So, you’re thinking of joining the Congregation, but you have a few questions. Prospective members have frequently asked the following questions about Humanistic Judaism and about our congregation. The answers are by no means conclusive but offer a perspective.
Humanistic Jews believe that people are the source of moral and intellectual authority. Our services and programs are creative and participatory rather than prescribed and worshipful. Our Bar/Bat Mitzvahs encourage rigorous and creative preparation of a Jewish subject rather than rote learning, and we stress family involvement rather than rabbinical dictate. (For more on our Bar/Bat Mitzvah ceremonies, please refer to the Mitzvah Mentoring Program page on our website.)
Some of our members have concepts of a personal God; many don’t. In essence, we believe that religion is a search for the meaning of life–and that we are responsible for the exploration. We do not believe in “omnipotence.” We have no “dogma.” We use free inquiry to challenge old precepts and to create new approaches that make Judaism more meaningful for all. This is reflected in the way we celebrate holidays, write our own services, and participate in the ongoing evolution of Jewish experience.
Very inclusive. We provide an inclusive home for Jews and their family members, including multifaith, multicultural and multiracial households, LGBTQ2S+, and those of partial Jewish ancestry. We believe deeply in human dignity and equality and the need to work for social justice. In short, our Congregation is a very warm, welcoming and supportive group as members from a variety of diverse backgrounds will agree.
Our organization is entirely cooperative. There is no paid rabbi or executive director. Most everyone participates in some way. We have experienced members who can, as needed, perform marriages, officiate at funerals, coach Bar/Bat Mitzvah students, lead communal events, etc. We invite guest lecturers to discuss topics of interest. We share in the responsibility of creating services, getting speakers, producing a monthly newsletter, developing and running educational programs, as well as a monthly book group, women’s and men’s discussion groups, building sukkahs, and enjoying each other’s company.
We are unencumbered by the corporate structure and expense of most synagogues. We don’t own a building and therefore do not have a building fund. We rent facilities for major services and certain educational programs, while also enjoying the warmth and camaraderie of smaller group meetings in members’ homes (and since Covid, on Zoom for some programs, including Friday night services). In recent years, CHJ has live streamed certain of its services and programs to make them more accessible to all members.
The Congregation is administered by the officers and Board of Directors, which is made up of officers and key committee heads. All members are welcome to attend our open Board meetings and contribute.
The cooperative nature of the Congregation involves some degree of time and commitment, but dues are affordable, and membership is highly rewarding. If all this sounds like how you might like to practice Judaism, please see the Membership page and join us!
Consider the following statements:
If you think that all of the above statements are true, you may be a Humanistic Jew.
In 1967, CHJ became the first humanistic congregation outside of Michigan to call itself Humanistic. It is a member of the Society for Humanistic Judaism, headquartered in Michigan. Humanistic Judaism has groups/congregations in more than a dozen countries including Canada, the United States, Israel, Europe, Australia, Russia and South America. There are more than 30,000 Humanistic Jews worldwide who identify with our Movement. It was recognized in 2000 by the United Jewish Communities (U.S.) as the fifth branch in Judaism.
It was founded in 1963 by the late Rabbi Sherwin Wine, who was ordained as a Reform rabbi. The Birmingham Temple (re-named the Congregation for Humanistic Judaism of Metro Detroit) became the first to identify itself as a Humanistic Jewish congregation. Located in suburban Detroit, it currently serves several hundred member families. It was the founding group of the Society for Humanistic Judaism. Go to www.shj.org for more information.
Humanistic Jews value the Torah because it is a historical, political, sociological text written and compiled by their ancestors. They do not believe that every word of the Torah is true, or even morally correct, just because it is old. They are willing to question the Torah and to disagree with it. They believe the entire Jewish experience, not just the Torah, should be the source for Jewish behavior and ethics.
CHJ has a Torah from the Czech Republic, which was salvaged from the Holocaust and is on permanent loan from a London synagogue that restores and conserves such precious relics.
The survival of the Jewish people is a consequence of their adaptability. What has kept the Jewish people alive is their willingness to adapt to the dominant culture, while still adhering to the ever changing, yet enduring quality of their own customs and ceremonies. Their common history, literature and fate are all responsible for Jewish continuity.
For years, CHJ has chosen not to have a rabbi, relying instead on lay leaders. A rabbi is a leader of the Jewish people, someone who is knowledgeable about Jewish history and ceremony and can lead congregants to participate fully in Jewish communal life. Humanistic rabbis are ordained by the International Institute for Secular Humanistic Judaism, based in Deerfield, Illinois, which offers a training program for Humanistic rabbis and madrikhim (leaders). In addition to their rabbinical studies, candidates are required to have a university PhD degree in Jewish studies (or a Master’s degree in the case of madrikhim). Some Humanistic rabbis were previously ordained in other branches of Judaism.
The foundation of ethics is not God. The foundation of ethics is human dignity, human survival and human happiness. Ethical behavior consists of relationships between people. Some people behave well without believing in God, and some people who believe in God do not behave ethically.
We celebrate our Jewish identity. We use poetry and prose to express that connection – to encourage reflection and meditation. We sing Jewish songs in English, Hebrew, and Yiddish. We create our own liturgy which includes non-theistic blessings for wine, challah, candle lighting, holidays, etc. As well, we sometimes adapt traditional materials to be consistent with humanistic Jewish philosophy.
From the beginning of time, spirit was defined as that which gives life to physical beings and things. Over time religions adapted that meaning to refer to supernatural beings, and their relationship with the gods. For Humanistic Jews, spirituality as “the loosening of the boundaries of the ego”—the way in which we connect to all that lives—is the most meaningful definition.
For Humanistic Jews, family and community are vital because they help us to connect and enable us to feel that we belong. When we are together in community at our holiday observances and hear the beautiful music, uplifting poetry, and meaningful words about living our lives with integrity, that provides us with a profound sense of spirituality. Helping the needy here or all over the world enables us not only to feel connected to all humanity, but to feel that we make a positive difference in the world. Experiencing nature—a beautiful sunrise or sunset, the view of a breathtaking mountain reflected in a lake, or cherry blossoms decorating a magnificent tree—all of these and more are spiritual experiences that give meaning to our lives.