#humanistic judaism

[jewish-witch-bitch]

ABOUT THIS BLOG/ABOUT ME

My name is Kadin or my Hebrew name ניצן (Nitzan), I use moon/it/he/grave/they/את/הוא pronouns, I am 20 years old, I am agender, pansexual, poly, and possibly on the aromantic spectrum. I converted to Judaism. I would like to keep an online diary about more studying I do. Feel free to ask questions!

BYF

Absolutely no discourse, bigotry or fakeclaiming is tolerated here; this is my space and I'm not here to debate, fight with anyone or intentionally piss anybody off, I'm not here to spend my time arguing with randos on the internet. Tone tags are not only preferred but highly encouraged, if not required most times! I can't believe I need to say this and disclaimers truly kill me on the inside but just because I reblog something from somebody or talk to something doesn't automatically mean I 100% agree with everything they say or do or their beliefs on every single opinion be fucking for real.

DNI

General DNI criteria, racists, -phobes, queerphobes, antisemites, ableists, sanists, anti well researched self dx, exclusionists, TERFS/SWERFS, ped*s/z**s/pro contact paraphiles and any variants, pro ed/sh, pro-israel, anti landback, anti mmiwg2s/mmip, anti black lives matter, anti stop aapi hate, if you don't support indigenous sovereignty and black liberation, abuse apologists, blank/ageless blogs, radqueer/transx identities (transage, trace, transabled, etc.), conservative/prolife/antivax/fascists/right wing/centrists/n*zis, gore, DDLG/CGL, anti sfw agere, anti sw/antikink, more TBA (likely extended).

#dni #about me #about this blog #about my blog #do not interact #byf #before you follow #humanistic jew #jewish #jumblr #judaism #humanistic judaism #reform judaism #reform jew #reform jewish #agnostic #agnostic jew

[kleenexwoman]

I don't know why this is, but today feels like a really good day to remind people that being Jewish and loving Jewish culture and appreciating your people isn't the same thing as loving or believing in G-d, and in fact does not demand it.

#judaism #humanism #humanistic judaism

[lesbiancapybara]

I’m interested in reading about humanistic Judaism, any book recommendations?

#chit chat #jewish tag #jumblr #jewish tumblr #humanistic judaism #I’d also take podcast/video essay recs if you have those!

[natalunasans]

Conversion anon, thank you so much for the answer! I'll definitely look further & more closely (I thought the Reform denomination does necessarily ask you for that, for example?); also it should have been "who would like to convert one day" not "and", I just retyped w slightly different phasings a couple of times and forgot part of it in the end or something, I know it doesn't matter that much but my brain's eating me about the fact that everyone just sees it how it is 😅

I also know about Humanistic Judaism but they give me... a bit of weirdish vibes to be honest.

yeah i would’ve tried humanistic tbh but there wasn’t anything local that i could find. what kind of weirdish vibes? and from which organization? because i know of a few different ones online anyway

#jewish stuff #judaism #conversion #humanistic judaism

[rustchild]

on the one hand, having one of my old judaism posts blow up rn is exposing me to some truly amazing (read: bad) opinions and misinterpretations. on the other hand, at least two of the people reblogging it are apparently just as salty about an incredibly specific take that was floating around two years ago as i was. so that's validating at least

#wild how people can see a post about the essentialization of judaism in service of a kind of moral purity #coming both from well meaning reform/humanistic circles and gentile philosemites #and make it about how it's always cool for gentiles to appropriate jewish spirituality?? #i need to stop posting.

[bechdelexam]

i am tired of seeing this post. please name one religious traditions that is in favour of atheism and being criticized.

#like. unitarian universalism maybe? #humanistic judaism?

[love-of-jesus-christ]

The Mighty Shadow of God!

#hope #love #buddha #buddhism #buddhist #islam #muslim #Jews and Judaism #atheism #atheist #agnostic #acoustic #humanist #socialist #communist #kurdish #Christianity #motivation #monday #freedom #peaceofmind #makeup #home decor #decoration #home & lifestyle #lifestyle #nature #animals #indian hindus #hindi news

[icannotgetoverbirds]

.

