“Secular” = concerned with this world, not the supernatural

“Humanistic” = belief that human beings, through use of their reason and sense of compassion, are solely responsible for their future 

We believe that Judaism is more than a religion.  Jews are a world people with a rich history. Judaism has many cultural and ethical features that all Jews can embrace.

For example:

• its commitment to human dignity and social justice, as derived from our history

• its music and songs; poetry and literature

• Yiddish, Hebrew and Ladino, in the original or in translation

Many Jews express their Jewishness in ways that are primarily secular

·        Participating in Jewish charitable, humanitarian or advocacy organizations

·        Jewish scholarship and education, as researchers, teachers and students

·        Holocaust remembrance/honoring victims and resistance fighters 

·        Zionist and related activities connected with the Israel/Palestine conflict

Famous secular Jews include: Spinoza, Einstein, Freud, Brandeis, Herzl, Ahad Ha’am, Peretz, Sholom Aleichem, Emma Goldman, Lillian Wald, Primo Levi, Arthur Miller  

Secular Humanistic Jews do

• celebrate Jewish holidays and life-cycle events
• care about Israel and the freedom and security of Jews everywhere

• consider Torah as the founding legends of the Jewish people  
• perform and adapt Jewish rituals we find meaningful and create new ones

Secular Humanistic Jews do not

• pray, bless or worship God as part of our celebrations and observances
• treat Torah as a sacred text or a valid historical record
• consider ourselves bound by “Jewish law”

Furthermore, Secular Humanistic Jews tend to be focused on

• social action/universal human rights
• the survival of Yiddish culture, especially its literature and songs
• the Jewish experience in the US/Canada and our Eastern European roots

In short, we take to heart Hillel’s saying. “What is hateful to you, do not do to others” and the principle of tikkun olam—our duty to work toward the healing of the world.