commitment to 
social issues.
According to 
a national Pew 
Center survey in 
2013, six of 10 
American Jews 
said that being 
Jewish was mainly 
a matter of cul-
ture or ancestry, 
compared to 15 
percent who said it 
was mainly religion. Also, Jews are 
less likely to believe in God than 
other Americans. Two-thirds of the 
Jews surveyed said a person can be 
Jewish without believing in God.
Some aspects of Humanistic 
Judaism, once controversial, are 
more acceptable, even mainstream 
today. Humanistic Judaism continues 
to explore new forms of Jewish edu-
cation and observance.
“Humanistic Judaism 
is bigger than a congre-
gational denomination. 
The congregational model is not 
working for the next generation as 
much,” Falick says.
Rabbi Greg Epstein, Humanist 
chaplain at Harvard and MIT, 
who gave the keynote address at 

the recent conference, 
expressed confidence 
about Humanistic 
Judaism’
s future. 
However, he stressed 
the need for education 
of teachers and mentors 
who can articulate what 
it means to be Jewish 
culturally and by her-
itage. 
“We need to adopt a 
more flexible view — proba-
bly less congregational — more like 
a movement or cause. There is very 
little sense that the congregational 
model is answering people with 
ways to connect with one another,” 
he says.
At the conference, it was 
announced that a grant will be 
used for market research to explore 
better ways to explain and build 
awareness of Humanistic Judaism. 
Also at the conference, Golin 
said, “Denominations that are 
growing have a clear mission. The 
mission of Humanistic Judaism is 
to improve people’
s lives and make 
the world a better place. We need to 
open this up to everyone who might 
benefit from it with no barriers to 
participation.” ■

Rabbi Sivan Maas, the first Israeli 
rabbi ordained by the International 
Institute for Secular Humanistic 
Judaism (IISHJ), is dean of Tmura-
IISHJ in Jerusalem. She participated 
in a town hall about “The Passion 
of the Humanistic Jews” at the 
recent anniversary conference, tell-
ing the audience, “You are all part 
of a revolution. Jews were always 
having revolutions, so you are all 
traditional Jews. Jewish plus secular 
plus humanistic — that’
s my power. 
What’
s yours?”
Maas became inspired by Humanistic 
Judaism while working in Detroit as 
the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan 
Detroit liaison to the Jewish Agency 
from 1990-94. “I was so amazed at the 
pluralism in this community but also the 
way that different aspects of the Jewish 
community worked together,” she says. 
She later began Humanistic rabbinic 
studies in Israel and was ordained in 

2003. Founding Rabbi Sherwin Wine 
convinced her to encourage other 
Israelis to become Humanistic rabbis as 
the best way to develop more congre-
gations there. 
In 2004, she founded the Institute for 
Training Secular Humanistic Rabbis and 
Jewish Leadership, which has become 
a leading voice for secular Humanistic 
Judaism in Israel. Five Humanistic 
Jewish communities exist in Israel.

First Israeli Humanistic Rabbi Credits 
Roots in Detroit
Rabbi 

Sivan 

Maas

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