Born in Detroit amid controversy, the
Birmingham Temple and Humanistic
Judaism Wm 30 this year. Will they
survive into the 21st century?
ernetta Miller-
Shaw has never for-
gotten the "yowl-
ing and screaming"
that accompanied
the birth of the
Birmingham Temple.
Early members
heatedly debated
the nature of God
and religious
education, she
says. They often
feuded over the
temple's emerging
philosophy: Hu-
manistic Judaism.
"I'm sure the debates
unclogged a lot of our
arteries," she says.
"Some stormed out and
canceled their member-
ships."
Humanistic Judaism,
founded 30 years ago in
Detroit, looks to
mankind for strength
and solace. It leaves God
out of the picture.
Adherents say they are
ignostic: Give them proof
God exists, and they'll
believe.
Appalled by the direc-
tion their temple was
taking, some initial
members made an early
exodus. Despite this, and
criticism from outsiders,
the overall movement
has grown to about
10,000 followers since its
inception. Under the
leadership of Rabbi
Sherwin Wine, the move-
ment has proliferated
worldwide, with congre-
gations as close as
Deerfield, Ill., and as far
away as Israel and
Russia.
Now, the question:
Will it last? Can a mav-
erick system of religious
beliefs —. branded "too
rational" by some, "inspi-
rational" by others —
survive for generations
to come?
-
Harry and Suzanne
Velick, along with Mrs.
Miller-Shaw, were
among the Birmingham
Temple's first members.
In early 1963, they
belonged to Temple Beth
El, then located in
Detroit. The Velicks,
Shaws and a handful of
other Beth El couples
decided to start their
own congregation. They
weren't thinking of
spearheading an entirely
new movement. What
they had in mind was a
small-but-hip suburban,
and very Reform, congre-
gation.
"We wanted something
that was more intimate,"
Mrs. Miller-Shaw said.
"Beth El was very for-
mal, old-line and tradi-
tional in its Reform. Our
group was looking
toward starting a new
young temple."
So they requested
Rabbi Wine's assistance.
The 36-year-old graduate
of Hebrew Union College
had served as Beth El's
assistant rabbi before
leading a Reform congre-
gation in Windsor. He
was well-known for his
dynamism, Mrs. Miller-
Shaw said. She recalls
that his lectures were
"provocative," but not
outside the movement's
ideology.'
"People felt they came
away from his lectures
Rabbi Sherwin Wine was ordained by the Reform Movement.
with stimulated think-
ing," she said. "I don't
know that his
Humanistic views came
through."
Harry Velick, who
went on to become the
Birmingham Temple's
first president, said he
welcomed the rabbi into
the congregation, not for
religious reasons, but
because Sherwin Wine
was a personal friend.
"The young man was
also brilliant, but the
fact that he was a friend
is why we asked him,"
said Mr. Velick.
On Aug. 28, 1963,
Rabbi Wine met with 16
couples at the Velicks'
Birmingham home.
Those in attendance
decided they wanted to
start a Reform temple
open to "creative devel-
opment." Eight couples
ended up joining what
was informally dubbed
that evening the
Birmingham Temple.
"The name was chosen
as a temporary thing,"
Rabbi Wine said. "It
stuck because we lived
through a period of con-
troversy with it, so it
took on a very special
significance for us."
Initially, Birmingham
Temple members held
Shabbat services on
Sundays, because Rabbi
Wine was still leading
Friday night services in
Windsor. However,
almost everything else
about the young congre-
gation was traditional
Reform.
Little by little, howev-
er, things started chang-
ing. Members of the ritu-
al committee began dis-
cussing philosophical
issues, like the nature of
God. These questions
sparked lengthy discus-