Canada Gets Its "First Humanistic Rabbi"

Eva Goldfinger.

Her ordination took place in October at the Farmington Hills, Mich.-based International Institute for Secular Humanistic Judaism (IISHJ), where she also serves on the faculty.

To people affiliated with the Secular Humanistic Jewish movement, which dates back to 1963, there is nothing contradictory about her new designation and the “secular” aspect of the movement.

“People think ‘secular’ with a small ‘s,’” the 55-year-old psychotherapist said in a recent interview. In this case, she explained, “secular” refers to a Jewish social activist background.

“People think we don’t care about our Jewish heritage, and we’re very concerned about our Jewishness and the continuity of Judaism. We’re just not interested in the continuity of a Judaism that’s monolithic, or only about one way to be Jewish.”

Can you spot the Either-Or fallacy? Perhaps they should name their movement "Non-Monolithic Judaism."

The Humanistic way of being Jewish upends some of the cornerstones of Orthodox, Conservative and Reform Judaism. Although services include Jewish cultural and ethical elements, there are no prayers, and there is no mention of God. The Torah is considered “special” for its literary and historical value, but Humanistic Judaism doesn’t consider it God-given.

This story is actually rather sad. Non-Monolithic Judaism obviously institutionalizes the last moment before the plunge into complete Jewish oblivion.

On joining the Humanistic Jewish community here, she immediately took an active role – teaching and creating services “that don’t serve God but are affirmations of what we are and what we need to be.”

I wonder why they call them "services"? [Idea for a comment thread: what else could they call their ceremony watchamacalits?]

In the late 1980s, Rabbi Goldfinger was ordained as a madrichah (leader) of the movement, in part as a step toward becoming an officiant at marriage ceremonies, including intermarriages and same-sex weddings.

The IISHJ’s rabbinic program – which used to require a PhD in Jewish studies but now requires only a master’s degree– was not instituted until 1991.

“We were resisting,” she said.

The term “rabbi” had “too many authoritarian connotations,” she added. “That’s not how we like to see ourselves.”

We must avoid being authoritarian monoliths at all costs.

Tags: Assimilation