Jewish Post, Indianapolis, Marion County, 7 November 2001 — Page 20

November 7. 2001 NAT 15

Secular Humanists training movement's rabbis

By EDWARD J. KLEIN FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. — Secular Humanistic Judaism took another giant step forward on Oct. 19 when it ordained three rabbis trained within its movement. Two years ago, Tamara Kolton became the first ordained Secular Humanistic rabbi. This year, Binyamin Biber, Adam Chalom and Mirriam Jerris joined the ranks of Secular Humanistic rabbis. Prior to 1999, Secular Humanistic rabbis came from the Reform and Conservative movements. Ordaining rabbis and certifying leaders assures that cultural Jews will have leadership in the new century, according to Rabbi Sherwin Wine, founder of the first Humanistic Jewish congregation in 1963. The ordination was the highlight of Colloquium '01, the fourth biennial Colloquium of the International Institute for Secular Humanistic Judaism, the educational arm of the movement. The theme was "Secular Spirituality: Passionate Journey to a Rational Judaism" which was explored in depth by academics, rabbis and leaders from around the world and from diverse backgrounds. Secular spirituality was proposed and defended by most of the panelists. It was pointed out that other nontheistic religions, especially eastern religions, have spirituality while in most western religions there is no spirituality without a belief in God. An important difference is that most eastern religions deny desire and look to an afterlife, while secular humanists look only to this world for fulfillment. The panelists explored the sources of secular spirituality. Ethics can be a source of spirituality. Human relations, dignity, worth, courtesy, honesty, caring, sharing a common destiny are the highest purposes of humanity. While Jewish secularism began with a hostility toward Judaism as a religion and all religions, Jewish secularists have a powerful connection to history, culture, parents, Yiddish and nostalgia that can serve as sources of spirituality. Zionism can also be a source of spirituality for a secularist. Connection with Jewish history, the land of Israel, serious learning of the texts and search for meaning

can be spiritual. The pursuit of truth through the study of science, with its order and constant unveiling of what was previously not understood, can create a response of awe and wonder of the universe on a spiritual level. The esthetic correction — art, music, natme and beauty — are obvious sources of spirituality. Viewing the Grand Canyon, listening to Mozart, gazing at a Rembrandt all can evoke intense emotional experiences independent of a deity. For secular humanists, the word spirituality is difficult to define, yet somehow one knows it when one sees it. Should secular humanistic Jews adopt the word? Is it use-

ful or would its adoption bring about the inappropriate use of a buzzword? Language does evolve over time and the word need not have the mystical, theistic connotation that it had in the past. The word must be explained at length to be properly understood in a secular context. Harry Cook, an Episcopal priest, was the only panelist to eschew the use of the word, in fact saying he is allergic to it, finding secular spirituality an inappropriate term, an oxymoron, a slippery term, suggesting the use of substitute words to express the natural feeling one experiences. He fears that spirituality is the passionate embrace of not knowing, preferring solid rational ground to the shifting

sands of spirituality. And while flatfooted rationalism does not explain everything, science explains more and more with time. But can all answers come from science and rationalism? Rabbi Wine said that spirituality is a fashionable word and its use is politically convenient, yet it makes some secularists very uncomfortable. One can acknowledge the real "experiences" of life and call them spiritual or use other words one feels more appropriate. More important than the word used is the empowerment that comes from connecting to the sources of power from within and from connection to other humans. Since secularists do not have magic power, their

power is limited, but leading a life of courage with dignity, loving others and comforting them in times of distress, connecting to one's historical past, pursuing the life of beauty and taking responsibility for ones life are both spiritual and empowering. The Secular Humanistic Jewish movement is the nontheistic fifth stream of Judaism, based on the principles that Judaism is more than a religion, that it is the culture of the Jewish people and that the source of power for solving human problems lies within the human being. The movement consists of almost 60 communities in North America as well as communities in Europe, South America, Australia and Israel.

Tales of 2 Ted diaper babies f limn their era

Reviews by MORTON I. TEICHER

Commies. By Ronald Radosh. San Francisco: Encounter Books, 2001. 216 Pages. $ 24.95 A Very Dangerous Citizen. Paul Buhle and Dave Wagner. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2001. 285 Pages. $27.50 The powerful Jewish tradition of social justice found expression in the large number of Jews who embraced leftwing ideologies and who were attracted to radical movements in America during the years before and after World War II. Their experiences are exemplified in these two detailed books. Commies is an autobiography that honestly and openly describes the journey of author Radosh, a writer and historian, from left to right. A Very Dangerous Citizen is the ponderous biography of Abraham Lincoln Polonsky, film director and radio, television and movie script writer. Both Radosh and Polonsky were "red diaper" babies whose progressive Jewish parents emigrated from Eastern Europe and settled in New York. Although Polonsky was bom in 1910, almost 20 years before Radosh, there were similarities in their life stories. They were both exposed to radical politics as students, Polonsky at City College of New York and Radosh at high school and at the University of Wisconsin.

Polonsky began to write while he was an undergraduate. His father, who wanted to be a physician but unhappily settled for becoming a pharmacist, urged him to take up a practical career as a source of livelihood. Accordingly, Polonsky went to Columbia Law School while teaching literature and writing at City Colleger night school. He joined the Teachers Union, which had substantial Communist leadership, and, in 1936, Polonsky became a member of the Communist Party. After earning his law degree, he was associated with a firm that had Gertrude Berg as a client. She was the star, writer and producer of the Goldbergs, a popular radio show. When she asked the law firm for help in writing a courtroom scene, Polonsky was given the assignment. This was the beginning of his career as a radio, movie and television script writer. He had considerable success until 1951 when he was called before the House Committee on Un-American Activities and subsequently blacklisted when he refused to become an informer. He wrote under other names but, by the time he died in 1999, he had not regained his earlier stature and influence. His experiences are set forth in opaque prose by two authors whose preoccupation with the background setting

detracts from the interesting story of Polonsky,s life. By contrast, Radosh's autobiography is a lively narrative, filled with fascinating anecdotes. He describes his education at a high school affiliate of the Little Red Schoolhouse, at a Communist camp and at the University of Wisconsin. Radosh became a leader of the New Left and was active in the protest movements of the '60s. He studied history at the University of Wisconsin and later became a teacher at Queensborough Community College in New York, where he remained for 30 years. During this time, he wrote a number of articles, had a series of marital and sexual experiences and actively participated in the left-wing movements of the day. He recounts these activities with frank and spirited gusto. He made a trip to Cuba with "a diverse body of New York radicals" and he was taken

aback by the flaws he saw under the Castro regime. Later, on a visit to Nicaragua, he became disenchanted with the Sandanista leftists. However, his major break with the radicalism of his early years came about when he did research for his book on Ethel and Julius Rosenberg, The Rosenberg File. Contrary to the conventional wisdom of American radicals, Radosh concluded that the Rosenbergs were indeed guilty of spying for the Soviet Union. These two life stories provide a significant and representative account of Jewish participation in the American Left. Dr. Morton l. Teicher is the founding dean of the Wurzweiler School of Social Work, Yeshiva University and Dean Emeritus, School of Social Work, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Lead passes from man to wife DETROIT — Probably the Langer succeeded her husmost unusual situation as far band Art, as president of Conas leadership of U.S. congre- gregation Beth Shoiom. gations took place here as Gail Pressler to run for his old seat SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — plans to run for a seat in the Having lost his Senate seat in House next year, he has an19% Republican Larry Pressler nounced.