DETROIT, April 11 /PRNewswire/ -- During April 2005, Humanistic Jews
across North America will be lighting memorial candles to Albert Einstein,
Jewish humanist and scientist, on the fiftieth anniversary of his death.
"Albert Einstein was an ardent humanist who believed that human power and
human responsibility were the foundations of the moral life," explained Rabbi
Sherwin Wine, Dean of the Institute that trains Humanistic rabbis. "Einstein
maintained that ethical rules flowed from human experience and from the
requirements of human survival. While he stood in awe of the wonders of the
universe, he refused to worship them. He firmly believed that reality was no
more than the natural universe and that neither chance nor supernatural
intervention governed its events. He was an ardent Jew who found meaning in
Jewish national identity and in the moral principles that were part of his
Jewish heritage."
Memorializing Einstein are congregations in Detroit, Chicago, Washington,
D.C., Boca Raton, Sarasota, Toronto, San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles, greater
New York, Orange County, CA, Atlanta, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, Westchester,
Rochester, Ithaca, Phoenix, Seattle, Toronto, Alabama, Connecticut, New
Jersey, North Carolina, and Oregon.
Ze'ev Rosenkranz, Einstein scholar and Historical Editor at the Einstein
Papers Project at Cal Tech, lit a memorial candle at Adat Chaverim in San
Fernando Valley on Friday, April 8. He and his wife recently joined the
congregation, enrolling their children in its educational program. Prior to
joining Cal Tech in 2002, Rosenkranz was director of the Albert Einstein
Archives at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem for 14 years. There he found
himself attracted to the philosophy of Techila, the Secular Humanistic
movement's Israeli branch, espousing views similar to Einstein's.
Many of the Humanistic congregations will light memorial candles on the
weekend of April 15-17. (Einstein died on April 18.) The rabbis of Chicago's
North Shore congregations, Rabbi David Oler and Rabbi Adam Chalom, will be
conducting memorial candle lightings Friday evening, April 15, as will Rabbi
Wine in Detroit, Michigan. Some congregations will light candles at their
Passover Seders. Many have held or will hold special Einstein programs in
addition. During Purim at the Long Island Havurah for Humanistic Judaism, Len
Cherlin showed how the story of Purim and Einstein's essays connect. Rabbi
Binyamin Biber led a special February program in Washington, D.C. The Spinoza
Society for Humanistic Judaism of the Bronx, NY, examined "Einstein: Science
and Religion" in March. Scientist Allan Malkis of Or Emet in Minneapolis is
planning a full presentation for May. A candle lighting and panel discussion
April 16 at the Fairfield County, CT, Congregation for Humanistic Judaism,
follows its earlier program on contributions of Jewish professors who escaped
Nazi Germany.
"Albert Einstein" will visit children at Washington, D.C.'s Machar Jewish
Cultural School on Sunday, April 17, talking about his life, work, and Jewish
humanist ideas. He will be played by Dr. Edwin Goldin, physicist, author, and
past president of the congregation. He also will be featured in Einstein
programs for adults. Dr. Goldin lectures on Einstein and science
professionally and is writing a book on concepts of contemporary physics. His
participation in the 1979 Einstein Centennial Conferences held in Jerusalem,
New York, and Princeton, stimulated an ongoing interest in Einstein's humanist
perspective. Goldin is committed to the spirit of tikkun olam ("repairing the
world") for advancing a rational humanist worldview.
Humanistic congregations embrace a human-centered philosophy that
celebrates Jewish culture and identity. "Ethical decisions, we believe, must
be based on our assessment of the consequences of our actions," said Bonnie
Cousens, Executive Director of the Society for Humanistic Judaism. "Our
belief is in the human capacity to create a better world rather than in
reliance on a supernatural power or an omniscient deity. Like Einstein, we
seek solutions to human conflicts that respect the dignity, freedom, and self-
esteem of every person." Humanistic congregations and communities create a
warm and nurturing environment for all -- families with children and empty
nesters, pre-schoolers and teens, young adults and seniors, gays and lesbians,
single parents and intercultural families -- encouraging their involvement in
Jewish life.
For a guide to SHJ Congregations and Albert Einstein memorials visit
http://www.shj.org or contact the Society at 248-478-7610.
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