Subject: Judaism Reading List: Humanistic Judaism (Pt. VII)
Date: 18 Mar 1996 11:07:13 -0800
Supersedes: <hum.r.l_824584030@polaris>

Soc-culture-jewish-archive-name: reading.humanistic
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              Selected Sources for Additional Reading on Judaism
                         Part VII: Humanistic Judaism
         [Last Change: $Date: 1995/10/19 15:21:43 $ $Revision: 1.2 $]
                     [Last Post: Mon May 15 11:07:12 1995]

     "Humanistic Jews need a literature that clearly and boldly states
     what they think and believe" [Win85]
     
   This message is intended to provide readers of soc.culture.jewish with
   a list of references to allow them to learn more about the current
   practices, past practices, beliefs, and history of the Humanistic
   Judaism Movement.
   
   Humanistic Judaism is less well known than Orthodox, Conservative, and
   Reform. But, on a behavioral level, it claims to represent many more
   American Jews than any of these official ideologies. Rabbi Sherwin
   Wine, the founder of the movement, identifies three kinds of Jews who
   are neither honestly Orthodox, Conservative, or Reform. He calls these
   types the involuntary, the ethnic, and the humanistic. Rabbi Wine
   defines the involuntary Jew is the individual of Jewish descent who
   finds no meaning either in his past or in the unique practices of his
   ancestral religion. He defines the ethnic Jew is the person of Jewish
   descent who bears a strong attachment to the Hebrew and Yiddish
   cultures out of which he emerged.
   
   Rabbi Wine feels that these affiliations are negative. He prefers the
   positive definition of Humanistic Jew:
   
     The Humanistic Jew is an individual, of either Jewish or non-Jewish
     descent, who believes in the ultimate value of self-respect and in
     the principles of humanism, community, autonomy, and rationality. He
     also finds meaning in the celebration of life as expressed through
     the historic Jewish calendar and seeks to interpret this calendar in
     a naturalistic way. He perceives that the power he possesses to
     determine and control his own life is the result of two billion
     years of evolutionary history. Therefore, his religious feeling
     re-enforces his sense of human dignity.
     
   On the last page of his book, "Judaism Beyond God," Rabbi Sherwin T.
   Wine says:
   
     Humanistic Jews want to bring their beliefs and their behavior
     together and to find their integrity. They are eager to affirm:
     
     * That they are disciples of the Secular Revolution.
     * That the Secular Revolution was good for the Jews.
     * That reason is the best method for the discovery of truth.
     * That morality derives from human needs and is the defense of human
       dignity.
     * That the universe is indifferent to the desires and aspirations of
       human beings.
     * That people must ultimately rely on people.
     * That Jewish history is a testimony to the absence of God and the
       necessity of human self-esteem.
     * That Jewish identity is valuable because it connects them to that
       history.
     * That Jewish personality flows from that history -- and not from
       official texts that seek to describe it.
     * That Jewish identity serves individual dignity -- and not the
       reverse.
     * That the Jewish people is an international family that has its
       center in Israel and its roots in the Diaspora.
     * That the humanistic Gentile has a positive role to play in the
       life of the Jewish people."
       
     Humanistic Jews want to translate these affirmations and commitments
     into an effective life style -- for themselves and for those who
     share their convictions. They need a community of believers to worth
     with and to share with in this pioneering venture. They also need a
     cadre of trained leaders and spokespeople to provide scholarship and
     guidance along the way.
     
   Humanistic Judaism was organized by Rabbi Sherwin T. Wine, who founded
   its first congregation, the Birmingham Temple, in Farmington Hills,
   Michigan. In 1969, Rabbi Wine helped to found the Society of
   Humanistic Judaism, whose membership comprises 19 congregations and
   chapters, plus over 1300 families and individual members, as of June
   1993. The Society for Humanistic Judaism is the US affiliate of the
   International Federation of Secular Humanistic Jews. The Federation's
   academic institution, the International Institute for Secular
   Humanistic Judaism, matriculated its first class of rabbinical
   candidates in September of 1992.
   
   An overview of the current status of Humanistic Judaism, written by
   Egon Friedler, of the Uruguayan Movement for Secular Humanistic
   Judaism, recently appeared in Midstream (October 1992). Additional
   information on Humanistic Judaism, as well as publications on
   Humanistic Judaism, may be obtained from:
   
    Society for Humanistic Judaism
    28611 W. Twelve Mile Road
    Farmington Hills MI 48334
    +1 810 478-7610
    
   The society is internet-accessible; send email to shjm@netcom.com
   (Society for Humanistic Judaism). There is also a mailing list for
   those with an interest in exploring and/or furthering the development
   of Humanistic Judaism. To subscribe, send an email message to
   <majordomo@teleport.com> with your first and last name as the subject
   line, and the following two lines in the body of the message:
   
   subscribe hj
   end
   
   A web page of links and information about Humanistic Judaism is
   available at URL: <http://www.teleport.com/~hellman>.
   
