https://www.thejc.com/judaism/the-alternative-siddur-for-god-optional-services-t09d36mn

Very proud of my friend's work being highlighted in The Jewish Chronicle.

Just got this in yhe mail from thr Society for Humanistic Judaism

This is great timing, just in time to fit into tonight's seder!

Who all is up late to see the #eclipse? I decided that, given our lunar calendar, that staying up late to see a lunar eclipse is a very Jewish thing to do.

But that raises the question --- what is the #Bracha (blessing) for seeing an eclipse?

And at what point in the eclipse should one recite the blessing?

And as always I must ask --- is there a non-theistic version of said bracha?

https://zoom.us/meeting/register/pmzp34v7RP2rm47GMIyW7w

Join us on Saturday, March 1st at 10 am Eastern for a #Farbrengen (discussion session) led by James M. Branum on the topic of: Getting ready for #Passover.

The discussion will be a mix of personal and practical, in the hopes that participants will come away with new inspiration for planning/participating in seders in your community or online. And we are doing this well ahead of the festival season (which starts on April 12th) to give lots of time to make this season especially meaningful.

https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/17/americas/sheinbaum-google-lawsuit-threat-gulf-of-mexico-intl-latam/index.html

I will admit that Mexican President Sheinbaum is one of my heroes these days.

This 500th anniversary of the founding of the #Anabaptist movement (from which the Mennonites, Brethern, Amish, and realted traditions sprung forth --- and that were theological cousins of the early Baptists) is all the more important to me this year, because of what happened yesterday in this nation. I'm grateful that the Anabaptist tradition is very clear that we do not kiss the ring, we do not bow the knee to the empire, ever.

This is one of the reasons I treasure my connections to this tradition.

One detail of my religious journey that many do not know, is that I chose to become Jewish through the Humanistic movement primarily because it was (and as far as I know still is), the only Jewish movement that is open to biereligous converts (those who are seeking to become Jewish, while still maintaining connections to another tradition). I had fallen in love with #Judaism (thankfully a passion that still is with me 10 years later), but I also loved the Mennonites, particularly its strong belief in the moral imperative of peace (or rather the Hebrew concept of Shalom which is far more than the cessation of hostility but also has the connotations of harmony, equity, and wholeness), a belief that #nationalism is just another form of idolatry, and the power of simple living (even though I do a lousy job of living this out). In other words, at its best moments, the #Mennonite / Anabaptist tradition provides a critical witness against the values of the American Empire through its focus on the ethical earthly teachings of Jesus.

I am grateful that I was able to find a path to embracing Judaism that did not require me to leave my Mennonite values out.

And so I say, Happy 500th birthday to the Anabaptist movement! And thank you to #HumanisticJudaism for giving me a way to be true to my #bireligoius values.

(graphic from Druhart on FB)

Announcement from #SpinozaHavurah (an international online Humanistic Jewish community):

Join us on Saturday, January 25th at 10 am Eastern (4 pm UK) for a #Farbrengen (Jewish discussion session) led by @jmb.

We will start our together with a short niggun and maybe a special song to listen to, but then will transition into some of time of discussion on the topic of Self-Care during hard times from a Humanistic Jewish perspective. Along the way we will have a few interactive activities (including some light stretching) and of course some breaks for a drink (alcoholic or not, as is your custom), and finally close with our #Humanistic version of the Mourner's #Kaddish.

To register, please go to: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/dfd24crFRi-yhx6FWX7XrA

https://shj.org/atheist-rabbis-summer-2024-humanistic-judaism-magazine-3/

I'm very excited to share the latest issue of #HumanisticJudaism magazine which I have the pleasure of editing (alongside a good team!)

Some of the highlights include:
1. A new section of general-interest Jewish content including:

*Mexico's new president-elect (and the fact that she likely could be described as being a Humanistic Jew)
* how the Kamala Harris family reflects the growing interreligious/cultural reality of many Jewish-American families, &
* two pieces on Jewish cultural travel including one by Miriam Jerris about the famous stumbling stones of Europe, and one by me that features a self-guided walking tour of #Jewish #Montreal.
2. Written versions of the rabbinic ordination addresses of the two newest rabbis of the Humanistic movement of Judaism, as well as pictures and quotes from all of our IISHJ graduates from the officiant and madrikh programs.

Continued....

https://www.kiva.org/invitedby/jmbranum/for/2857492?utm_source=social_share_link&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=social_share_checkout&utm_content=jmbranum

I'm lending a small amount ($25) through this microlending effort to help Adel, a Palestinian man in Bethlehem, to be able to buy the construction equipment he needs for his business in Bethlehem, in the West Bank.