#thinking about maybe joining secular humanistic judaism #idk where to even BEGIN or whether that's something appropriate for me to even do #but like. idk #i know so so little about pretty much everything regarding this #but i want to learn more #anybody got any good resources? #byrd chirps

[mephorash]

discussing which atonement belief is the least logical with a friend and I just realized that basically the only mars volta song i regularly listened to is named after one of the types

#buzgie ❁ #governmental is pretty stupid hes god he literally could have just not done that lol #also if youre new here i am fragrantly anti theist on main and have no respect for any theism (although i do respect non theistic religions #the concept of a god is very inherently silly and you are very illogical if you believe in one and yes im counting diests #although i am interested in humanistic/reconstructivist judaism and atheistic hellenism (as in a pagan eclectic) #i am definitely not an ethnic hellen #and those definitely arent atheistic lmao #Youtube

[wolverinedoctorwho]

if i had a nickel for every time i discovered the identity i'd been fighting with had a category/offshoot that was basically "keep the parts you love but you don't have to feel pressure to do all the other stuff" and went "well, shit, that fits me pretty damn well", I'd have two nickels.

#ramble tag: are you there god its me lily #to be clear i'm talking about the demigirl identity and humanistic judaism

[anonymousdandelion]

If you are not Jewish, please refrain from responding, and check back in a week if you're curious about the results! There unfortunately wasn't room in the poll to include a throwaway "show results" option this time.

(Do feel free to reblog, though, whether or not you're Jewish, in case you have Jewish followers! Larger sample size, etc. etc.)

If you're Jewish and affiliated with multiple movements (e.g., "I sometimes go to Reform services and sometimes to Reconstructionist"), or if you identify as an in-between place on the spectrum (e.g., "Conservadox"), try to pick one you feel most connected to in some way — whether that be based on your halachic observance, the services you most often attend, the services you would want to attend if you could, or something else.

#jumblr #frumblr #judaism #jumblr poll #polls #poll #dandelion polls #I feel like I have a general sense of what the demographics here look like #(and I'm curious to see if I'm proven wrong!)

[horreurscopes]

So, I could be out-of-bounds here since I think you meant it as dark humor, but what did you mean in the tags of that 'israel-hamas war' post? I suspect you(and op) are criticizing that framing because Israel is obviously demolishing much more than 'Hamas'(and probably doing a terrible job of actually targeting terrorists- they seem content to reduce Gaza to rubble even if the brass of Hamas escapes). I'm guessing that by saying "joining the Israel-Hamas war on the side of Hamas" you mean, if they're going to conflate Palestinians with Hamas unilaterally, then you're saying, whatever the media wants to call Palestinian civilians- you still support them. I am asking anyways though bc, given reports of increasing antisemitic activity in the US and Europe, I am worried about the potential for blurring lines between the cause of Palestinian civilians and the alt-right individuals who are likely masking their antisemitism in the context of being anti-Zionist. Although Israel's government has been the source of Palestinian loss for decades, (it seems to me that) even joking about supporting terrorism is enough to reinforce the persuasion that Israeli/Palestinian Jews and Palestinian Arabs must be mutually-exclusive peoples. I don't think it's fully rational per se(tho I'm not claiming to have all the relevant information myself, and I'm white US American goyim so like- grain of salt-), but I think that existential fear is the incredible hurdle facing Zionist Jews. (Idc too much about the opinions of non-Jewish Zionists bc I don't grant that they are dealing with the same emotional complications at this time, although that doesn't stop me from arguing w my acquaintances abt their callous acceptance of US/Israeli propaganda.) I just think..... isn't it overall harmful to allow anti-semitic rhetoric, even used sarcastically, to enter the genuine humanist cause for Palestinian liberation? Or, have I misunderstood, and you actually are not in opposition to Hamas, or something else I didn't think of?

