,46 „ .Friday, April 19, 1985
,THE DETROIT JEWISH. NEWS
'
•
MAX THE HANDYMAN
CLOSE-UP
Can do anything in or out of the house
Former Apt. Maintenance Chief
YOU NAME IT - I'LL DO IT!!
window washing, screen repair, gutter cleaning, electric switches replaced,
door and lock repair, curtain rod design, caulking, cement repair, garbage
disposal replacement, plumbing, ETC., ETC., ETC.
airport transportation service available
,,.
MIT'S IM
MIME?
EVERY'THIMG!
AIM
SE.YVIOUZ
IAPIANK
Call 968-1145
IF YOU'RE
INTERESTED
DIRMOMDS,
The Diamond People For Over 50 Years
30555 SOUTHFIELD RD.. CONGRESS BLDG.. SUITE
100
(ONE BLOCK SOUTH OF 13 MILE ROAM
PHONE 645-9200
THANK YOU
FOR HELPING US
CELEBRATE OUR
40th ANNIVERSARY
Still Serving The Institutional
and Retail Store Trades
JACK GELL
AND COMPANY
5700\ Federal Ave.
554-2000
DISCOUNTS UP TO
70%
ON ALL NAME BRANDS
The Great Cover-Up
• Aluminum 1"
5665 W. MAPLE ROAD
Horizontal Blinds
WEST BLOOMFIELD, MICHIGAN 48033
• Wood 1" & 2"Horizontal Blinds
• Vertical Blinds
SHOWROOM BY
• Pleated Shades
APPOINTMENT ONLY
• Window Shades
• Woven Woods
• Window Quilts
851-1125
FREE Professional Measure at No Obligation
FREE in-home Design Consulting
God-Less Judaism
Continued from preceding page
synagogues. Coming from an
unaffiliated family, Mrs. Cit-
rin said that the belief system
of the Birmingham Temple
was in line with how she lives.
"It's very comfortable for
me, it fits in with the philan-
thropic things I do. We don't
look to God to give us clues
how to act." She added that
Humanistic Judaism is not a
"renegade movement," and
said it could be traced in the
persons of Einstein, Spinoza
and Buber.
She said she also was at-
tracted by the temple's family
orientation, that there are a
lot of observances geared for
the family, especially for chil-
dren.
When people criticize the
temple and Humanistic
Judaism, she regards those
comments as coming out of
ignorance and said she wished
that critics would come and
see for themselves what
Humanistic Judaism is all ab-
out.
Mark Cousens, treasurer of
the temple and a member of its
executive committee, echoes
Mrs. Citrin's sentiments. He
said he found that the ideas
promoted by the temple are
"consistent with all my val-
ues."
"I'm a secular Jew. I've been
a secular Jew all my life. The
temple provided me an oppor-
tunity to participate in the
Jewish community as a secu-
lar Jew."
Controversy- has sur-
rounded the movement since
its birth. Publication of its
God-less philosophy in various
newspapers and magazines,
both local and national, in-
cluding Time, led some early
members to defect. The Detroit
Jewish News opted to exclude
the temple's services from its
listing of synagogue services.
Asked why, then-publisher
Philip Slomovitz said: "He
(Rabbi Wine) was viewed as
`ungodly.' We made a brief an-
nouncement that we would not
list him in the synagogue col-
umn, but merited space
news-wise without restriction
or limitations."
Slomovitz said this policy
lasted about six months. Then
the temple was automatically
restored in the synagogue list-
ing without comment or dis-
pute.
Finding a place to meet for
services also became prob-
lematic. Learning of the
movement's "God-less" phi-
losophy, the Birmingham
Masonic Temple, then the
home for the foundling con-
gregation, booted out the
group, citing theological rea-
"The critics should
come and see for
themselves."
sons. According to newspaper
reports of the time, the
Masonic group was backed by
the Birmingham Council of
Ministers. The Birmingham
Temple president was given
the following rationale for the
expulsion:
The Masons "insisted that a
positive commitment to the
existence of a Supreme Being
was requisite for the contin-
ued use of the temple." Like
their antecedents who wan-
dered in the desert, so the
Birmingham Temple mem-
Humanistic Judaism in Israel
In Israel, Humanistic
Judaism has attracted
about 1,000 adherents, with
about 1,000 non-active sup-
porters, according to Dr.
Zev Katz, vice president of
the Israel Society for Secu-
lar Humanistic Judaism.
He spoke in Detroit last
December for the Michigan
"Coalition of Secular and
Humanistic Jews. Katz said
the Israeli affiliate emerged
in July 1983, comprised
mainly of persons who he
describes as "middle-
educated and up." They are
mostly Ashkenazim and
academics.
Haim Cohn, former chief
justice of the Israeli Sup-
reme Court, is honorary
president. The late Yigael
Yadin was a supporter; and
author Amos Oz, Nathan
Schachter and Shulamit
Aloni have lent a friendly
ear to the young associa-
tion.
Unlike its American
counterpart, the movement
in Israel has no rabbi, no
congregation. However,
there are chapters through-
out the country — in
Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa,
Rishon LeZion, Rehovot
and Beersheva. Plans are to
establish chapters in
Herzliya, Netanya and
Ramat Hasharon.
Professor and senior lec-
turer at the Institute of His-
tory at Hebrew University,
Katz said that the Israeli
movement does not oblige
its members to belong to a
congregation.
"We want to create for
our members a way of living
in the line of Jewish tradi-
tion and heritage without
accepting rituals that to
them are not meaningful
anymore or are contrary to
their conscience. To us, the
really important thing in
Judaism is the moral, cul-
tural, national, historical,
literary values that we find
in Judaism — in the histor-
ical religious writings and
traditions."
But Israeli Humanistic .
Jews don't reject Jewish
religious tradition outright.
According to Katz,
"Humanistic Judaism is not
identical with the Jewish
religion, but the Jewish
religion is a major compo-
nent in it.
"We do not say that we
are ones who reject mitzvot.
We regard ourselves as
people who keep mitzvot.
We say we keep the really
important mitzvot. The
really important ones to us,
the most crucial mitzvot,
are those that relate to the
spiritual, moral, cultural,
national. We're people with
a national Jewish con-
science and as such we re-
gard living in Israel accord-
ing to the Halachah one of
the greatest mitzvot and
some say it is worth, valued,
or to equal all of the other
mitzvot."
He referred to the move-
ment in Israel as a public
association with a bent
away from politics. No one
holding political office can
have an official position in
the movement. Katz said,
however, that members of
the Knesset have been
known to act as advocates
in the Israeli parliament on
behalf of Humanistic Jews.
Rather than practicing
the rituals learned by gen-
erations of Jews, Humanis-
tic Jews practice their
ideals culturally and aca-
demically. Katz said
Humanistic Jews practice
on three levels. First, there
are discussion groups and
seminars. Secondly are the
celebrations of holidays,