The title of this page is deliberately focused on “traditional” Jewishness, aka Judaism, but without the “G-d” part. OTD, ex-frum, unorthodox, unpious, XO, those who are יציאה בשאלה and/or חזרה בשאלה, Reverse Marranos, or Orthoprax Jews, I know you’re asking:
How can one be religiously Jewish – authentically – and, at the same time, be without “G-d”?! Isn’t this a contradiction?!!! Yes, without this human-imagined deity that *supposedly* is in charge of *everything* – you, us, community, all other human beings, this very planet, the entire universe – is there actually more? We can affirm that the answer to this question is this: Indeed, there is! It is secular religious Judaism, which has always be present, in some form, within Jewish society. And, as well, among what is familiar between you and us.
The Hasidic movement is actually (and, by “actually,” I mean “historically”) a very recent movement within halakhic-oriented Rabbinic “Prayer Judaism” (quotes are my words!), despite what is taught within the inner circles. In other words, deeply theistic Judaism, that is devoted to the *power* of *expressed* ancient words, as if somehow the very universe itself is based on these Hebrew words, regardless what *evidence* has to say upon this. Heredi are viewed as “true believers,” by the historically older but less-than-*Heredi* modern religious Jewish movements (including liberal MO). But, is *this* even actually true?!
Let us, as a community, reach you with something here: We want you among us! You are a doubter for a reason! So, please, don’t abandon your “ultra-Orthodox” gifts, all your religious experience and teaching, as a result of *becoming* truly secular. Your gifts mean a lot to *our* traditional, yet, fully secular (meaning, non-theistically religious) Jewish community! A community by Jewish *choice*! Abandoning theism does not mean needing to abandon the best parts of Heredi lifestyle. (No, we’re not referring to the clothes part, though you might see this from time to time among a few of us!).
We think you know what we mean, and hope that you’ll join us in a non-theistic but “traditional”-familiar Jewish way of life. One free of the demands of our ancestral imagined “G-d,” but open to what we can achieve as a representative community of Jewish humans upon this planet, those who love Jewishness and want all aspects of it to survive into the future! We are an *intentional* Jewish community, given to the following: inclusiveness, non-judgement, egalitarianism between genders, and a focus on preserving traditional Jewish experience, knowledge, and lifestyle – but within the realm of human choice and willingness to pursue.
Satmar Hasid-raised progressive MO Rabbi Ysoscher Katz teaches, “One of the mistakes that [Hasidic] people make is that if you have a solid secular education, you need to be secular – which is a fallacy.” And what we, as a community, strive to teach is that one of the mistakes that secular Jews make is that if you have a solid religious education, you need to be religious – which is also a fallacy. There are many within our community hungering to know these ways, especially the next generation. Are you, are we, willing to be their teachers? One cannot force belief and conformity upon individuals, this leads ultimately to rebellion or harm. But, if one is an inspiring example to follow (a willing teacher) that is drawing others towards this ethno-religious deeply satisfying inner kiddusha….
Look around this web site, study our relationship to Jewish life and, if you feel that you can expand our Jewish vocabulary *and* our Jewish expression, please join us and do so!