Colloquium '99 The Future Is HARRY KIRS BAUM Staff Writer Rabbis Tamara Kolton and Sherwin Wine . .... . .,„ „„,„, .... ...... ... Rabbi Sherwin Wine marks first ordination of Secular Humanistic rabbi and plans a busy retirement. k" • a'A 4 . • • •,, ••• ,,. &c. will or Kolton as a Secular Humanistic rabbi. DIANA LIEBERMAN Staff Writer T amara Kolton, a small blonde woman with a direct gaze and a firm handshake, will become the Est rabbi ordained within the Secular Humanistic movement. Her ordination takes place at Shabbat ser- vices Friday, Oct. 8, at Birmingham 10/1 1999 6 Detroit Jewish News V's .•:•••: ' ••• • \ II abbi Sherwin Wine may be the founder of Humanistic Judaism, but in 100 years, history books will show someone else as its first rabbi. That's fine with him. The ordination of Tamara Kolton, the first graduate of the Secular Humanistic rabbinic program, is a significant step forward in the move- ment Rabbi Wine started in 1963. He will officiate at Rabbi Kolton's ordina- tion during the Oct. 8 Friday evening services at Birmingham Temple — part of "Colloquium '99: Beyond Tradition," a four-day conference on Jewish identity. Rabbi Wine's charismatic leader- ship and keen intellect still are key to the growing movement, which claims 30,000 followers worldwide. Though he plans to retire as rabbi of Birmingham Temple in about four years, he hardly will be absent. Rabbi Wine will remain dean of the institute he began in 1992 to train leaders and publish literature. He also will have more time to travel and lecture in the more than 40 affiliated organizations worldwide. In general, these groups are united by some basic tenets of Secular Humanistic Judaism: • Members celebrate the power of the individual, Jewish culture and his- tory, without praying to a deity. • Community leaders put together their own siddur, taken from an anthology of literature. • The Bible is not holy or sancti- .0wr, VAR % \* , s• Sp 4•• •:. =0 ,E, . of rabbi However, each was trained in another branch of Judaism and embraced Secular. Humanistic Judaism later. The movement also has been cer- tifying lay leaders -- madrichim — through its International Institute for Secular Humanistic Judaism based at Birmingham Temple. With Rabbi Kolton's ordination, Secular Humanistic Judaism gains added credibility in a world that tends to view it as a rejection of Judaism rather than a viable alterna- tive with its own philosophical struc- ture. And the Birmingham Temple gains a vital, enthusiastic heir appar- ent to its 71-year-old founder, Rabbi ciate said Rabbi Win very at her ordinatioth, proud of Tamara and.o her extraor dinary accomplishments, and we rec- ognize fully the significance of her ordination to our movement," The ordination, which begins at 8 p.m., will be part of the temple's reg- ular Friday night service. Three people alternate leading ser- vices at the Birmingham Temple — Rabbi Wine, Associate Rabbi Kolton and Assistant Rabbi Adam Chalom, who is studying for ordination. Each has a singular style, said member Beth Dzodin of Lathrup Village. "Hers is a sophisticated, poetic, graceful service," Dzodin said. "She the emple member. her moth first trip to Israel came at age 16. She's married to Israeli citizen Isaac Kolton, whom she met in Detroit. Rabbi Kolton earned a bachelor's degree from Hebrew University in Jerusalem and a master's in clinical psychology from the Center for Humanistic Studies in Detroit. Her goal always was to be a rabbi. "I really believe I decided when I was 13, at my bat mitzvah, that I wanted to spend my life with the Jewish people," she said. "I am proud to be a Humanistic Jew, and feel very