April 12-13, 2014 a Humanistic Rabbi?
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February 2014 A Humanistic Rabbi? Holy Moses! Harold Londer, Madrikh Rabbi Miriam Jerris, from the Society for Humanistic Judaism have become quite rigid in their rulings, not accepting, for ex- (SHJ) will be visiting our congregation in April. I have known ample, conversion ceremonies that were done by Conservative Miriam since long before she achieved her rabbinic credentials. or Reform rabbis in the United States. Difficult legal, moral and She has visited our group several times over the years, but I ethical questions are still being fought over how we define a remember most vividly her first visit and presentation at the St. Jew within the Jewish family. Paul JCC over 25 years ago. Years later, Miriam was among the first rabbis ordained by SHJ. The enemies of the Jews for centuries primarily “defined” Juda- ism as a religion. During the Spanish inquisition for example, When Rabbi Jerris first came to the Twin Cities in the late 80’s, Jews could convert or be deported (or burned at the stake). Hit- there was no Or Emet congregation, no school, no holiday cele- ler however, defined Jews as a nation. He did not ask or care if brations. About 8-10 people responded to an advertisement we you practiced Judaism, or Protestantism, or nothing. If you were placed in the Jewish World, after a visit to the First Unitarian born a Jew, you were a Jew, and millions of secular Jews per- Society by Rabbi Sherwin Wine of SHJ. Larry Garfin and his ished along with their believing cohorts during the Holocaust. wonderful wife Norma were present. Larry was a pediatric den- Biblical Ruth, considered by many a heroine of the bible, was tist and Renaissance man who would become a co-founder of born to Arab parents. Non-religious Jews date back to biblical Or Emet. I also, sadly, remember Miriam officiating at Larry’s times. The term aphikorim (based on Epicurus) was used in funeral. At that first meeting, Miriam had each of us stand and Greek times to describe non-believing Jews. Some consider briefly tell our stories. I was just learning that a Jew could be them the first truly Humanistic Jews. humanistic. I had barely learned that a rabbi could be female, yet alone humanistic. I could tell that we were all Jewish since The International Federation of Secular and Humanistic Jews none of those present could tell their tales briefly. (to which Or Emet belongs), in its preamble, states: We welcome all men and women who sincerely desire to Who is a Jew? Who is a rabbi? Who decides? The answer is not share the Jewish experience, regardless of their ancestry. simple. As Rabbi Wine observes, you don’t see Protestants, We challenge the assumption that the Jews are primarily or Muslims or Catholics struggling with this existential question. exclusively a religious community and that religious con- You don’t see adult education seminars on Who is a Lutheran. victions or behavior are essential to full membership in the The classic rabbinic definition is well known. You are Jewish if Jewish people. your mother is Jewish or if you went through an “approved” conversion. But, Reform Judaism in America accepts a Jewish We welcome (again!) Miriam (err..Rabbi Jerris) to our commu- father as adequate. The law of return (the concept that all Jews nity. She is a wonderful resource to help us explore these issues. can become citizens of Israel) is much more inclusive. It says I encourage participation in activities planned for her weekend the individual or his/her spouse need have only one grandparent visit. Invite friends and family. I also recommend the Economist that was Jewish. The primary founders of Israel were secular magazine’s January 11th, 2014 article Who is a Jew? which Jews, however, in order to get support of religious Jews, control stimulated some of the above thoughts. of marriages, divorce and burial were given to the rabbis. They Rabbi Miriam Jerris Visits! April 12-13, 2014 Or Emet is honored to host Rabbi Miriam Jerris, Ph.D., Rabbi of the Society for Humanistic Judaism and President of the Association of Humanistic Rabbis. Saturday, April 12th at 7:30 - 9 pm -- at the St Paul Jewish Community Center Rabbi Jerris will present a public program: Humanistic Judaism: A Home for Wondering Jews -- and Others. Rabbi Jerris will discuss the implications of the Pew Research Center's 2013 study: A Portrait of Jewish Americans which found a majority of Jews identify as Jewish for cultural rather than religious reasons. Sunday, April 13th at 10 am - 12:30 pm -- at Friends School of Minnesota in St Paul Rabbi Jerris' will lead a discussion about Humanistic Judaism as a Home for Unaffiliated Jews and Other Humanists. The Illuminator President’s Message: What is a Humanist? Or Emet’s newsletter is Richard Logan published