Essay on Humanistic Judaism

By: Maegan Prince, Spring 2016

This paper explores the problems traditional Judaism faces, particularly with younger generations and how secular branches of Judaism, particularly Humanistic Judaism, will help preserve Jewish identity. Many major world religions have been seeing membership numbers drop recently and are having trouble connecting with young adults and groups with more contemporary lifestyles. The Pew Reserach Forum has a wealth of information on this phenomena and trends in religion within the United States. I've taken a look at these numbers and the effect they have on Judaism in this paper. Additionally, I've explored what makes Humanistic Judaism different from the more conservative branches of the Jewish faith.

 

In this paper, I've made the point that the most important part of being a Jew in the United States is the unique culture shared by the Jewish community. Faith in God is certainly a part of that, through the history of the Jewish people, and how it's brought them to where they are today. While a relationship with God is important for some younger Jewish generations, not all feel that it is personally important to them, and Humanistic Judsaism allows these individuals specifically to preserve the Jewish culture by being a part of their own community of shared heritage.