A Sect Puts Traditions Before the
Optional God
By Cynthia Marshall
The idea of combining the modern theory of humanism - the belief that people are capable of self-fulfillment and ethical conduct without reliance on a supernatural God - with a religious tradition thousands of years old might seem like tilting at windmills.
But members of the Congregation for Humanistic Judaism of Fairfield County
believe that it is not only possible, but also offers Jews a realistic way to reconcile
life in a modern world with a strong cultural and historic identity.
"Jews have always created a Judaism to serve their time, and
that's what humanistic Judaism is," said John Franklin of Westport, who founded the
Fairfield County chapter of the national Society for Humanistic Judaism years ago. It is
the cultural heritage that humanistic Jews want to retain and use to mark life's events
without being required to profess religious beliefs they do not agree with, Mr. Franklin
said. "This offers freedom of expression in a comfort zone of not being
hypocritical." he said.
Many Jews find a dichotomy between information gained from education
and personal observation, and the beliefs of traditional Judaism, said Rosalyn Hill, a
Fairfield resident who is a member of the Fairfield County congregation and recent
president of the national Society for Humanistic Judaism. However, the combination of
humanism and Judaism is "a way" people can move into the coming century and
integrate beliefs in education," she said.
To reflect its philosophy, the group has rewritten the Haggadah, the
story of Passover, in English and has updated the story to include the Holocaust. It holds
a candle-lighting ceremony at the beginning of meetings and retains traditional songs like
the Kol Nidre at Yom Kippur.
Now twenty-five chapters strong in the United States, the society has
grown steadily since its inception in 1963, said Rabbi Sherwin Wine, who continues to lead
the humanistic Judaism movement, which is based in Birmingham, Michigan. The movement has
also grown abroad, with participants in Europe, Australia, South America and Israel.
Generally, meetings are held on alternate Fridays and consist of
discussions on Jewish history and culture, with topics ranging from the Torah to an
episode of a television drama about circumcision, said Sam Brownstein, a Westport resident
and a member and past president of the Fairfield County congregation.
Speakers are often brought in; God is never mentioned, and people are
free to form their own convictions on the existence and nature of a Supreme Being, said
Mr. Brownstein, who was brought up as an Orthodox Jew and attended Hebrew school.
"I've learned a great deal more about Judaism from our congregation and adult
education than I did growing up" he noted.
Area Jews are attracted to the congregation for different reasons. Mr.
Franklin appreciates the creativity and members' commitment to search for truth.
Humanistic Judaism is now where he believes the Reform movement was headed before World
War II. After the Holocaust, Reform Judaism became more conservative, Mr. Franklin said,
and he prefers Humanistic Judaism as a "more forward-looking, entrepreneurial
Judaism."
For Mr. Brownstein and his wife, Marilyn, the congregation was a way to
teach Jewish traditions to their children without violating Mrs. Brownstein's views as a
Jewish nonbeliever.
For most members, the congregation has provided friendships and offers
support for a way of life like any other church or synagogue despite the lack of a central
meeting place. The congregation provides volunteers for local nonprofit agencies and has a
Sunday School.