I hope you'll consider doing the same. It's definitely a good cause.

Also, for my fellow #HumanisticJews --- if you lend to this loan, be sure to join the Humanistic Judaism group on Kiva, so our group will get credit for supporting this loan.

A message from the #SpinozaHavurah, an online international #Humanistic #Jewish community:

Shalom Chaverim,

We hope this note finds you well.

Join us on Saturday September 28 at 10:00 am EDT/2:00 pm UTC/3:00 pm BST for a Shabbat Service. Please register for this service on Zoom.

https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJEtf-irpjMiHNeOZ-UTORlFrtQrytqhANAt

For our #Shabbat morning service on September 28th, Martin Di Maggio will conduct a #Selichot service which focuses on forgiveness in the week before #RoshHashanah5784

Services will be recorded so that people can watch at any time that feels right for them. Attendees are welcome to turn off their camera or edit their name at any time during the service.

We look forward to seeing you!

L'Shalom,

Spinoza Havurah

A message from the #SpinozaHavurah, an online international #Humanistic #Jewish community:

Shalom Chaverim,

We hope this note finds you well.

Join us on Saturday September 28 at 10:00 am EDT/2:00 pm UTC/3:00 pm BST for a Shabbat Service. Please register for this service on Zoom.

https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJEtf-irpjMiHNeOZ-UTORlFrtQrytqhANAt

For our #Shabbat morning service on September 28th, Martin Di Maggio will conduct a #Selichot service which focuses on forgiveness in the week before #RoshHashanah5784

Services will be recorded so that people can watch at any time that feels right for them. Attendees are welcome to turn off their camera or edit their name at any time during the service.

We look forward to seeing you!

L'Shalom,

Spinoza Havurah

It is official. I'm closing down the OKPeace.org server at the end of this month of paid hosting.

I do plan to post, hopefully more than in the past, here as well as at @jmb@babka.social.

Also, since it has been awhile since I've done an #Intro post, here are a few things about me and what I'm up to these days:

Work:
* Part-time #Attorney in the area of #GIRights / #MilitaryLaw
* Part-time #Editor of #HumanisticJudaism magazine
* Part-time online student at #Tohono_Oodham_CommunityCollege
* Co-lay leader of the @spinozahavurah (a humanistic Jewish online community)

Interests:
* #Peace and #SocialJustice Activism
* Riding my #Ebicycle
* Art - drawing, watercolors, photography
* #LGBTQ equality and culture (FYI, I'm on the borders of the community falling somewhere in the #DemiGuy range of things)
* Learning languages - I have some limited knowledge of #Spanish #French #BiblicalHebrew and #Esperanto
* #HamRadio (KG5JST) and #DX Radio listening more generally, including #SWL
* #Oklahoma #History especially about our state's significant history of #Socialism in the 1910's
* #Neurodiversity - Most days I'm happy that I am on the #Autism spectrum.

A few more things:
1. I post often about #politics and #activism, but do not do CW's for these posts unless they deal with especially troubling subjects.
2. I try hard to do alt-text for pictures, but if I forget please don't hesitate to nudge me.
3. I post a lot about topics related to my locale in #OklahomaCity , #Oklahoma
4. I've been posting on the fediverse since 2022. Most of my old posts are archived off-line but I may try to put them online somewhere (in static form) down the road, probably on my blog at www.jmb.mx.

https://www.judaismunbound.com/podcast/episode-447-zvika-krieger

I really liked this episode of the #JudaismUnbound podcast for many reasons. Here are a few (sorry this will be a long ramble), along with some more general HH ( #HighHoliday ) thoughts:

1. It was refreshing to hear Dan & @lexaphus say what I increasingly feel --- a deep disconnect with the theology of much of the traditional Jewish High Holiday liturgy.

2. I never knew about the tradition of "side reading" (bringing other things, including even novels) with one to HH services, so as to be in the room with the community during many of the services, even while one is reading something else. --- Part of me thinks that is a wonderful idea, another part of me feels uneasy about it (but I can't explain why). I'm curious if others have thoughts about or experience with this practice.

3. I forgot who said this (the guest or the hosts), but someone mentioned that it was unfortunate that so many Jews only attend services at the HH's, because they are getting a really distorted view of the idea of "God" from these services, that doesn't reflect the more open conceptualizing of the divine that is more common in many liberal-leaning Jewish #Shabbat services. I strongly agree with this sentiment.

4. I am more strongly feeling that I want to rethink the HH's, but especially Yom Kippur. I won't try reviving the famous "Yom Kippur balls" of the early Jewish anarchists, but there is a part of me that wants to find a way to express some contrariness in a semi-respectful way in how observe YK this year.

