Despite a resurgence of interest in Jewish texts, traditions and spirituality in the United States, many American Jews remain quite secular—a trend fueled by the American values of individualism and freedom of choice.

That said, basic questions remain: What, exactly, is Jewish secularism? Why is it significant? And how do today's cultural expressions of secular Jewishness compare with those of the past?

The historic, demographic, musical and literary dimensions of this trend are the focus of a mid-June public lecture series at Hebrew College, Who is a Secular Jew?: 19th Century Paths, 21st Century Journeys.

"Sixty percent of American Jews are 'moderately affiliated,'" says Dr. Avi Bernstein-Nahar, dean of educational planning and development. "They belong to some Jewish institution that touches their lives regularly but not daily. They are spiritually engaged but autonomous. They 'give Torah a vote but not a veto.'"

Guest speakers, he says, will explore what distinguishes these contemporary Jews and their place in modern Jewish history.

Organized by Bernstein-Nahar and sponsored by the Center for Adult Jewish Learning, with funding from the Posen Foundation, the public lecture series features leading scholars, policymakers and artists. Opening the series on Thursday, June 16, at 7:30 p.m., Dr. David Biale, Emmanuel Ringelblum Professor of Jewish History at the University of California, Davis, will examine modern secularism within the context of its roots in 1880s Eastern Europe—a period when secular Jewishness found expression in Socialism, Zionism and the renaissance of Hebrew and Yiddish literature.

A special Father's Day concert-lecture on Sunday, June 19, at 7:30 p.m., with Dr. Hankus Netsky, founder of the Klezmer Conservatory Band and professor of music at the New England Conservatory, features the trendsetting music of Josh Dolgin, a fusion of hip-hop and Klezmer that has recently topped European world music charts.

On Monday, June 20, at 7:30 p.m., Dr. Barry Kosmin, executive director of the London-based Institute for Jewish Policy Research, will analyze the demographic profile of American Jews—how they live, think and practice, and what they believe—to tackle questions about the nature and extent of a secular Jewish cohort in America today.

The series concludes on Wednesday, June 22, at 7:30 p.m., when Dr. Ilan Stavans, Lewis-Sebring Professor in Latin American and Latino Culture at Amherst College, and editor of the acclaimed Oxford Book of Jewish Stories, will examine the literary legacy of secular world Jewry and its role in the emerging Jewish community of the 21st century.

Given its Hebraist and cultural Zionist roots, Hebrew College serves as an appropriate venue for this exploration of secular Jewishness, says Bernstein-Nahar: "We've always been very much engaged in an educational conversation with this segment of American Jewry."

For more information on the lecture series, please visit hebrewcollege.edu/secular or call 617-559-8709.

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