Humanistic Rabbis Arrive in Israel, Representing a Major Milestone for Secular Humanistic Movement

FARMINGTON HILLS, MI -- The first Humanistic rabbi to live and work in Israel will be ordained at a ceremony on October 24 at the International Institute for Secular Humanistic Judaism, the educational arm of the Secular Humanistic Jewish movement. In addition, 11 Israeli Master’s level students have been admitted to a new rabbinic education program to begin in Israel in January, under the auspices of the International Institute and organized by the soon-to-be-ordained Humanistic Rabbi Sivan Maas and led by Tel Aviv University Professor Yaakov Malkin, founder and academic director of Meitar College of Judaism as Culture in Jerusalem.

Rabbi Sherwin T. Wine, founder of Humanistic Judaism and dean of the International Institute for Secular Humanistic Judaism, stated, “This ordination is an historical moment for the Secular Humanistic Jewish movement. We are confident in the success of our rabbinic leaders and understand that the time has come to introduce serious rabbinic leadership in Israel for the secular majority that is otherwise un-served by the current rabbinic authority. As the first Humanistic rabbi in Israel, Sivan Maas is a trailblazer prepared to undertake an important endeavor in modern Jewish life.”

Ms. Maas will be ordained in a special ceremony as part of the Shabbat celebration to take place during the International Institute’s biennial Colloquium, October 23 through 26 in Farmington Hills, Michigan. The Colloquium 2003, Jews and Non-Jews: The Love-Hate Relationship, will feature such internationally noted speakers as world-renowned Holocaust scholar Yehuda Bauer (who delivers the Keynote Address on October 23 at 8 pm), Yaakov Malkin and other important voices.

An American, Judith Seid, also will be ordained during the ceremony. Ms. Seid was the first certified leader of the International Institute, and also is certified in its Musician/Cantorial program. She was leader of the Ann Arbor Jewish Cultural Society in Michigan and is founder of the Baltimore Jewish Cultural Chavurah in Maryland.

Ms. Maas, who holds a Master’s degree in Judaic Studies from Jewish Theological Seminary in Jerusalem, completed the rigorous four-year Rabbinic Program of the Institute while concurrently completing her Master’s degree. The Rabbinic program also includes a thesis requirement, completed under the direction of a designated faculty member and supervised by the Dean. Ms. Maas’ thesis was "How to build and develop a Secular Humanistic Jewish community in Israel." Her research will prove very helpful as she begins to organize congregations and communities in Israel, offering secular Israelis a Humanistic community in which they can celebrate life-cycle events, rites of passage, and holidays from the perspective of Judaism as a culture.

Ms. Maas served as the Zionist Federation emissary to Detroit for three years and as Executive Director of the Community Council for Rehavia, Nakhlaot, Sha'arei Khesed, Talbieh and Kiryat Shmuel for five years. She also served as Education Director for Kibbutz Rachel.

Secular Humanistic rabbis are spiritual leaders and philosophic and cultural mentors for Secular Humanistic Jews. They serve as teachers, counselors, pastors, ceremonialists (celebration and ceremonial guides), and experts in Judaism.

The new Israeli rabbinic program, which will function as the second location of the International Institute for Secular Humanistic Judaism, has already received commitments from leading Israeli scholars who will serve as faculty, including Rachel Elior, Avi Ravitsky, Eliezer Shweid, Yair Tzaban, Yedidia Yitzhaki, Ezer Kahanov, Naftali Rotenberg and Yotam Benziman, who will be among the first lecturers in the course of 180 academic hours which will begin in January 2004. Professor Malkin, who is co-dean of the International Institute, will serve as academic director of the Israeli program.

Ms. Maas is very impressed with the candidates for the new Jewish Leadership Secular Humanistic Rabbinate, most of whom hold Master’s degrees from esteemed universities in Israel. All are committed to the idea of serving the community as Secular Rabbis in Israel.

The Institute’s biennial colloquium attracts people from all over the world to its three-day series of lectures and discussions. Also speaking will be Lisa Beyer, TIME Magazine senior editor and former Jerusalem bureau chief who reported extensively on the Middle East and Israeli-Arab conflicts. Beyer will speak on “Being a Christian in a Jewish World.” Her husband, Zev Chafets, longtime journalist in Israel and now a New York Daily News columnist, will address “Being a Jew in a Christian World.”

The International Institute for Secular Humanistic Judaism is the intellectual and educational arm of the Secular Humanistic Jewish movement. It was established in 1985 to train Humanistic rabbinic and non-rabbinic clerical leaders and teachers and to provide philosophic and cultural guidance to all its members. The International Institute ordained its first Humanistic Rabbi in 1999, three rabbis in 2001, and will ordain two rabbis in 2003. There are currently 40 certified non-rabbinic leaders, called madrikhim and madrikhot, serving communities throughout North America.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Ms. Maas, Rabbi Wine, Professor Malkin and others are available for media interviews, and can be contacted through Rabbi Miriam Jerris at 248-478-7610 or miriamjerris@shj.org, or through the Center for Cultural Judaism, 212-564-6711 x301 or myrna@culturaljudaism.org.

Back to Media Releases