I’m Adam Marc, and I am a Jew in diaspora. With conditions.
In the diverse tapestry of Jewish identity, Secular Humanistic Judaism stands out for its unique approach to cultural and ethnic heritage. It’s a movement that honors human autonomy and cultural connection over traditional religious doctrine. This perspective empowers individuals to define their Jewishness on their own terms, aligning with secular values while maintaining a deep bond with Jewish traditions and community life. It’s a testament to the rich and evolving nature of Jewish self-identification, offering a credible and resonant path for those who seek to celebrate their identity through a secular humanistic lens.
My own Jewish identity is shaped in fundamental ways by these values from Secular Humanistic Judaism. This is easy to see in my life.
My dad is Protestant pastor, who is more than a father, he is also a friend, a mentor, a study partner. It was thanks to his guidance, support, and encouragement that my deep love of Biblical study was nurtured. His commitments shaped my own: multiculturalism, religious pluralism, nonviolence, radical hospitality, consistency of character in all spaces, integrity, and deep trust in his theological characterization of an enduring, providing, and caring Holy One.
My mom is empathic, an artist, and she is deeply committed to her children. I had the privilege and education of watching my mom trace down her biological family after she was adopted as an infant. A journey that lasted nearly a decade that occurred during my middle and high school years. Watching my mom’s very rigid search (my homage to Jonathan Safran Foer; The New Yorker), she discovered our connection to our family who shares our wider geographical area, a Jewish family committed to the values of democracy, organizing, justice, and the law. So it is, not merely geographic, but in values and principles, too, we share a space.
My mom is Jewish, in technical terms, following matrilineal descent, and so am I, by this tradition of ethno-religion, as are my mom’s siblings, who are, in fact, close in age to her. It was this discovery of connection that opened something from deep within my identity that nudged (maybe shoved) me toward a deep study of Judaism and my place within it. This study has brought me from Rabbi’s homes, to synagogues, from academic university course work to friend’s living rooms for Torah study, and to our own table for Shabbat, where I’ve also hosted holiday rituals and seders.
I combine the values, commitments, and self-identification of Secular Humanistic Judaism, with my own interreligious background, and the deep sense of felt connection I experience with my Jewish kinship bonds to establish my voice here.
A Jew in diaspora. With conditions.
Hitzonim | Outsiders 