fled, but considered the beginning of Jewish literature. Birmingham Temple's Torah is found on a shelf in the library. "We believe the power to deal with the problems of our life does not come from some divine or supernatur- al source, but from within us," Rabbi Wine has said. "Once you use theistic vocabulary, then you have to sit around apologizing, redefining, always explaining." Ironically, these ideas come from a man who grew up in a Conservative Jewish home in Detroit, and was ordained a Reform rabbi in 1956. He thought his humanistic ideals would be able to exist in the Reform move- ment. He was wrong. "The Reform movement was attached to liturgical formats, prayers and davening that were not consistent to my convictions," he said. "It's not my job to change the movement or to deceive, so it was clear that I had to go out and organize something on my own. In 1963, he left as rabbi of Temple Beth El in Windsor to organize Birmingham Temple, which moved to its current location in Farmington Hills in 1971. A Time magazine article in 1965 about the fledgling movement created much interest. The phone began to ring, and Rabbi Wine hit the road. He would deliver a public lecture or lead a service, and people who liked it would stay and organize. Rabbi Wine is a powerful, persua- sive speaker. When he talks, people listen. At a vigorous 71, he still lec- much connected to Rabbi Wine. She began in the rabbinic program at the International Institute for Secular Humanistic Judaism in 1992, the same year the program got off the ground. Last weekend, she was awarded a doctorate in interdiscipli- nary arts and sciences, with a concentration in rabbinic studies, from the Union Institute in Cincinnati, which is an accredited, inde- pendent university formerly known as the University Without Walls. Rabbi Kolton said the role of rabbi brings together all the things she loves — relating to people, singing, writing, a passion for Humanism, Hebrew. In tures about four times a week, speak- ing at Birmingham Temple, Unitarian churches, libraries and for private groups. His voice is that of a lawyer during final arguments; his vocabulary is that of a graduate school professor. He won't be caught off guard by a question. One of the first to affiliate with Rabbi Wine's movement was Rabbi Daniel Friedman, a Humanistic rabbi at Congregation Beth Or in Chicago. Over the course of three years, Rabbi Friedman described to his con- gregation the changes he planned to make. For example, he announced from the start that the Union Prayer Book eventually would be abandoned. After a year or two, he began to sub- stitute different readings and medita- tions. "During the third High Holy Day season, we replaced the prayer book with a humanistic liturgy," he said. That really caused a commotion." A six-month crisis followed. The next spring, in 1969, during the annual meeting, members took a vote in favor of the new philosophy. Rather than losing his congregation, Friedman had successfully converted them to Humanistic Judaism. Only six families dropped out, he said, and now his congregation is 250 families strong. Other organizing action took place in those early years. In 1969, the Society for Humanistic Judaism was created in three communities: Detroit, Chicago and Westwood, Conn. Also that year, communal leader Harold Gales founded the Congress of Secular Jewish Organizations. Together, the tam y congtega on a rim Temple. "I love this community, their integrity, capacity for friendship, warmth," she said. "The ternple is made up of loving, intelligent people who are here at the Birmingham Temple because their conviction takes them here. "To work here is to work at home, doing the things you Rabbi Tamara Kolton organizations made up the North American Federation. In 1986, the International Federation of Secular Humanistic Judaism was formed. It merged the existing Secular Judaism movement with the Humanistic Judaism move- ment in 10 countries. A more recent affiliate was Congregation Kol Chaim, founded in Atlanta nearly six years ago by Dave Savage, leader and president. It has a loose affiliation with Secular Humanist Judaism, he said. The con- gregation of less than 100 people meets at the homes of members, and Savage says his job is "like herding cats" because "most of the people consider themselves whole human beings not lacking anything by not attending a congregation. So they are much more willing to drop out." Cutting and pasting from material offered by Rabbi Wine's International Institute of Secular Humanistic Judaism, Savage is creating his own siddur of poetry, music and readings. The Institute, with its two centers, one at Birmingham Temple in Farmington Hills, and the other in Jerusalem, supplies the movement with anthologies and other literature to draw from, Rabbi Wine said. "Every community creates its own celebration format," he said. "What any community decides to use at any given moment is up to that commu- nity. They don't have to use the same things in the same order every year. We all change." Rabbi Wine said the movement serves people who otherwise wouldn't THE FUTURE Is Now on page 10 Koltons ra pper teens. "My daughter, Julie, looks up to Tamara so much," said Lori Schechter of Bloomfield Hills. "She's such a good role model for those girls." At the temple school, which this year has an enrollment of 78 young people, Rabbi Kolton teaches Hebrew language, Jewish music and an ethics course for eighth-graders. She also inaugurated the once-a-month Tot Services. Bill Trapp of Plymouth, one of the five-member temple executive board, said Rabbi Kolton's dynamic person- ality is among the top reasons he and his family joined the congregation. SECULAR JUDAISM — a move- ment that started at the end of the 19th century The idea is that Jews are primarily a nation and a nation- al culture rather than a religion. Humanism includes the develop- rnent and promotion of a national language, Yiddish. Zionism was ini- tially part of the concept. too. HUMANISTIC JUDAISM — started at Birmingham Temple in 1963. Built on the foundation of secular Judaism, with a strong per- sonal philosophy of life taking the idea of secular Judaism and adding a strong humanistic philosophy. SECULAR HUMANISTIC Birmingham Temple created the International Federation of Secular Humanistic Judaism in 1986, combining the two afore- mentioned forms of Judaism. JUDAISM — at the will be based on its abil to em race pluralism. "There are Mar* roads to the truth," she said, "and we must understand this as a community." Rabbi Kolton personally considers herself an agnostic. "I don't know if God exists or not," she said. "But I do believe that the strength to solve problems has to be found within myself and those I love. "As Secular Humanistic Jews, we believe the message of Jewish history is self-reliance. Especially after the Holocaust, we need to rely on our- selves and each other." ❑ 10/1 1999 Detroit Jewish News 7