NPR’s Faith Matters has a really interesting interview with Rabbi Adam Chalom, the rabbi of Kol Hadash Humanistic Congregation in Chicago and the Assistant Dean for the International Institute for Secular Humanistic Judaism. Basically, Rabbi Chalom tries to make the case for Humanistic Judaism, but mainly he comes across sounding incredibly ignorant. Here are some key quotes that pissed me off:
When we faced problems in our past there were those who prayed and those who did. And really it was the ones who did who made the difference to us. The people who chose to move for a better life from Eastern Europe to America for example… We have to rely on ourselves. We don’t have to have a Holocaust to question the providence of the universe. And when you had the state of Israel being founded in the 20th century it wasn’t founded by people who were waiting and praying. It was founded by people who went and did. And they succeeded in creating a state and resurrecting a language. And this is very inspirational to us. One of the most important things for us is that we have a harmony between what we believe and what we say. So if we live a more secular, more humanistic lifestyle and that’s who we are philosophically that is reflected in our choices and our actions everyday. We live human focused lives. If we are sick we go to a human doctor. If we have a problem we call our human friends and neighbors and family. Then we should celebrate our Jewishness in the same vein. It should harmonize. It should work together.
I think it’s great that there are congregations and communities for people who are committed to cultural Judaism and to humanistic values, but to imply, as Rabbi Chalom does, that in the past the only Jews who have gotten anything done are those who abandoned any kind of belief in God or commitment to faith is ignorant at best and dishonest at worst. It’s disappointing that he feels the need to imply that it’s essentially impossible for anyone who prays to accomplish anything. And the final quote, with its “human doctors” and “human friends” is a bit confusing, but if he’s implying that people who believe in God don’t go to human doctors when they’re sick, or don’t have human friends they go to when they have problems, then he’s an even bigger idiot than I thought. For a much better look at the perks of Humanism, and at how people are connecting with Judaism through a Humanistic lens, check out this article from the Washington Post. To find a Humanistic Congregation or community in your neighborhood, click here.
Tamar Fox
Tamar Fox has an MFA from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, but she still doesn't like sweet tea. Born and raised in Chicago, she's also lived in Iowa City, Dublin, Oxford, and Jerusalem. When she's not rocking out at honky tonks she teaches text study, cooks elaborate meals, and volunteers for a hospice. When she grows up she wants to be a professional whiskey taster.
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