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The Center for Cultural Judaism was established in New York in 2003 [1] to serve all secular jews. The center focuses on implementing educational, and outreach programs designed to reach Jews who do not find meaning in Judaism as a religion, but for whom Judaism as a culture is meaningful.
The Center for Cultural Judaism provides grants through the Posen Project for the study of secular Jewish history and cultures. These grants are intended to cultivate and support the interdisciplinary study of secular Jewish history and cultures within already well-established university programs and departments of Jewish studies, history, philosophy, sociology, anthropology, and other related disciplines. Grants are awarded to support the teaching of two to four courses per year in the origin, history, development, texts, philosophy, writings, and practices of Jewish secularism.
Over thirty institutions in North America and Europe are associated with the Posen Project for the study of secular Jewish history and cultures. New institutions joining the project recently include Brandeis University, Goucher College, Harvard University, Lehigh University, Rice University, Sorbonne - School of Graduate Studies, University College London, University of Kansas, and University of Wroclaw.
Similar programs are underway in Israel at the University of Haifa, Tel Aviv University, Ofakim Teachers' Program at Tel Aviv University, the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya, and the Open University, among others.
Secular Culture & Ideas is a journal that explores how secular Jews connect to their heritage through Jewish art, history, languages, literature, philosophy, foodways, folklore, and politics. The journal offers a range of articles on subjects including Roots of Jewish Secularism, Secular Thinkers, Holidays, and Life-Cycle, as well as past issues and a blog, Secular News & Notes.
Since its debut in 2001, Contemplate: The International Journal of Cultural Jewish Thought has published three volumes of essays, articles, and poetry about secular Jewish culture and progressive Jewish politics. Its contributors include Amos Oz, Ilan Stavans, A.B. Yehoshua, and Robert Pinsky. It is published annually.
A central library of books, articles, and videos on secular, Humanistic, and cultural Judaism is being created at the center, which sells books as well.
The site also functions as a meeting space and hosts cultural Jewish celebrations, services, and rites of passage aimed towards non-religious, secular, cultural, and Humanistic Jews.
Sherwin Theodore Wine, Hebrew name שמעון בן צבי, Shimon ben Tzvi, was an American rabbi and a founding figure of Humanistic Judaism, a movement that emphasizes Jewish culture and history as sources of Jewish identity rather than belief in any gods. He was originally ordained as a Reform rabbi but later founded the Birmingham Temple, the first congregation of Humanistic Judaism, in 1963.
Humanistic Judaism is a Jewish movement that offers a nontheistic alternative to contemporary branches of Judaism. It defines Judaism as the cultural and historical experience of the Jewish people rather than a religion, and encourages Jews who are humanistic and secular to celebrate their identity by participating in relevant holidays and rites of passage with inspirational ceremonies that go beyond traditional literature while still drawing upon it.
The Society for Humanistic Judaism (SHJ), founded by Rabbi Sherwin Wine in 1969, is an American 501(c)(3) organization and the central body of Humanistic Judaism, a philosophy that combines a non-theistic and humanistic outlook with the celebration of Jewish culture and identity while adhering to secular values and ideas.
Jewish atheism refers to the atheism of people who are ethnically and culturally Jewish. Contrary to popular belief, the term "Jewish atheism" is not a contradiction because Jewish identity encompasses not only religious components, but also ethnic and cultural ones. Jewish law's emphasis on descent through the mother means that even religiously conservative Orthodox Jewish authorities would accept an atheist born to a Jewish mother as fully Jewish.
Jewish studies is an academic discipline centered on the study of Jews and Judaism. Jewish studies is interdisciplinary and combines aspects of history, Middle Eastern studies, Asian studies, Oriental studies, religious studies, archeology, sociology, languages, political science, area studies, women's studies, and ethnic studies. Jewish studies as a distinct field is mainly present at colleges and universities in North America.
Torah Umadda is a worldview in Orthodox Judaism concerning the relationship between the secular world and Judaism, and in particular between secular knowledge and Jewish religious knowledge. The resultant mode of Orthodox Judaism is referred to as Centrist Orthodoxy.