   Readers interested in Humanistic Judaism might also want to contact
   the sister organization to SHJ, the Congress of Secular Jewish
   Organizations. They can be reached through their executive director,
   Roberta Feinstein <RCHF51A@prodigy.com>. Inquiries may also be sent
   in writing to:
   
    Congress of Secular Jewish Organizations
    19657 Villa Drive North
    Southfield, MI 48076
    
   SHJ publishes a quarterly journal, Humanistic Judaism. Ordering
   information is in the periodicals reading list. Membership in SHJ is
   $50 per household per year.
   Reproduction of this posting for commercial use is subject to
   restriction. See Part 1 (general) for more details.

------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: ORGANIZATION

   This reading list is organized as follows:
     * Introduction to this Reading List 
     * Philosophy Of Movement 
     * Other Related Reading 
       

------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: Philosophy Of Movement

   [Mem62]
          Memmi, Albert. Portrait of a Jew. Orion Press, 1962; Viking
          Press, New York NY. ISBN 670-00332-8. 1971 [Albert Memmi is
          chair of the Association pour Judaisme Laic et Humaniste in
          France] [Por81] Porter, Jack Nusan. The Jew as Outsider.
          University Press of America, Washington DC 1981. ISBN
          0-8191-1639-4.
          
   [Win78]
          Wine, Sherwin T. Humanistic Judaism. Prometheus Books, Buffalo
          NY, 1978. ISBN 0-87975-102-9
          
   [Win85]
          Wine, Sherwin T. Judaism Beyond G@d: A Radical New Way to be
          Jewish. Society for Humanistic Judaism, Farmington Hills MI.
          ISBN 0-912645-08-3. 1985.
          

------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: OTHER RELATED READING

   Humanistic Judaism, being such a young movement, does not yet have a
   large body of literature. However, there are a number of authors that
   are recommended reading by Rabbi Wine:
   
     * _Classics Of Humanism_: Epicurus, Democritus, August Comte, John
       Stuart Mill, Bertrand Russell, John Dewey, Jean Paul Sartre,
       George Santayana.
     * _Writings of Jews Who Were Humanists_: Albert Einstein, Sigmund
       Freud, Erich Fromm, Walter Kippman, and Walter Kaufman
     * _Literature of Secular Historians_: Spinoza, Julius Wellhausen,
       Emile Durkeim, Max Weber, Simon Dubnow, Salo Baron, and Theodore
       Gaster
     * _Writings of Jewish Nationalists_: I.L. Peretz, Sholem Aleichem,
       Chaim Zhitlowsky, Ahad Haam, Micah Berdichevsky, Theodore Herzl,
       Max Nordau, A.D. Gordon, Ber Borochov, Saul Tchernikhovsky,
       Vladmir Jabotinsky, David Ben Gurion, and Haum Goldmann
     * _Jewish Essayists and Novelists Who are Ardent Humanists_: Saul
       Bellow, Albert Memmi, and George Steiner
       
   Other books on Humanism and Judaism include:
   
   [Eli88]
          Eliav, A.E. ("Lova"). New Heart, New Spirit: Biblical Humanism
          for Modern Israel. Jewish Publication Society. 1988. [Forward
          by Herman Wouk]
          
   [Lac93]
          Lachs, Samuel Tobias. Humanism in Talmud and Midrash. Farleigh
          Dickinson University Press (Rutherford, Madison, and Teaneck,
          NJ) and Associated University Presses (London and Toronto)
          1993. LLCN 91-58956, ISBN 0-8386-3468-0.
          

------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: Archival and Credits

  Anonymous FTP:
  
   All portions of the FAQ and of the reading lists are archived on
   shamash.org [192.77.173.13] and on rtfm.mit.edu, and are available
   for anonymous FTP. On shamash.org, the parts of the FAQ are stored in
   the israel/lists/scj-faq/FAQ directory. On rtfm.mit.edu, these FAQs
   are stored in the pub/usenet/news.answers/judaism/FAQ directory. Note
   that the archived versions of the FAQ are the posted versions; that
   is, they are each one large ASCII file.
   
   The following is the mapping of reading lists to files:
   
   general
          Introduction and General. Includes book sources, starting
          points for beginners, starting points for non-Jewish readers,
          General Judaism, General Jewish Thought, General Jewish
          History, Noachide Laws, Torah and Talmud, Mishnah and Talmud,
          Torah and Talmudic Commentary, Midrash, Halachic Codes,
          Becoming An Observant Jew, Women and Judaism, and Science and
          Judaism.
          
   traditional
          Traditional Liturgy, Practice, Lifestyle, Holidays. Includes
          Traditional Liturgy; Traditional Philosophy and Ethics; Prayer;
          Traditional Practice; The Household; Life, Death, and
          In-Between; and The Cycle Of Holidays.
          
   mysticism
          Kabbalah, Mysticism, and Messianism. Includes Academic and
          Religious treatments of Kabbalah, Sprituality, and the Jewish
          notion of the Messiah.
          
