What is Humanistic Judaism?

Humanistic Jewish congregations address all aspects of Judaism, which is the culture of the Jew, and includes everything Jews have created for their lives: food, history, holidays, music, dance, religion, language, etc.

Of the 5 recognized branches of Judaism (Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, Reconstructionist, and Humanistic), Humanistic Judaism is the only movement that reflects the beliefs of the estimated 44% of American Jews who identify themselves as secular.¹

The philosophy underlying Humanistic Judaism has been a part of Jewish life for more than 100 years and has included some of the most prominent of modern scholars: Albert Einstein, Sigmund Freud,, Emma Lazarus, Baruch Spinoza, Arthur Miller, Theodore Hertzl, Lillian Wald, Justice Louis Brandeis, Primo Levi, and Sholom Aleichem to name a few.

Humanistic Judaism is a young and dynamic movement that was first established as an official branch of Judaism in North America by Rabbi Sherwin Wine in 1963. Under the parent organizations of the Society for Humanistic Judaism and the International Federation of Secular Humanistic Jews, the growing movement already maintains 32 congregations and communities in North America and is represented in 13 countries, including Israel.

For Humanistic Jews, the existence or non-existence of a Supreme Being or Supernatural power (God) is irrelevant.² The more meaningful question is, “who has the power to shape the course of our lives?” Humanistic Jews believe that each individual has that power, independent of any supernatural authority. The power is within ourselves and in others through cooperation.

Humanistic Jews believe in reason rather than faith. Humanists believe that human experience and human needs, rather than divine authority, are the source of ethical wisdom.

Humanistic Jews believe that a Jew is a member of the same big Jewish family. As with all families, the Jewish family has a shared culture and ancestry, but it also has a diversity of beliefs. Membership in the family is determined either by birth or by adoption into the family when someone chooses to join the family.

Humanistic Jews appreciate the bible for its wealth of information about early Jewish life, considering it a rich source of ancient wisdom but written by fallible human beings.

Humanistic Jews celebrate Jewish holidays by finding the original human roots of each holiday and festival, by carrying forward meaningful traditions, songs, and melodies, and by incorporating new inspirational elements that mesh with our Humanistic philosophy. For Humanistic Jews, holiday celebrations root us in our Jewish identity, create a sense of community, build bridges to our past, and connect us to Jews throughout the World.

Adat Chaverim literally means a community of friends. Established in 2000 as L.A.’s only Humanistic Jewish congregation, we are still growing and striving to create a place of celebration, education, inspiration, and friendship. We have a Children’s Jewish Cultural School, regular Shabbat and holiday celebrations, Adult Education, a variety of Adult Discussion Groups, and a wide range of social events for families, adults, and the entire congregation. We invite you to join us in building our special community.

¹American Religious Identification Survey 2001, by Kosmin, Mayer, and Keysar at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. 44% of American Jews self-identify as secular.

²Interestingly, regardless of religious belief, only 29% of American Adults surveyed in the October 31, 2006, Harris Poll believe that God “controls what happens on Earth.”