Norman Arthur Stillman, also Noam, b. 1945, is an American academic, historian, and Orientalist, serving as the emeritus Schusterman-Josey Professor and emeritus Chair of Judaic History at the University of Oklahoma. He specializes in the intersection of Jewish and Islamic culture and history, and in Oriental and Sephardi Jewry, with special interest in the Jewish communities in North Africa. His major publications are The Jews of Arab Lands: a History And Source Book and Sephardi Religious Responses to Modernity. In the last few years, Stillman has been the executive editor of the "Encyclopedia of Jews in the Islamic World", a project that includes over 2000 entries in 5 volumes.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to humanism:
The City Congregation for Humanistic Judaism, founded in 1991, is the only Humanistic Jewish congregation in Manhattan, and the first Humanistic congregation in New York City to be led by a Humanistic rabbi. The aim of The City Congregation is to provide a welcoming, diverse community for cultural and secular Jews where they can celebrate and preserve their Jewish identity. As adherents of Humanistic Judaism, founded in 1963 by Rabbi Sherwin Wine, TCC members rely on reason, inner strength, and the support of community to face life's challenges and collectively improve the world.
The Van Leer Jerusalem Institute (VLJI) is a center for the interdisciplinary study and discussion of issues related to philosophy, society, culture, and education. The Institute was established in to create a body of knowledge and discourseto give expression to the wide range of disciplines and opinions in Israel. The contribution of a core of renowned scholars facilitates the implementation of reforms and new approaches in various social spheres.
Jewish secularism refers to secularism in a Jewish context, denoting the definition of Jewish identity with little or no attention given to its religious aspects. The concept of Jewish secularism first arose in the late 19th century, with its influence peaking during the interwar period.
Secularism in Israel shows how matters of religion and how matters of state are related within Israel. Secularism is defined as an indifference to, rejection, or exclusion of religion and religious consideration. In Israel, this applies to the entirely secular community that identifies with no religion and the secular community within the Jewish community. When Israel was established as a new state in 1948, a new and different Jewish identity formed for the newly created Israeli population. This population was defined by the Israeli culture and Hebrew language, their experience with the Holocaust, and the need to band together against conflict with hostile neighbors in the Middle East.
Yaakov Malkin was a Polish-Israeli educator, literary critic, and professor emeritus in the Faculty of Arts at Tel Aviv University. He was active in several institutions that deal with both cultural and Humanistic Judaism.
Secular Culture & Ideas is a web journal about Jewish culture, literature, and thought. Founded in 2007, it was originally part of JBooks.com although it now maintains its own website. The journal’s tag line is, “rethinking Jewish.”
Or Emet is a Humanistic Jewish congregation in Minneapolis – Saint Paul, Minnesota and is a member of the Society for Humanistic Judaism. It is a community of cultural Jews, secular Jews, Jewish humanists, and other humanists, united by a commitment to humanism and by respect and support for Jewish culture, traditions, and Jewish identity, and by those traditional Jewish values most consonant with humanism -- "tikkun olam", social justice. Or Emet embraces a human-centered philosophy that combines rational thinking and scientific inquiry with the celebration of Jewish culture and traditions.
The Posen Foundation is a nonprofit foundation that works internationally to support Jewish learning and advance Felix Posen's belief that a Jewish education is the birthright of every Jewish child and adult. By focusing on the cultural aspects of Jewish history, philosophy, and creativity, the Posen Foundation seeks to offer secular Jews an entrée into Jewish life and learning.
BINA: The Jewish Movement for Social Change is a Jewish non-profit organization and educational institution that offers pluralistic programs and forums for adults and young adults seeking to explore their Jewish roots. It was founded in 1996, and has centers in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Haifa and Beer Sheva, Israel. BINA means "wisdom" in Hebrew and is an acronym for "A Home for the Creation of Our Nation's Souls", a phrase coined by Hebrew poet Chaim Nachman Bialik.
Oraynu Congregation for Humanistic Judaism, founded in 1969, is Canada's first Humanistic Jewish congregation. It is based in Toronto, Ontario and is affiliated with the Society for Humanistic Judaism.
Hana Wirth-Nesher is an American-Israeli literary scholar and university professor. She is Professor of English and American Studies at Tel Aviv University, where she is also the Samuel L. and Perry Haber Chair on the Study of the Jewish Experience in the United States, and director of the Goldreich Family Institute for Yiddish Language, Literature, and Culture.
Noah Jonathan Efron is a professor at Bar-Ilan University, where he was founding chair of the interdisciplinary program on Science, Technology, and Society.
