New Certificate in Secular Jewish Studies
The Certificate in Jewish Secular Studies was introduced in 2006 and is the first of its kind in the nation. This program highlights the secular, non-religious sphere of Jewish experience and Jews in America. It questions whether Judaism can accurately be called a religion, considers conceptual issues about the rise of Jewish secular traditions in the modern world, and raises provocative questions about the role of religion in public space. The certificate is a vibrant way in to Jewish Studies, and can be completed in five content courses, with no language requirements.
Plan of Study:
For the Certificate, students need to complete at least one of the core course, Jewish Secularism/Jewish Civilization I and II. These are offered in Fall and Spring semesters, and introduce students to the history of Jewish secular traditions and to the history of the concept of secular space and secular political traditions in Western Society. In addition, students take either 3 of 4 electives, drawn from the Jewish Studies offerings. These electives may include an internship in local Jewish organizations, and an internship elective may be completed during Summer semester. The Temple Bulletin lists the specific offerings of the Certificate
http://www.temple.edu/bulletin/Academic_programs/schools_colleges/cla/programs/jewish_stud/cla_jewish_stud.shtm
Resources for Secular Jewish Studies:
Center for Cultural Judaism http://www.culturaljudaism.org/index.php
Articles: http://www.culturaljudaism.org/ccj/articles
The Jewish and Near Eastern Studies homepage at UMass/Amherst has extensive listings of Jewish Museums, Jewish History Centers, Jewish Communities Around the World, Archives and Research Libraries, the Jewish press (eg, the Forward http://www.forward.com/ ), Film libraries and Jewish Film Festivals, and a link to Jewish Virtual Library http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/index.html .
Philadelphia Links:
Jewish Community Website of Greater Philadelphia
http://www.jewishphilly.org/
Jewish Children's Folkshul
http://www.folkshul.org/
Philadelphia Secular Jewish Organization:
email: pshane@andromeda.rutgers.edu
Shir Shalom: A Community for Humanistic Judaism
http://shirshalom.home.att.net/
Sholom Aleichem Club:
http://www.sholomaleichemclub.org/
National and International Links:
This page offers a description of the various secular and humanistic organizations, and how they fit together:
http://www.lcshj.org/links.html
Congress of Secular Jewish Organizations
http://www.csjo.org/
International Federation of Secular Humanistic Jews
http://www.ifshj.org/
The International Institute for Secular Humanistic Judaism
http://www.iishj.org/
Leadership Conference of Secular and Humanistic Jews:
http://www.lcshj.org/
Society for Humanistic Judaism
http://www.shj.org/
London 's Red Herring Club: A Secular Jewish Community
http://www.redherringclub.com/
Media:
Jewish Currents: the Magazine of the Workmen's Circle/Arbeter Ring
http://www.jewishcurrents.org/
Outlook: Canada 's Progressive Jewish Magazine:
http://www.vcn.bc.ca/outlook/
The Workmen's Circle/Arbeter Ring
http://www.circle.org/
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