hi! thank you for approaching the question thoughtfully and with curiosity, i really appreciate it. i was being kind of flippant with that meme, but this is the only ask i'm going to reply to on the matter given that i am neither jewish nor arab, so i'm going to answer in earnest:

hamas is a political resistance movement with an armed wing, much like the black panthers party was, and like the bpp, a large part of the organization is dedicated to social welfare and civic restoration.

they have stated that they are not against judaism, but against the zionist project. they openly support political solutions.

labeling hamas a terrorist group is a propaganda tactic used by the united states and israel to justify the horrors of settler colonization.

hamas is palestine, a part of it, even if palestinians like any other demographic on earth, are not a unified, single-minded people. to declare hamas a separate entity falls prey to the imperialist lie that there is an enemy to fight "fairly" within the people they are displacing and exterminating.

am i rejoicing in the deaths of israelis? of course not. killing civilians and taking civilian hostages is a war crime, whether it is committed by the opresor or the oppressed. the israeli government is not its people, and many jews, within israel as well as in the US, are bravely risking their lives to publicly dissent the criminal acts of the israeli government. all loss of human life is a tragedy.

no one should ever be faced with the choice between annihilation and murderous violence after exhausting all other forms of peaceful protest and being massacred like animals.

but why is it that we consider a resistance group formed within a population with a median age of eighteen a terrorist group, and not the IDF, a US-backed military force with an annual budget of twenty billion dollars?

i am currently reading hamas and civil society in gaza by sara roy to learn more about hamas and the history of israel in palestine. i'll remember to post more excerpts which i am admittedly terrible at.

but all of the information above can be found by reading wikipedia. investigating with duckduckgo searches (not gonna pretend google isn't prioritizing propaganda, to be fair), and reading reliable news coverage like aljazeera and the many journalists who are at risk of, or have lost their lives, reporting on the ground.

i have also appreciated reading posts from @determinate-negation @opencommunion @fairuzfan @ibtisams and @bloglikeanegyptian amongst others

in conclusion:

#palestine

[bleghcourse]

Some highlights:

Our struggle against the Jews is very great and very serious. It needs all sincere efforts. It is a step that inevitably should be followed by other steps. The Movement is but one squadron that should be supported by more and more squadrons from this vast Arab and Islamic world, until the enemy is vanquished and Allah's victory is realised.

There is no solution for the Palestinian question except through Jihad. Initiatives, proposals and international conferences are all a waste of time and vain endeavors. The Palestinian people know better than to consent to having their future, rights and fate toyed with.

Woman in the home of the fighting family, whether she is a mother or a sister, plays the most important role in looking after the family, rearing the children and embuing them with moral values and thoughts derived from Islam. She has to teach them to perform the religious duties in preparation for the role of fighting awaiting them. That is why it is necessary to pay great attention to schools and the curriculum followed in educating Moslem girls, so that they would grow up to be good mothers, aware of their role in the battle of liberation.

This part has to be my favorite. It's the most insane and hypocritical shit you'll read outside radfem literature. I've added my own emphasis:

The Islamic Resistance Movement is a humanistic movement. It takes care of human rights and is guided by Islamic tolerance when dealing with the followers of other religions. It does not antagonize anyone of them except if it is antagonized by it or stands in its way to hamper its moves and waste its efforts. Under the wing of Islam, it is possible for the followers of the three religions - Islam, Christianity and Judaism - to coexist in peace and quiet with each other. Peace and quiet would not be possible except under the wing of Islam. Past and present history are the best witness to that. It is the duty of the followers of other religions to stop disputing the sovereignty of Islam in this region, because the day these followers should take over there will be nothing but carnage, displacement and terror. Everyone of them is at variance with his fellow-religionists, not to speak about followers of other religionists. Past and present history are full of examples to prove this fact.

These are the people who the "punch Nazis" crowd support. That's the reality.

