Skip To Content
JEWISH. INDEPENDENT. NONPROFIT.
Letters

Proudly Secular and Jewish

We were delighted to see the oped by Jacques Berlinerblau (“Untangling an Oxymoron: The Secular Jew,” September 14).

For more than 110 years, The Workmen’s Circle/Arbeter Ring has been committed to a vision of a vibrant progressive, secular, social-action-oriented Jewish community steeped in the cultural heritage of the Jewish people. In this context, the author’s suggested definitions of the term “secular” were perplexing. There has been a clear tradition in American Jewish life regarding secular Judaism. Indeed, the Forward newspaper has been at the forefront of this phenomenon along with our organization for more than 100 years.

Whether Jews call themselves “secular” or “cultural,” there is a proud and defined tradition, steeped in education, history, the arts and activism for social justice, and other points of contact that offers a rich and defined notion of what it means to be a Jew. The Workmen’s Circle is redefining itself for a new generation of Jews who are driven to engage through myriad aspects of our identity. Secular Jews are not defined as “anti-religion” today. Rather, the Workmen’s Circle, its partners and its members are creating identity for Jewish life in the 21st century.

Madelon Braun, President
Ann Toback, Executive Director
Workmen’s Circle/Arbeter Ring

New York, N.Y.

Republish This Story

Please read before republishing

We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines. You must credit the Forward, retain our pixel and preserve our canonical link in Google search.  See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs.

To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. Please email us at [email protected], subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up.

We don't support Internet Explorer

Please use Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Edge to view this site.