5. I'm of course, thinking a lot about Israel/Palestine in the midst of all of this, the horrors of terrorism and war (especially with the one year anniversary of the Hamas attacks and the subsequent war), and the challenges of collective teshuvah (repentance) in the midst of ongoing collective tragedy. These complicated feelings are coloring much of my HH thoughts this year.

6. Thanks to the remodeling of our synagogue here in #OKC, our synagogue is have its services at Crossings-Mayfair (formerly the Mayfair Church of Christ). It is a wonderful welcoming thing for Crossings-Mayfair to do this (and is a conveniently perfect given the COC's long iconoclastic approach to church architecture --- no big crosses, stained glass windows, etc.) --- But there is another part of me that dreads being in a COC-oriented space due to my past not-so-great history in this tradition.

7. My favorite HH of recent years was at the height of the COVID pandemic. We had services early under a Sukkah (erected a month early that year). I know this didn't work for many (as the attendance numbers were much lower than at normal HH services) but I wish there was a local synagogue that offered as many services as possible outdoors. I would be there every week if there were, but I would especially love it during the HH's.

I'm very excited about the next round of short courses from the #Unyeshiva (the school ran by the same folks behind the #JudaismUnbound podcast), but especially the class by #Humanistic rabbi Tzemah Yoreh of the City Congregation for #HumanisticJudaism in #NYC!

Find out more at: judaismunbound.com/classes

#Torah #Mazeldon #Jewish #Jewniverse #Judaism

tagging: @lexaphus

#Intro

I'm trying out this mastodon server to see if it will become my new main account (transitioning over from @jmb@okpeace.org )

I mostly post on these topics: #Peace #Bicycle #Oklahoma #DemocraticSocialism #Photos #Art #HumanisticJudaism #Judaism

I also maintain an account that focuses on Jewish issues at: @jmb@babka.social

I'm very excited to share the latest issue of #HumanisticJudaism magazine, on the theme of finding community in unexpected places!

A link to the preview version of the issue is available in the comment (subscribers and members of the SHJ can read the full issue), but the good news is that you can subscribe and get this full issue and the next 3 issues, PLUS you get full access to the archives going back to 2017 that includes content such as:

* Stories on humanistic Jewish role models like #GeneWilder, #HarveyMilk, Rep. #JamieRaskin, and #JohnnyClegg.
* Stories about important topics in the #Jewish world including #Intermarriage, #Neurodiversity, #Liturgy, and #Aging and dying
* Discussion of themes and topics that most Jewish magazines are afraid to touch including: #ScienceFiction, and #Cannabis
* Reporting on what is happening across the humanistic Jewish world

Here's your person invitation to our upcoming service at #SpinozaHavurah, an online international #humanistic #Jewish community. I'm leading this service and will be talking about the topic of #Pluralism in my D'var Torah message.
------------------------------------------
We hope this note finds you well.
Join us on Saturday July 20 at 10:00 am EDT/2:00 pm UTC/3:00 pm BST for a Shabbat Service. Please register for this service:

https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJ0tce6upzMjGdBnXlh8AE4KBonSHO7_jMr7

During this regular Shabbat am service, James will be sharing a short D'var Torah message about the importance of pluralism and why we should embrace diversity of perspectives in both Jewish community and our society. This will be followed by a time of discussion.
Services will be recorded so that people can watch at any time that feels right for them. Attendees are welcome to turn off their camera or edit their name at any time during the service.
We look forward to seeing you!
L'Shalom,
Spinoza Havurah

I got this hat made yesterday at Lids (a store at the mall that does custom embroidery, along with selling lots of different kinds of baseball caps).

Amusingly, the store manager at first wasn't sure if he was allowed to make the hat. He even called his regional supervisor to make sure that "Humanistic Judaism" wasn't something offensive, but I finally convinced him that Humanistic Judaism is a real movement and is not in any way offensive to Jews.

BTW - if you are wondering why I have a tree of life on the hat, I chose it for two reasons:

1. I like it for its connection to the natural world.

2. I like the idea that Humanistic Jews can enjoy and appreciate our mythology and symbols, even while we also reject the idea that there was a literal "tree of life" in a magic garden with talking snakes, etc --- this makes it a great conversation starter at my Reform Temple where I will most often be wearing this hat.

https://forward.com/opinion/619120/claudia-sheinbaum-mexican-jewish-president/

I would go a step further --- this would be a great moment in history for Mexican President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum to come out publicly as a proud Mexican Humanistic Jew.