לשון קודש – What Communal Family Has To Say

Here in the Traditional Ethical Judaism community, we believe that there is no reason why non-theistic Jews can’t be shome’a halachah, without obligation to be shomer and without fear of m’karev. Freedom to define our Jewish lives, to choose what we observe and what we act upon for the benefit of Judaism, is fundamental to expressing our Jewish derech authentically.

And this is what frei Jews – formerly theistic-religious from birth and/or communal adopted – can bring to humanistic Judaism, what any OTD can bring to non-theistic musar Judaism. We, as a progressive traditional Jewish community, believe that there is more to the Jewish derech, beyond the “G-d,” angelic beings, “denominational” affiliated, “secular” unaffiliated, and halacha police thang!

Yes, there *is* a non-theistic ethno-religious *alternative* to Haymanot, Mizrahi, and Rabbinic Jewish religions! Rooted in modern scientific principles that are applied to living life, without losing the many deeply cultural and ethnic approaches to Jewish life. Read below what some within our communal family has to say about TEJ:

“Before finding Traditional Ethical Judaism, I felt that I had no options as a non-theistic Jew. I tried being part of secular organizations, like the Society for Humanistic Judaism, but learned quickly that they care more about being atheists, than building a world-wide family of non-theistic Jews. We need a real humanist Jewish movement, and TEJ is that option for the rest of us!” – Shmuly, 32, ex-frum, advocator for born Jews transitioning into frei Jewish communities

“My family shunned me and I had nowhere to turn. I gave up belief in God, but I still love the rituals in Judaism – the cultural, historic, language, and holiday parts. Without TEJ, I wouldn’t be alive today! I’m a Jew of colour, from a non-Rabbinic Jewish community. I did not feel welcome in any of the non-traditional Jewish communities in the USA, until TEJ. Halachic living is now MINE to define! Thank you for giving me strength.” – Ester, 21, aspiring storyteller and teacher

“When I was part of a community that claimed world-wide membership in the thousands (I won’t give out their name – it’s a mitzvah to refrain from lashon hara!), I felt alone. It seemed to me that they were more interested in pushing their atheistic English liturgies and ideologies, than in helping those in the religious Jewish communities find a safer communal home. Now, I am on my own, but thanks to the TEJ family, I feel connected, rooted, and able to achieve anything as a comfortably “God”less Jew.” – Yosef, 53, Jewish ethno-religious activist and devout non-theist

Help us to help organize the world’s “unaffiliated” and “secular” Jews into a future determining non-theistic ethno-religious movement for the Jewish future!

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If you can contribute to the vision of who we are, pretty PLEASE, get in touch!
אנחנו רציניים כמו הלב הפועם בתוכנו!
Seriously, we are as serious as the beating heart within us!!! We love Jews of *ALL* flavors, and Judaism of *ALL* the world-wide movements. And, yes, we make *NO* judgements. We only offer progressive options for *every* Jew to consider! For, a “Jew is a Jew,” theistic or non-theistic, yes?! We are too small a populous number (world-wide) to think otherwise, yes?

We don’t play the division game, here! Seriously, we are definitely *too* about tikun olam within our non-theistic communities! We are secure in *our* Jewishness. Go ahead, feel free to test us on this! We stand for all Jews who are non-theistic. Plurality is – yes – the *future* of Judaism – from ultra-theistic to completely atheistic.

It’s time that ethnic Jews had a voice that *rivals* the loudest insular theistic movement out there! *We*, non-theists and “agnostics” – are the majority of Jews, and it is time that *WE* started acting like it! Take control of our world, for the sake of *every* Jew, theistic to non-theistic!

Yes, we can do this *together*, by organic promotion of who we are! – SHARE, SHARE, SHARE! – We don’t need money for this, we only need chutzpah! Do you hear us?!!! Let’s revolutionize Judaism as the leader in world-wide advances towards *peace, plurality, and environmental sustainability* in lifestyles upon this fragile Earth. … Has anyone looked up at the heavenly stars lately?!!! The רָקִ֫יעַ‎ Rāqîa firmament is human fiction, folks, and Torah came from imaginative creative-nefesh (human beings).