   reform
          Reform/Progressive Judaism
          
   conservative
          Conservative Judaism
          
   reconstructionist
          Reconstructionist Judaism
          
   humanistic
          Humanistic Judaism (Society for Humanistic Judaism)
          
   chasidism
          Chassidism. Includes general information on historical
          chassidism, as well as specific information on Lubavitch
          (Chabad), Satmar, Breslaw (Breslov), and other approaches.
          
   zionism
          Zionism. Includes Zionism and The Development Of Israel, The
          Founders, Zionistic Movements, and Judaism in Israel.
          
   antisemitism
          Antisemitism. Includes sections on Antisemitism, What Led to
          The Holocaust, Medieval Oppression, Antisemitism Today
          (Including Dealing with Hate Groups), Judaism and Christianity,
          and Judaism, Freemasonry and other rumors.
          
   intermarriage
          Intermarriage. Includes sections on "So You're Considering
          Intermarriage?", The Traditional Viewpoint, Conversion, and
          Coping With Life As An Intermarried.
          
   periodicals
          Periodicals. Includes Topical General Interest Periodicals,
          General Interest Periodicals focused on Tradition and Home,
          General Interest Periodicals focused on Jewish Scholarship,
          Other General Interest Periodicals, Publications Targeted For
          Specific Movements, Rabbinic Journals, and Local Publications.
          
   childrens
          Books for Jewish Children. Includes.
          
   The following is the mapping of sections of the Frequently Asked
   Questions to files:
   
   01-FAQ-intro
          Section 1: Network and Soc.Culture.Jewish Information
          
   02-Who-We-Are 
          Section 2: Who We Are
          
   03-Torah-Halacha 
          Section 3: Torah
          Section 4: Halachic Authority
          
   04-Observance 
          Section 5: Jewish Holidays
          Section 6: Jewish Dietary Law and Kashrut
          Section 7: Sabbath and Holiday Observance
          Section 8: Woman and Marriage
          
   05-Worship 
          Section 9: Jewish Worship
          Section 10: Conversion, Intermarriage, and "Who is a Jew?
          Section 11: Miscellaneous Practice Questions
          
   06-Jewish-Thought 
          Section 12: Jewish Thought
          
   07-Jews-As-Nation 
          Section 13: Jews as a Nation
          
   08-Israel 
          Section 14: Jews and Israel
          
   09-Antisemitism 
          Section 15: Churban Europa (The Holocaust)
          Section 16: Antisemitism and Rumors about Jews
          Section 17: Countering Missionaries
          
   10-Reform 
          Section 18: Reform/Progressive Judaism
          
   11-Miscellaneous 
          Section 19: Miscellaneous
          Section 20: References and Getting Connected
          
   12-Kids
          Section 21: Jewish Childrearing Related Questions
          
   mail-order
          Mail Order Judaica
          
   On shamash.org, the parts of the reading lists are stored in the
   israel/lists/scj-faq/reading-lists directory. On rtfm.mit.edu, the
   reading lists are stored in the
   pub/usenet/news.answers/judaism/reading-lists directory. Note that the
   archived versions of the reading lists are the posted versions; that
   is, they are each one large ASCII file.
   
  Mail:
  
   The files may also be obtained via Email by sending a message to
   faigin@shamash.org with any number of the following commands in the
   body of the mail message:
   
   send faq _portionnames_
   send rl _portionnames_
   
   The "send faq" version is used to obtain portions of the FAQ; the
   "send rl" version is used to obtain portions of the reading list.
   "_portionnames_" should be replaced by the names of the files to be
   retrieved, separated by spaces. The special file name "list" will
   retrieve a list of all files that make up the FAQ or reading list; the
   special file name "all" will retrieve all files on the appropriate
   list.
   
   Examples:
   send faq all
   send faq list
   send faq 01-FAQ-intro
   send rl all
   send rl general
   
   Alternatively, you may send a message to mail-server@rtfm.mit.edu with
   the following line in the body of the message:
   
   send usenet/news.answers/judaism/(portionname)
   
   Where (portionname) is replaced by the appropriate subdirectory and
   filenames; for example, to get the first part of the reading list, one
   would say:

        send usenet/news.answers/judaism/reading-lists/general

  WWW:
  
   The FAQ and reading lists are available as a full hypertext tree on
   shamash.org. The URL is:
   
   http://shamash.org/lists/scj-faq/HTML/index.html

------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: Credits

   This reading list is based on a reading list developed during research
   at the University of Judaism in Los Angeles in January 1993. Other
   contributors include Miriam Jerris, Adam Reed, JudithSeid@aol.com, and
   David A Guberman. Suggestions for additions or deletions are welcome,
   as are submissions of _brief_ annotations of the entries.

------------------------------------------------------------
--
Please mail additions or corrections to me at faigin@pacificnet.net.

End of Judaism Reading List Part VII (Humanistic) Digest
**************************
-------
-- 
faigin@pacificnet.net      Moderator, Mail.Liberal-Judaism
   |  @shamash.org         Maintainer, soc.culture.jewish FAQ/Reading List
   |  @aero.org            Advisor, soc.culture.jewish.parenting          
   v  @acm.org             Daddy, Erin Shoshana Faigin m.k 95yearbook pg48