quarterly. To submit an item for the First, a Humanist is much more than a champion of human dignity and individual Illuminator, please contact rights, although those are vitally important. Second, Humanist beliefs are far more Joan Barnett at affirmative than simply non-theistic. [email protected] Madrikh Humanists believe that human beings are capable of careful reason, and therefore are Harold Londer capable of broad understanding and of creating new knowledge. Think about the [email protected] Humanities in college: They are all about what human beings have created: art, Executive Committee literature, music, philosophy, theatre -- as opposed to the Sciences and much of the Social Sciences, which see human character as the product -- as created. The President, Richard Logan Humanities, however, and therefore Humanists, see the human being as agent, as “I” [email protected] -- in a word, as a creator. This view is of course blasphemous to religionists, since Vice President, there is only one Creator. Arty Dorman Humanism thus stands as an alternative to the ancient view that a Supreme Being Treasurer, Sharon Miller created our essential nature. Persons therefore had only those qualities that God Members At-Large endowed them with. (Religionists disagree as to whether people are endowed with Dave Zukor Free Will. Some say yes; some say no). Liza Finestack Administrative Assistant Humanism also stands as an alternative to the overriding science-based idea that Mary Gustafson human character is created, either by Nature or Nurture, or by some combination of [email protected] the two. Humanists are not determinists as are (by definition) natural scientists and Program Committee most social scientists. However, the fact that mere persons rather than only the Jane Katz church and monarchs came to be understood as capable of careful observation and Naomi Rockler-Gladen study of the world also led to the development of the Natural Sciences. Thank you Lynne Steinberg Galileo. Jewish Cultural School Eva Cohen Free Will is generally a given to Humanists, although persons can choose to go along with someone else’s program and therefore act as if they have no Free Will. Newsletter Similarly, a person can make free decisions at one point in life and then may be Joan Barnett, Editor Naomi Rockler-Gladen, hemmed in later by the consequences of those decisions. (“You made your bed; now Dan Gladen, Publishers sleep in it.”) We can choose to be unfree. Here is a very important point: While Humanists generally take great exception to the idea that humans are simply www.oremet.org determined by Nature and/or Nurture, they do not take exception to the fact that a human being can use his/her ability to reason and observe and be a scientist. Or Emet is affiliated with the Society for Humanistic Judaism (SHJ) and the A powerful testament to Humanism is Viktor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning. International Institute for Even when confined by the Nazis to the most “unfree” circumstance imaginable-- a Secular Humanistic tiny, dark, dank cell -- Frankl discovered his essential freedom: that no one could Judaism (IISHJ). take away his thoughts, his spirit, his will. He refused to be unfree. No one could take away that which was most essential to his being. That is the Humanist view of human nature shown in high relief. Finally, the human Individual, as one who can both reason and, like a scientist, marshal evidence from careful observation, is competent to participate in his/her own governance; in a word to be a citizen in a democracy. Spinoza spoke articulately to this and helped shape the modern world. Prior to the Enlightenment, persons – certainly ordinary folk -- generally were subjects of monarchs and/or church, and not citizens. So, here we are, a congregation of Citizen Humanists. Let us continue to observe our world and reason together. 2 Jewish Cultural School — Update Submitted by Eva Cohen, JCS Director (with input from Josh Kaplan and Renee Dorman) November, December, and January at the Jewish Cultural cover why Hanukkah fell so early this year, playing a Jew- School have built on the energy of the fall with a continuing ish months matching game and finding their Jewish calen- round of fun holiday events and great in-classroom activi- dar birthdays. They even drew turkey menorahs for ties. At press time, JCS enrollment has increased to 25 stu- “Thanksgivakah.” December's lesson focused on tradition. dents. These young people and their families are bringing The class screened the Rugrats' Chanukah special, dis- lots of enthusiasm to school programs. cussed how traditions get passed down in the show and in their own families, and made traditionally Jewish rugelach. Students and families took During the January session, students learned about Tikkun part with verve in Or Emet Olam.