SHJ Official Resolutions

The following official SHJ resolutions are organized into five categories:

• Separation of Church and State
• Jewish Identity & Culture
• Human Rights
• Humanism
• Anti-Violence

Separation of Church and State

• SHJ Establishes a Social Justice Initiative to Defend Separation of Church and State from a Jewish Perspective, called Jews for a Secular Democracy [link to website] (April 2019)
• Society for Humanistic Judaism Denounces Discrimination in Foster Care System (February 2019)
• Humanitarian Policies for Undocumented Immigrants (August 2018)
• Condemnation of the New Rule that Employers Do Not have to Provide Birth Control to Employees (October 2017)
• Who Speaks on Behalf of Secular People to the US Government? – Advocacy Update (September 2017)
• Resolution: Calling for the Unaltered Retention of the Johnson Amendment (May 2017)
• SHJ Executive Director Paul Golin interviewed by San Francisco Review on “What’s Up with that Christian Nation Argument?”(April 30, 2017)
• SHJ Opposes Restricting Access to Safe, Legal Abortion (December 2016)
• Resolution: Condemning Efforts to Defund Planned Parenthood (November 2016)
• SHJ Signs Amicus Brief Protecting Women’s Moral Authority to Terminate a Pregnancy (December 29, 2015)
• SHJ Opposes inclusion of Abortion Non-Discrimination Act in Year End Funding Bills (December 15, 2015)
• SHJ Joins Jewish Organizations Urging Congress to Support the EACH Woman Act (October 14, 2015)
• SHJ Signs Onto Coalition Statement Opposing Reinstatement of Global Gag Rule (July 7, 2015)
• SHJ Supports Contraceptive Coverage for Women Servicemembers (September 10, 2014)
• SHJ Opposes Anti-discrimination Exemptions for Religious Organizations (July 16, 2014)
• SHJ Condemns Dangerous Decision for Women’s Healthcare (June 30, 2014)
• SHJ Opposes VAWA Non-Discrimination Limits (June 10, 2014)
• SHJ Expresses Deep Disappointment In Supreme Court Prayer Decision (May 5, 2014)
• Humanistic Jews Support Women’s Health Care in Hobby Lobby & Conestoga Wood Specialties Supreme Court Case (March 2014)
• SHJ Joins Amicus Brief Questioning Constitutionality of Prayer at Government Meetings (October 2013)
• Resolution: Supporting Physician-Assisted Death (October 2013)
• Resolution: Speaking Out Against School Vouchers (May 2012)
• Resolution: Speaking Out Against Conscience Clauses (February 2012)
• Resolution: Supporting Separation of Church and State (April 2006)
• Resolution: Opposing Federal Funding for Faith-Based Charities (May 2001)
• Resolution: Opposing a School Prayer Amendment to the Constitution (May 1995)

Jewish Identity & Culture

• “Jews Will Not Replace Us” – A Note from SHJ’s Executive Director – Charlottesville response from SHJ (August 2017)
• SHJ Executive Director Paul Golin’s op-ed in the New York Jewish Week, “Intermarriage is the Wrong Bogeyman” (July 2017)
• SHJ Executive Director Paul Golin’s opinion piece in the Forward about Jewish “Identity-Shaming” around the Western Wall Controversy (July 2017)
• Resolution: Calling upon Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations to Reconsider J Street Membership (May 2014)
• Resolution: Core Principles of the Society for Humanistic Judaism (October 1999)
• Resolution: What Does it Mean to be Jewish (September 1994)
• Resolution: Who is a Jew? (October 1988)

