Society for Humanistic Judaism

Shabbat Shalom!

- Today In Jewish History - 1654: Jacob Barsimson, who some claim was the first Jew to settle in North America, arrived in New Amsterdam. However, the official founding of the Jewish community in the United States is dated from September 23, 1654, when 23 Jewish refugees arrived from Recife, Brazil.
Having been sent out by the Jewish leaders of Amsterdam, Dutch Republic to determine the possibilities of an extensive Jewish immigration to New Amsterdam - with the fall of Dutch Brazil, it was imperative for Jews planning to leave Europe to find other new homes - Barsimson arrived on the ship Peartree (or de Pereboom) on August 22, 1654, having left the Netherlands on July 8.

Barsimson and the other Jewish settlers met with discrimination from Governor Peter Stuyvesant. They lobbied for and eventually got approval for a Jewish cemetery in 1656, and succeeded before long in obtaining instructions to Stuyvesant from his superiors, the Dutch West India Company of Holland, overruling his discrimination against Jews in the colony.

We've got the swag! Check out our Tee Public shop for some fun (and funny) items and support SHJs mission with your purchase!

- Today In Jewish History - 1959: Judith Sussman born (February 12, 1938) and raised in Elizabeth, New Jersey, married lawyer John M. Blume, whom she had met while a student at New York University, and became the beloved and award-winning author Judy Blume. Her well-known books include ARE YOU THERE GOD? IT'S ME, MARGARET; FOREVER...; and WIFEY.
Blume has won more than 90 literary awards, including three lifetime achievement awards in the United States. Despite this, she is one of the most challenged authors of the 21st century and five of her books are on the 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990-1999 list. This is because she writes openly and honestly about issues like divorce, sexuality, puberty, and bullying. Blume has been an activist against the banning of books in the United States and is a former board member of the National Coalition Against Censorship.
In 2018, Blume and her husband, George Cooper, opened a non-profit book store called Books & Books located in Key West.
Judy Blume is, of course, Jewish and she once wrote a haggadah for her children.

Have you heard the term "Jewish-Adjacent"?

Check out this Kveller article with some great words from Rabbi Adam Chalom of Kol Hadash Humanistic Congregation and International Institute for Secular Humanistic Judaism

What It Means to Be Jewish-Adjacent – Kveller “We welcome all Jewish people and Jewish-adjacent people.” I first heard these beautiful words in the fall of 2023 at a High Holidays service. Being recognized and shown hospitality as a Jewish-adjacent person resulted in my immediately feeling warmth, joy and complete inclusion that I had never...

A Member Exclusive collection of Humanistic Alternatives to Kaddish for Tisha B'Av.

Are you member yet? See the comments to find out more and to read this full article!

👇 Read in the comments👇
We are excited to share a series of writings by J. Bruce Hillenberg and Scarlett Rodnick-Ingber focusing on the practice of Mussar from a Humanistic perspective. We encourage readers to engage in the comments of the blog by asking questions which will be answered directly by the author!

- Today In Jewish History - 1944: Anne Frank, her family and the other occupants of the Secret Annex were taken from their prison cells and sent to the Westerbork Concentration Camp, after having been arrested on Aug. 4. Anne was 15 at the time. On Sept. 3 they were all sent to Auschwitz-Birkenau. Of the inhabitants of the Annex--Anne, her parents Otto and Edith, her sister Margot, the Van Pels family (Hermann, Auguste, and son Peter) and Fritz Pfeffer, only Otto Frank survived. Miep Gies, Otto's employee and a helper of the Secret Annex residents, found Anne's diary after the arrest and returned it to Otto after the war.

We talk a lot about *what* Humanistic Judaism is...Now lets talk about *why*!

Most Jews derive their ethics through Humanism, not divine commandments.

If you don’t believe in the God of the Bible, you are not alone. You’re not even outside the Jewish mainstream. Three out of four Jews don’t. It’s humanism—the uniquely human ability to make decisions based on reason, knowledge, and empathy about what’s best for most people—that fosters the positive universalist values of tolerance and diversity held by most American Jews. Many newcomers to Humanistic Judaism find welcome relief to learn there is a word for what they already believe, and a community of likeminded, supportive fellow-travelers.

Q&A with Rabbi Eva Cohen of Or Emet Minnesota Congregation For Humanistic Judaism.
Mazel Tov, Eva!

Q&A: Minnesota’s first Humanistic rabbi on God, justice and human responsibility “We’re not calling on God to make things better for us, we’re committed to acting for ourselves.”

We are excited to welcome Carlie to the SHJ family! Carlie has recently adopted Judaism through SHJ and has chosen the Hebrew name Levana Gibora. Read her story in the comments!

"I stand for simple justice, equal opportunity, and human rights. The indispensable elements in a democratic society and well worth fighting for."
-Helen Suzman

Prayer in Public Schools - Sherwin Wine The Jewish Humanist Volume 31, No. 6, January 1995 Newt Gingrich has spoken. He wants prayer in the public schools. And so do millions of other American. Most of them are not members of the Religious Right. They just want to improve the personal and social values of their children. The separation of...

Now available for pre-order!

Contemporary Humanistic Judaism Opening up multidimensional ideas, values, and practices of Humanistic Judaism to Jews of all backgrounds and beliefs, Contemporary Humanistic Judaism collec...

