July 4 • 2019 11
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iftieth anniversaries are special occa-
sions — usually upbeat moments to 
celebrate past achievements, reconnect 
with family, friends and colleagues, and 
to think about the future, often with good 
food, music and heartfelt speeches. 
The Society for Humanistic Judaism cel-
ebrated its 50th anniversary with all 
these 
elements and more at “SHJ@50: Celebrating 
Culture, Advancing the Movement,” a con-
ference held April 26-28 at the Birmingham 
Temple in Farmington Hills. (The tem-
ple’
s founding members met for a time in 
Birmingham, which accounts for the tem-
ple’
s name.)
The conference attracted 130 enthusiastic 
participants from 20 states, Canada and 
Israel to hear discussions about Humanistic 
Judaism’
s history, evolution and outlook for 
the future. 

THE MOVEMENT’
S BEGINNINGS
Humanistic Judaism began in the Detroit 
area when eight suburban couples who were 
members of Temple Beth El began meeting 
to discuss a new and different sort of Jewish 
affiliation. They sought out Rabbi Sherwin 
Wine, who was leading a Reform temple in 
Windsor and had previously served as assis-
tant rabbi at Temple Beth El in Bloomfield 
Township.
Together they developed a framework that 
retained a commitment to Jewish history, 
culture, holiday celebrations and other tra-
ditions but revised or eliminated elements 
focused on God as the source of morality 
and power in human life. Wine preferred to 
describe himself as an “ignostic”— someone 
who doesn’
t know what God means and, 
therefore, can’
t validate God’
s existence. 
Time Magazine’
s 1965 article “The Atheist 
Rabbi” brought this new stream of Judaism 
publicity, generating controversy and antag-
onism from some in the Jewish community 
here and elsewhere. 
But its adherents then and now prefer 
to emphasize what Humanistic Judaism 
believes — not what it rejects. Their concept 
of Humanistic Judaism focuses on human 
beings as responsible for their own lives 
and for improving society, and on Judaism 
as the historic culture of the Jewish peo-
ple. 
Within a year, Wine and a small group of 
supporters developed a liturgy that removed 
references to God. They formed the 
Birmingham Temple, the first Humanistic 
Jewish congregation, which has no ark. A 
Torah, which members consider an import-
ant part of Jewish tradition written by 
human beings, is kept in the temple library.
“We are secular humanists who believe 

that the world operates 
separate from supernatural 
authority. We believe that 
man is responsible for the 
world and each other and we 
celebrate the human spirit,” 
explains Rabbi Jeffrey Falick 
of the Birmingham Temple. 
“You don’
t have to be an 
atheist, but we focus on human impact. 
Why lead with what we don’
t believe?” says 
Paul Golin, executive director of the Society 
for Humanistic Judaism based on the 
Farmington Hills campus.
Humanistic Jewish congregations offer 
bar and bat mitzvahs without Torah read-
ings or the traditional Shabbat service. 
Instead, the young people develop an indi-
vidualized service, often with a humanistic 
aspect, such as “twinning” the bar mitzvah 
with a child who died in the Holocaust, a 
social service project or research about a 
social activist.

THE SOCIETY FOR HUMANISTIC JUDAISM
An umbrella organization, the Society for 
Humanistic Judaism, was founded in 1969 
(the reason for the recent 50th anniversary 
celebration) to connect the first congrega-
tions and others that soon followed. While 
some congregations are self-led, others 
have rabbis who were originally ordained 
by mainstream Jewish seminaries and later 
chose Humanistic Judaism.
Humanistic Jews are not the only group 
seeking to retain Jewish identity and some 
traditions but without the framework of 
belief in God and the Torah. Locally, the 
Labor Zionist Alliance, Sholem Aleichem 
and Jewish Parents Institute meet to com-
memorate Jewish holidays and provide 
Jewish education with a secular focus.
In 1990, a Humanistic rabbinic studies 
program was established. Candidates were 
required to have a master’
s degree in Jewish 
studies and then complete a four-year pro-
gram. A shorter course of study was offered 
to train officiants for life cycle and other 
ceremonies. 
Rabbi Tamara Kolton, who attended the 
Birmingham Temple as a child, was the first 
Humanistic rabbi ordained. Since then, 15 
individuals have been ordained and six peo-
ple are enrolled in the Humanistic rabbinic 
program, currently including individuals 
from Reform, Conservative, Humanistic and 
Orthodox backgrounds, according to Rabbi 
Adam Chalom, dean of the International 
Institute for Humanistic Judaism for North 
America, based in Farmington Hills and 
Jerusalem.

SHARI COHEN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Rabbi Jeffrey 

Falick

COURTESY LEONARD N. SIMONS JEWISH COMMUNITY ARCHIVES

The 
Light
Within

Society of Humanistic Judaism 
celebrates 50 years.

Rabbi Sherwin Wine

continued on page 12