Human Rights

• In Support of the Full Legalization of Cannabis in the U.S. — Joint Resolution by the Society for Humanistic Judaism and the Association of Humanistic Rabbis (April 2021)
• A Statement on Sexual Ethics for the 21st Century a Resolution by the Association for Humanistic Rabbis (September 2018)
• Resolution: Condemning Ethnic Cleansing in Myanmar; Urging Support for Victims (October 2017)
• Resolution: Condemning President Trump’s January 2017 Executive Order on Immigration (January 2017)
• Resolution: Calling for the Enforcement of Secular Educational Curricula in Public, Private and Parochial Schools (November 2016)
• SHJ Joins Jewish Community in Speaking Out on Syrian Refugees (November 23, 2015)
• Resolution: Urging Humanitarian Assistance for Syrian Refugees (September 2015)
• SHJ Supports International Freedom Bill Opposing Blasphemy Laws (June 24, 2015)
• Resolution: Supporting the Freedom to Decline to Recite the Pledge of Allegiance (May 2014)
• Supporting Physician-Assisted Death (October 2013)
• Resolution: Supporting August 26 as Women’s Equality Day and Condemning Gender Discrimination (August 2013)
• SHJ Joins Religious and Secular Organizations Condemning Bigotry Toward American Muslims (July 2012)
• Resolution: Supporting Workers’ Rights (June 2011)
• Resolution: Commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the Triangle Waist Factory Fire (April 2011)
• SHJ Supports Japan/Pacific Disaster Relief (March 2011)
• Resolution: Supporting Jewish Federation of North America’s Policy of Non-Discriminatory Aid to Victims of Terrorism (October 2007 and 2010)
• Resolution: Endorsing Fair Immigration Reform (October 2007)
• Resolution: Supporting Advance Directives for End of Life Decisions (October 2007)
• SHJ Supports Hurricane Katrina Relief (August, 2005)
• Resolution: Supporting Marriage Rights of Same Sex Couples (April 2005)
• SHJ Supports Tsunami Relief in Asia (January 2005)
• Resolution: Opposing the Targeting of Ethnic Groups for Blanket Condemnation after September 11, 2001 Terrorist Attacks (November 2001)
• Resolution: Protesting Boy Scouts’ Prohibition Against Gay Members as Adult Leaders (May 2001)
• Israel Statements and Resolutions (2000-2014)
• Resolution: Supporting Reproductive Choice as a Fundamental Right (August 1996)

Humanism

• Resolution: Urging Calm and Reasoned Responses in Dealing with Communicable Diseases (October 2014)
• Resolution: Supporting the Inclusion of Humanist Services and Humanist Chaplains in All Institutional Chaplaincy Settings (July 2013)
• SHJ Joins Humanists Voicing Need for Inclusivity in Community-Wide Healing Services (April 2013)
• Resolution: Supporting Teaching Science in Public Schools (May 2007)
• Resolution: Supporting Stem Cell Research (January 2002)

Anti-Violence/Hate

• Resolution: Supporting a Federal Ban on Assault Rifles, Bump Stocks, and High Capacity Magazine Ban (January 2013 and October 2017)
• Resolution: Calling for Civil Dialogue, Not Violence (June 2017)
• Resolution: Calling for Increased Government Action Against Hate Crimes (February 2017)
• SHJ Executive Director Paul Golin’s article in Medium, “We Stand for Equality Against Hate” (November 21, 2016)
• SHJ Condemns AME Church Shooting (June 22, 2015)
• SHJ Condemns Terrorist Attack on Charlie Hebdo (January 7, 2015)
• SHJ Denounces Terrorist Attack on Jerusalem Synagogue (November 18, 2014)
• SHJ Stands Up Against #TwitterTheocracy on June 10 (June 9, 2014)
• SHJ Urges Swift Action in Freeing of Kidnapped Nigerian Schoolgirls (May 6, 2014)
• SHJ Condemns Horrific Shooting at Kansas JCC (April 13, 2014)
• Resolution: Speaking Out Against Politically Motivated Violence and Hate Speech (October 2012)
• Resolution: Speaking Out Against Bullying in our Schools and Communities (February 2012)
• Resolution: Condemning Mosque Burning in Israel (October 2011)
• Resolution: Speaking Out Against Homophobic Bullying (October 2010)