Tikkun Olam is a concept in Judaism that calls us to be an active part of healing the world. Tikkun Olam can be random acts of kindness, charitable giving of money and/or time, political and social activism, and pretty much any action that contributes to a better world around you. Have you heard of Tikkun Olam? What does it mean to you as a Humanistic Jew?

The latest issue of Humanistic Judaism Magazine is here!! Subscribers can read the full issue by 👇🏼 clicking the link in the comments 👇🏼 If you aren't a subscriber yet, a preview version is also available at the link, along with information on how to sign up for future issues and view the HJ Magazine archives!

👇🏼Click in the comments👇🏼
If you missed our first Meet The Rabbis/Cantors of SHJ live series, have no fear! Not only can you find them on our youtube, but we'll be showcasing them here as well!

Lets start with Rabbi Eva Goldfinger of Oraynu Congregation for Humanistic Judaism in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, discussing self-care lessons from studying great Jewish sages and influencers, as well as thinkers from beyond the Jewish community.

As much as we continue to fear for the future of our democratic system, it is a remarkably rare occurrence in human history -- and a hopeful reminder of what can be great about America -- when the most powerful man in the country (really, the world) voluntarily abdicates power based solely on the opinion of his supporters and the weight of his own conscience.

It has happened a few times before; George Washington set the precedent of two terms long before it was a law, Lyndon Johnson declined to run for a second term after becoming distraught over the Vietnam War.

This is no stain on Joe Biden's legacy, it in fact adds to it, and stands in stark contrast to those who would tear down the very fabric of our legal and electoral systems in order to stay in power, or vow to become "dictator on day one."

Thank you, President Biden, for your leadership and service.

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With everything going on in this world, finding happiness and hope wherever we can is truly important.

"The overriding lesson for me is that in a complex, often distressing world, we can achieve happiness and cultivate hope through embracing community and pursuing our own interests within that community."

Where can we find happiness and hope? The challenges and difficulties that our world faces today can be overwhelming, so finding a space for happiness and hope is important to us

- Today In Jewish History - 1906: birthdate of American playwright, screenwriter, and actor Clifford Odets (July 18, 1906 – August 14, 1963). Odets was born in Philadelphia to Louis J. Odets (born Leib Gorodetsky) and Pearl Geisinger, Russian- and Romanian-Jewish immigrants, and was raised in Philadelphia and the Bronx, New York. He dropped out of high school after two years to become an actor and a writer. His plays include Golden Boy, The Country Girl, Waiting for Lefty ...
Odets had belonged to the Communist Party for less than a year, between 1934 and 1935, but continued to sponsor many left-wing, progressive groups, some of which were suspected communist fronts. He cooperated with the House Un-American Activities Committee to the extent that he responded to their questions and reiterated names of Communist Party members who had been previously cited by his friend Elia Kazan. Before Kazan's final testimony in April 1952, they agreed to name each other. Odets thereby avoided overt blacklisting though the Committee withheld thanks for his testimony, an omission generally construed as signifying their displeasure. He also found it increasingly difficult to garner film assignments.

- Today In Jewish History - 1906: birthdate of American playwright, screenwriter, and actor Clifford Odets (July 18, 1906 – August 14, 1963). Odets was born in Philadelphia to Louis J. Odets (born Leib Gorodetsky) and Pearl Geisinger, Russian- and Romanian-Jewish immigrants, and was raised in Philadelphia and the Bronx, New York. He dropped out of high school after two years to become an actor and a writer. His plays include Golden Boy, The Country Girl, Waiting for Lefty ...
Odets had belonged to the Communist Party for less than a year, between 1934 and 1935, but continued to sponsor many left-wing, progressive groups, some of which were suspected communist fronts. He cooperated with the House Un-American Activities Committee to the extent that he responded to their questions and reiterated names of Communist Party members who had been previously cited by his friend Elia Kazan. Before Kazan's final testimony in April 1952, they agreed to name each other. Odets thereby avoided overt blacklisting though the Committee withheld thanks for his testimony, an omission generally construed as signifying their displeasure. He also found it increasingly difficult to garner film assignments.

Today would be a great day to check out our pluralistic initiative Jews for a Secular Democracy!

Did you know many of our local communities offer online programming open to anyone who wants to learn more about Humanistic Judaism?
Check out the comments 👇🏼 to connect!

- Today In Jewish History - 1963: Arthur Goldreich (25 December 1929 – 24 May 2011), a South African-Israeli abstract painter and a key figure in the anti-apartheid movement, was among the top 16 ANC leaders who were arrested at Liliesleaf. This led to the Rivonia Trial (1963-64) often referred to as "the trial that changed South Africa.” Ten leading opponents of apartheid went on trial for their lives on charges of sabotage. The most profound moment in the trial was probably Nelson Mandela’s speech in the dock. He condemned the very court he was appearing in as illegitimate. He then proceeded to argue that the laws in place were equally draconian and that defiance of these laws was justified. The trial ended on June 12, 1964, with the court sentencing eight of the convicted to life imprisonment. Goldreich and 3 others were able to escape while on remand after bribing a prison guard.

Arthur Goldreich was born in Pietersburg, South Africa, and settled in Palestine, where he participated in the 1948 Arab-Israeli war as a member of the Palmach, the elite military wing of the Haganah. By the age of 33, Goldreich had moved back to South Africa where he became one of the country's most successful artists.