Sherwin Wine; Founded Humanistic Judaism's First Congregation (original) (raw)

Sherwin T. Wine, 79, a rabbi who spent his life forsaking convention as the leader of a sect of Judaism that viewed the religion as a culture instead of a faith, died July 21 in an automobile accident in Essaouira, Morocco, according to the Web site of the Society for Humanistic Judaism.

Rabbi Wine, who lived in Birmingham, Mich., was on vacation with his partner, Richard McMains, when another vehicle hit the taxi in which they were passengers. The driver was also killed, and McMains remained hospitalized in stable condition, the Web site said.

Rabbi Wine founded the first congregation of Humanistic Judaism in suburban Detroit in 1963 and helped establish the Society for Humanistic Judaism in 1969. He retired in 2003.

The movement gained attention with a 1965 Time magazine article, but it was denounced at the time by Jewish leaders as a fleeting craze of the 1960s.

Rabbi Wine went on to help found several related organizations, including a rabbinical seminary for which he served as provost and dean in North America, the society said.

The movement he founded began with eight Detroit area families and grew to have 40,000 members worldwide. The American Humanist Association selected him humanist of the year for 2003.

"Rabbi Wine was a visionary who created a Jewish home for so many of us who would have been lost to Judaism," Miriam S. Jerris, a rabbi and officer of the Association of Humanistic Rabbis, said in a statement. "He taught us that human dignity is the highest moral value. We will live our lives reflecting that value to honor his memory."

Sherwin Theodore Wine was born in Detroit on Jan. 25, 1928, and raised by conservative Jewish parents. He received bachelor's and master's degrees in philosophy from the University of Michigan.

He decided to become a rabbi in the Reform sect of Judaism and spent five years at Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati.

In 1998, Humanistic leaders were invited to participate in United Jewish Communities, a move that Rabbi Wine's followers believe validated their movement as Judaism's fifth sect, joining Reconstructionist, Reform, Conservative and Orthodox.

Rabbi Wine is the author of books including "Humanistic Judaism," "Judaism Beyond God" and "Staying Sane in a Crazy World." He had been writing a book about living a meaningful, moral life without depending on faith for guidance, the Detroit Free Press reported.