The International Institute for Secular Humanistic Judaism (IISHJ) is the academic and intellectual center of

Humanistic Judaism Humanistic Judaism ( ''Yahadut Humanistit'') is a Jewish movement that offers a nontheistic alternative to contemporary branches of Judaism. It defines Judaism as the cultural and historical experience of the Jewish people rather than a religio ...

. It was established in

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

in 1985 and, with its second center of activity based in

Farmington Hills, Michigan Farmington Hills is a city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. Part of the affluent suburbs northwest of Detroit, Farmington Hills is the second most-populated city in Oakland County, after Troy, with a population of 83,986 at the 20 ...

. The Institute offers professional training programs for spokespersons, educators, leaders (also referred to in Hebrew as ''madrikhim/ot'' or in Yiddish as ''vegvayzer''), and

rabbi A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as ''semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of ...

s, in addition to publications, public seminars, and colloquia for lay audiences. It has also trained music leaders and

cantors A cantor or chanter is a person who leads people in singing or sometimes in prayer. In formal Jewish worship, a cantor is a person who sings solo verses or passages to which the choir or congregation responds. In Judaism, a cantor sings and lead ...

, though those programs are not currently active. The Institute began offering its Leadership Program in 1986 as a joint program serving the communities of the Congress of Secular Jewish Organizations and the

Society for Humanistic Judaism The Society for Humanistic Judaism (SHJ), founded by Rabbi Sherwin Wine in 1969, is an American 501(c)(3) organization and the central body of Humanistic Judaism, a philosophy that combines a non-theistic and humanistic outlook with the celebrat ...

. It began a rabbinic program in 1992, and its first rabbinic ordination in North America took place in 1999; subsequent ordinations have happened biennially. The Israeli rabbinic program of the IISHJ began in 2004 and held its first ordination in 2006. The IISHJ's founding co-chairs were Rabbi

Sherwin Wine Sherwin Theodore Wine (January 25, 1928 – July 21, 2007), Hebrew name שמעון בן צבי, Shimon ben Tzvi, was an American rabbi and a founding figure of Humanistic Judaism, a movement that emphasizes Jewish culture and history as sou ...

and

Yaakov Malkin Yaakov Malkin (3 August 1926 – 21 July 2019) was a Polish-Israeli educator, literary critic, and professor emeritus in the Faculty of Arts at Tel Aviv University. He was active in several institutions that deal with both cultural and Humanistic ...

Tel Aviv University Tel Aviv University (TAU) ( he, אוּנִיבֶרְסִיטַת תֵּל אָבִיב, ''Universitat Tel Aviv'') is a public research university in Tel Aviv, Israel. With over 30,000 students, it is the largest university in the country. Locate ...

. Wine led the IISHJ in North America until his death in July 2007. The current dean for North America is Rabbi Adam Chalom,Askari, Emilia. "Farmington Hills Judaism institute names Wine's successor,
''Detroit Free Press'', October 24, 2007.
/ref> while the dean for Israel is Rabbi Sivan Malkin Maas.

References

External links

Official websiteTmura, the Institute for Training Secular Humanistic Rabbis and Jewish Leadership in IsraelCongress of Secular Jewish Organizations
{{DEFAULTSORT:International Institute For Secular Humanistic Judaism Educational institutions established in 1985 Humanistic Judaism in the United States Jews and Judaism in Michigan Jewish organizations established in 1985 Secular Jewish culture in the United States 1985 establishments in Michigan Jewish seminaries