Credo

Humanistic Judaism is a religion for Jews who value their Jewish identity and seek to express it in contemporary ways. It is an alternative to Orthodox, Conservative, Reform and Reconstructionist forms of Judaism.

The first Humanistic Jewish congregation was organized in the United States in 1963 in Birmingham, Michigan. Today, Humanistic Jewish congregations are active worldwide. We are affiliated with the Congregation for Humanistic Judaism and the International Federation of Secular Humanistic Jews.

Our Congregation operates as a cooperative. Members are actively involved in planning, creating, and implementing a variety of programs that enable us to:

Celebrate and observe Jewish holidays as a community and mark major life cycle events in ways that are consistent with Humanistic Jewish perspectives;
Educate ourselves and our children in Jewish history, culture, tradition and values;
Keep current on local, national and international issues of concern to the Jewish people;
Be a community in which individuals and families can find support, caring and self-fulfillment and through which we can engage in social action and community service; and
Explore philosophical and ethical issues including, but not limited to, such questions as:
- Which Jewish traditions are "meaningful" and appropriate to contemporary humanistic practices?
- What are relevant ethical norms and what are their sources in Judaism and humanism?
- What should be our relationship with Israel?
- How do we carry out our responsibilities to others...Jews, the larger community, and the world and its environment?
- How do we deal with the "grand questions" of life: existence, meaning, and purpose?

There are certain concepts we share:

"A Jew is a person of Jewish descent or any person who declares himself or herself to be a Jew and who identifies with the history, ethical values, culture, civilization, community and fate of the Jewish people" (Adopted by the International Federation of Secular Humanistic Jews, October, 1988).
To be a "humanist" is to assume full responsibility for one's actions. A belief in God is a matter of personal definition, personal conviction and personal practice. According to the humanistic view, whether or not they believe in God, individuals should plan and proceed to live their lives without reliance on other than human resources. Humanists believe that they determine the standards by which they live and the purpose of their lives, and that the essence of human experience is of this world.
A Humanistic Jew is a Jew who freely chooses to identify with a majority of humanistic positions and supports a humanistic response to and involvement with the Jewish people, culture and activities.
The programs created by the Congregation seek and embrace Jewish practices that support humanistic values. As Humanistic Jews, we continuously interpret the past and may recast old traditions in new forms to serve our current human needs. We strive to create new events, new celebrations and new styles of living that affirm what is of value in our Jewish identity.
Humanistic Judaism recognizes that life evolves constantly and that we, as individuals and collectively as a congregation, must change and grow also. Accordingly, we recognize that this document is neither permanent nor encompassing, but will evolve in response to the needs of our membership.