. In fact, Meagan Holman, co-host of the event, is a Milwaukee member of Kol Hadash.
She said that she became interested in Humanistic Judaism after hearing a report about it on National Public Radio. Although she lives 45 minutes away in Bay View, Holman drives her children to Kol Hadash’s Sunday school weekly.
Chalom, who was himself born of parents who had chosen Humanistic Judaism, began his talk with an abbreviated history of Humanistic Judaism’s origins.
It was founded in 1963 by Reform movement-trained Rabbi Sherwin Wine (1928-2007) and a small group in the Detroit area. This original group asked themselves such questions as “What do I already believe?” and “What values are guiding my behavior?”
Instead of waiting for godly interventions, said Chalom, they believed in doing things themselves and taking responsibility for their needs.
‘Multiple intelligences’
Humanistic Jews adapt their inheritance from the past because “They see their re-connection with the Jewish people as needing to fit the times. Historically,Judaism has evolved. The Jews of the fifth century B.C.E. had very different practices from those of the fifth century C.E.,” Chalom said.
When asked for examples of how his congregation engages in Judaism, Chalom mentioned that during the High Holidays, members engage in self-reflection, self-forgiveness, and forgiveness of others.
For some holidays, the congregation might meet at a restaurant. Liturgy is mostly in English, and may include Yiddish or Hebrew along with their respective transliterations. The community’s gatherings are usually held twice a month, with yahrzeit (memorial services) held once a month.
In its approach to bar and bat mitzvah studies, students are encouraged to choose topics that interest them or seem relevant, rather than be assigned a designated Torah portion. Thus, a student might study Swedish Holocaust rescuer Raoul Wallenberg, or choose a later reading from the Bible.
Since people have “multiple intelligences,” Chalom said, “why have only one way for students to connect with our Bible?”
Like other Humanistic Jewish congregations, the Kol Hadash “community” —Chalom’s preferred term — is secular, and non-theistic. It uses humanistic language, seeking “to act, say, and believe congruously.”
Or as he put it in his essay on “What are the Values of Humanistic Judaism?” found on the Kol Hadash website, “Say what you mean and mean what you say… The joy of Humanistic Judaism is knowing that what you say and practice in your congregation is the same way you live your life — no acting, no guilt, just honest expression of our values and Jewish cultural connections.”
Humanistic Jews do not believe in a physical afterlife, and they see biblical literature as origin, or foundation stories, and tales of the Jewish nation’s origins.
Non-Jewish members are considered as “adopted” by the community. No formal conversion is required or encouraged. Anyone who wants to join is welcome.
Kol Hadash presently has130 member units (singles or households). Nationally, the Society for Humanistic Judaism includes 30 congregations in such locations as Washington, D.C., New York, Florida, Boston, and San Francisco.
Detroit, where the society originated, has 300 members and is also home to one of the two Institutes for Humanistic Judaism. The other is in Chicago.
Humanistic rabbinical ordination requires four years of study and a degree from a university. Chalom holds a B.A.from Yale University in Judaic Studies; and a Master’s Degree in Hebrew and Jewish Cultural Studies and a doctorate in Near Eastern Studies from the University of Michigan.
When asked why he had come to Milwaukee, Chalom stated that he would like new members to join the community in Highland Park, or perhaps to begin a satellite community or havurah if there were sufficient interest locally.
At the end of the talk, several attendees met with Holman to discuss their reactions to the presentation and the possibility of a future follow-up meeting.
For more information about Kol Hadash, or Humanistic Judaism, visit www.KolHadash.com.
Diana Kahn is a Milwaukee educator and freelance writer.
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