Religion 101: What are Reconstructionist and Humanistic Judaism?

August 12, 9:23 PMNewark Interfaith Spirituality ExaminerFern Joan Marder

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Most people are aware that there are three branches of Judaism in North America: Orthodox, Conservative and Reform. Not many people are aware that there are two, newer branches of the religion. Reconstructionist Judaism was founded by Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan (1881-1983) and his son-in-law Rabbi Ira Eisenstein (1906-2001) in the late 1920s. It became the fourth main branch of Judaism in 1968, with the opening of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in Wyncote, Pennsylvania. Humanistic Judaism, the fifth main branch of North American Judaism, was founded by Rabbi Sherwin Wine in 1968.

Reconstructionist Judaism is based on the ideology that Judaism is an evolving religious civilization of the Jewish people. It rejects the concept of the Jews being in a covenant with God and rejects the concept that the bible is the word of God. Reconstructionist Jews embrace Jewish culture but believe in the diversity of beliefs and the equality of males and females and the inclusion of Gay and Lesbian Jews.

"Judaism continues to evolve."
--Mordecai Kaplan, founder of Reconstructionist Judaism
 

The founder of Humanistic Judaism, Rabbi Wine was trained as a rabbi in Reform Judaism. He presided over a small, secular and non-theistic congregation in Michigan and developed a liturgy that reflected his philosophical theories that emphasized Jewish history and culture, combined with Humanistic ethics that excluded all prayers and references to God. This congregation eventually became the Birmingham Temple in Farmington Hills, Michigan. It was soon joined by a congregation in Illionois and another in Connecticut. In 1986, the International Federation of Secular Humanistic Jews was founded, which now has approximately 20,000 members.

Reconstructionist Congregations in New Jersey:

Belle Mead - Congregation Kehilat Shalom (908) 359-0420
253 Belle Mead-Griggstown Road
Belle Mead, NJ 08502

Bordentown - Temple B'nai Abraham (609) 298-1527
58 Crosswicks Street, Bordentown, N.J. 08505   

Bridgeton - Congregation Beth Abraham (856) 451-7652
455 Oxford St Bridgeton, NJ 08302

Hammonton - Temple Beth El (609) 561-7217
642 Bellevue Avenue, Hammonton, NJ 08037

Maywood - Reconstructionist Temple Beth Israel (201) 845-7550
34 West Magnolia Avenue, Maywood, NJ 07607

Montclair - B'nai Keshet (973) 746-4889
99 South Fullerton Avenue, Montclair, New Jersey 07042

Princeton - String of Pearls 609 430-0025
Services at the Unitarian Universalist Church (UU) in Princeton,at the corner of Cherry Hill Road and Route 206.

Summit - Congregation Beth Hatikvah 908-277-0200
36 Chatham Road, Summit, NJ 07901-1314

Humanistic Jewish congregations in New Jersey:

Chester - The Congregation for Humanistic Judaism of Morris County 973-627-2433. Contact: Eric & Susan Herschman, P.O. Box 217, Chester, NJ 07930


For more information:
http://www.patheos.com/Library/Reconstructionist-Judaism.html
http://jrf.org/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reconstructionist_Judaism
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humanistic_Judaism
http://www.shj.org/affeast.htm
"Judaism as a Civilization" by Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan (1934)

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rudiroels/2975802370/sizes/o/