#i stand with israel

[doccywhomst]

hey doccy, i hope everything is alright with you! I don’t know if you would consider this a personal question, but what made you decide to convert to judaism?? (Pls feel free to not answer it!!)

this is a great question, thank you for asking!! i took the morning to reflect on my beliefs, which are complex and difficult to express…

the short answer: my partner and I are converting together, and judaism aligns with both of our personal philosophies very well.

the long answer: despite my anthro degree and extremely humanist approach to life, i have an annoyingly scientific and secular approach to religion, so i find it difficult to believe in what i can’t find evidence for. the jewish conception of G-d doesn’t demand blind faith - only respect and adherence to certain commandments, which i find very reasonable. that said, i do believe in G-d, and my version of G-d is a perfect state of peace, unity, and equality that can’t be found in our material universe; the universe is like a prism with infinite facets, and echad (אחד: one[ness], unity, center, the beginning) shines through/permeates it like light, which can’t be touched, only felt. as humans, we’re tasked with tikkun olam: repairing the world, to make it as peaceful as possible.

i took several pages of notes while thinking about your question, but for the sake of brevity, i see judaism as one facet/way of connecting with G-d, and it’s the one i’m choosing. i’m definitely an old testament girlie: the G-d of snakes and toads and death is also the G-d of stars and oceans and life. the only way for anything to exist is for everything to exist! relativity is divine, dust to dust, etc. etc.

#*two jacked bouncers drag me away from the karaoke mike* #um but YEAH this only applies to me and everyone else can do whatever they want #thank you for asking ♥️ #jumblr

[spacelazarwolf]

how do you feel abt humanistic judaism? im someone w jewish heritage who grew up aware of it & interested in it (& have gotten harassed for it) but my family is very much not connected w it & i would not be considered halachically jewish afaik. ive studied judaism on my own for a long time & do feel attached to it but my religious beliefs go beyond that of judaism (not that they dont align- id say they align in a lot of major ways- but they just. go beyond it in ways that are important to me as well & make me worried abt conversion, even reform) since humanistic judaism is really liberal when it comes to conversion i feel like it would give me a way of reconnecting where my religious beliefs + practices would be much more easily accepted. but im worried it will seem like i dont take it seriously/havent spent time studying if i go that route. i really dont how to deal w the importance judaism has had & continues in my life & heart, and the extent of my religious beliefs + practices that i cant make myself give up. i wanted to get ur opinion on this since i rlly respect you.

i think humanistic judaism is really cool. and imo as long as you're not a christian who's seeking to convert to judaism while also still practicing christianity (or tbh any sort of proselytizing religion whose values would directly contradict jewish values), i don't really care if you still have spiritual connections elsewhere. i know some people and communities will care, but the good news is you don't have to join those communities. if you found a sect of judaism that you jive with and they're cool with you joining, more power to you. especially since you have an ancestral connection to the jewish people, i don't see any reason why you shouldn't strengthen that connection.

#ask avishai #jewish #jumblr

[rustchild]

ok i get the desire to push back against annoying dominant christian interpretations of the torah/old testament. i really do. however i also wish that people would stop being like “actually, the jewish perspective on this is--” before listing off one (1) jewish perspective, usually either reform or humanistic, that also happens to be the most politically convenient and moral according to the standards of tumblr. like y’all if anyone tells you that there is only one jewish interpretation of something you should know that they are probably wrong, there’s at least one jew out there who would vehemently disagree with them, and also judaism is a complex living culture that you really should not put on a pedestal

#like. yes the binding of isaac can be interpreted as a test that abraham failed. that's one interpretation #discussed in some sects by some rabbis #however. #there very much are also jews who interpret it as #a sign that jews specifically must be ready to sacrifice anything for g-d #in order to hold up our end of the covenant #there are jews who interpret it in completely different ways as well #like i can't list out all of them because #i don't know them #and am not a theologian or rabbi or even all that observant #so my interpretation isn't going to be very helpful #but can we please not oversimplify judaism to present it as the Good Abrahamic ReligionTM #it's a complex living tradition with a whole wide range of different ideas #some of which i personally hate! #because that's culture for you! #the one exception to the 'one jewish belief on x' thing is like #messianics #we basically all do not like messianics #or like. We Generally Agree That Antisemitism Is Bad #but when it comes to biblical interpretation? #four jews twelve opinions #always #jewish things #something something leftist philosemitism