San Diego, CA (special) -- Welcoming nontheistic or humanistic Jews to its fold would strengthen rather than weaken the organized Jewish community, according to Bert Steinberg, president of the National Society for Humanistic Judaism.

People who have doubts about the existence of God would know they still have a home among the Jewish people and would not need to look for homes elsewhere, Steinberg told HERITAGE during an interview Aug 21 at the offices of the San Diego Humanistic Jewish Congregation.

Steinberg, a resident of Lafayette, CA, had been in San Diego in partial fulfillment of his pledge to visit each of the 33 Humanistic Jewish congregations in North America. Additionally, the retirement New York City insurance executive was here to confer with Toby Dorfman, the madrikha (leader) of the San Diego congregation, who will succeed him as president of the national organization. Rabbi Sherwin Wine who had been ordained in the Reform movement founded Humanistic Judaism in 1963 by as a vehicle for people who do not believe in God, but who identify themselves as Jews. In an emotional presentation, Steinberg said he wished   that Rabbi Wine had been born three or four decades earlier.

Toby Dorfman and Bert Steinberg

"I spent most of my adult life, while we were raising our family, without having known of the existence of this movement," he said. If his family knew that there was a humanistic Jewish alternative, "my father would have been in the thick of it," Steinberg said. "Had there been, the home I was raised in would have been more connected to the Jewish community, its people and its civilization.

"Had there been, my home would have had a different aura and ambience," Steinberg continued. "Had their been--maybe, just maybe--my son would not be lacking in his identity with Jewish culture. And had there been- maybe, just maybe--his son would have found the right meaning and have been comfortable as a Jew. Just maybe."

Steinberg added that his son and grandson "are wonderful men--caring, loving, compassionate human beings aware of their responsibilities to their fellow men and women. They are true citizens of the world, but they are lost to the tribe."

The national president said he did not learn about Humanistic Judaism until after he moved to Northern California about a decade ago. He saw some literature at a fair at a local Jewish Community Center, and decided to learn more. Before long he became active in the movement, and at the age of 75 decided to have a Humanistic bar mitzvah.

There are many answers explaining why he took that step. "Because I recognized that there are 1.5 million unaffiliated and disaffiliated Jews in the United States. Because of the concern about intercultural marriages and the effect on Jewish continuity. Because the Jewish community must understand and realize what these unaffiliated Jews want and need. Because maybe, just maybe, we Humanistic Jews are one of the answers."

In his Friday night talk to the congregation, Steinberg outlined the role of Secular Humanistic Judaism as "a nontheistic alternative in contemporary Jewish life.

"We believe that human beings possess the power and responsibility to shape their own lives independent of supernatural authority," he said. "We believe that Judaism is the historic culture of the Jewish people and is for every one who will live a Jewish life. We believe that a Jew is a person--any person--who identifies with the history, the culture and the future of the Jewish people. 

"We believe Jewish history is a human saga, a testament to the significance of human power and human responsibility. We believe that Jewish identity is best preserved in a free, pluralistic environment. And we believe the freedom and dignity of the Jewish people must go hand in hand with the freedom and dignity of every human being."

Further, he said, "Humanistic Judaism has a deep feeling of reverence for the religious tradition of the past. It does not want to throw it away at all. The Bible, the Talmud, the oral tradition, are all part of a cultural treasure of the Jewish past and should be studied. But they must be studied with an open and questioning mind, not as a mechanical and ritual repetition. 

"The Bible is a collection of 24 books. Scholars agree that these books were written by historians hundreds of years after the events. Many of the statements are true, many are questionable. Some contradict each other. The other sources of information about Jewish history -- archeology, histories of surrounding people, for example, justify a critical approach. ...

"We feel very strongly that the Torah is a wonderful and valuable book-- but perhaps it belongs in the library and not in the Arc," he said. "Judaism, as the culture of the Jews, is more than theological commitment. It encompasses many languages, a vast body of literature, historical memories and ethical values."