A Life of Courage: Sherwin Wine and Humanistic Judaism

Compiled by Dan Cohn-Sherbok, Harry Cook & Marilyn Rowens, A Life of Courage is both a biography of and a tribute to the remarkable life of Rabbi Sherwin T. Wine, founder of the humanistic Judaism movement. Wine founded the Humanistic Judaism movement in1963 at The Birmingham Temple in suburban Detroit, Mich., with the belief that secular Jewish culture and Jewish history shape people s identity as Jews, rather than their belief in God. This book features contributions from 25 people close to Wine and the movement of Humanistic Judaism and provides many unique perspectives on Wine s life and work. Some essays celebrate him, while others continue his life s work by exploring implications and further developments of his approach to Humanistic Judaism. The final chapter, written by Wine himself, reflects on his life and what Humanistic Judaism has meant to him. It is also a brilliant and mature formulation of the core message of Humanistic Judaism.