The third annual Secular Humanist Jewish Circle High Holiday "Celebration of Community and Connection" will be Sept. 22 and include traditional Jewish themes related to Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, familiar and contemporary songs, poetry and participation.
The event will be held at St. Francis in the Foothills United Methodist Church, 4625 E. River Road. Doors open at 9:30 a.m. and the celebration begins at 10.
The celebration will be led by Rabbi Miriam S. Jerris, rabbi for the International Society for Humanistic Judaism.
Jerris, who has been a leader in secular and humanistic organizations for 35 years, earned her doctoral degree in Jewish studies from the Union Institute in Cincinnati.
She was ordained as a rabbi in 2001 by the International Institute for Secular Humanistic Judaism.
Jerris chose to lead the Secular Humanist Jewish Circle's service in honor of the group's recent affiliation with the Society for Humanistic Judaism.
Consistent with the tenets of humanistic Judaism, Jerris will lead a celebration of the important moral and ethical teachings of the holidays without prayer or reference to supernatural authority. The ceremony will include an examination of the human condition and the imperative for repairing the world.
There will be an opportunity to remember deceased loved ones during a flower ceremony.
Jerris will speak about her recent experiences in Israel. She will also lead an afternoon discussion about the future of humanistic Judaism.
The event will be catered by the Sous Chef of Tucson.
Tickets are $25 for Secular Humanist Jewish Circle members and $40 for non-members. Seating is limited. To make reservations call 296-3762 or email schulmb@aol.com, or send a check to SHJC, 930 S. Goldenweed Way, Tucson, AZ 85748.
The Secular Humanist Jewish Circle is a local non-profit group designed to meet the needs of cultural, humanistic, secular Jews (and their non-Jewish family members/partners) in the greater Tucson community. It is open to families and individuals of all ages.
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