Fran Berman
More than 100 Freethinkers and guests from the Jewish Friendship group attended a special luncheon at the SaddleBrooke Clubhouse on Friday, February 12, 2016. Rabbi Adam Chalom, a leading voice in the movement of Humanistic Judaism, gave a captivating, insightful and inspiring talk on Secular Humanistic Judaism. A worldwide movement, it is a cultural Jewish identity celebrated through a human-focused, non-theistic philosophy of life, personal dignity, integrity, self-reliance and mutual support.
Rabbi Chalom is the Dean for North America of the International Institute for Secular Humanistic Judaism (IISHJ). He is on the executive committee of the Association of Humanistic Rabbis and the editorial board of the quarterly journal Humanistic Judaism. He earned his PhD in Near Eastern Studies at the University of Michigan and is currently the Rabbi of Kol Hadash Humanistic Congregation in Lincolnshire, outside of Chicago. For those interested in learning more on this topic may read the following three books: A Life of Courage: Sherwin Wine and Humanistic Judaism; A Provocative People: A Secular History of the Jews and Jews in the Muslim World: Solving the Puzzle.
Freethinkers usually meets on the fourth Sunday morning each month, October through April, at either the MountainView Clubhouse Ballroom or the SaddleBrooke One Activity Center. All are welcome, regardless of religious belief, political persuasion or gender preference.
Our organizational charter states, we “believe in the responsible search for truth and meaning and in the application of reason and science to the understanding of the universe and the solving of human problems. We believe that tolerance, compassion, equity and civility should characterize the interaction among peace-loving persons and organizations.” For information about SaddleBrooke Freethinkers, upcoming presentations and past programs, please visit www.sbfreethinkers.wordpress.com.