Machar: the Washington Congregation for Secular Humanistic Judaism

We believe that the great lesson of Jewish history is that people of good will constitute the only benevolent force that can be relied upon to move the world toward the goals of universal justice and peace. Thus, we devote our energies to the affirmation and mobilization of positive human and Jewish values.

"Machar" is the Hebrew word for "tomorrow." We believe that Judaism encompasses far more than an ancient religion. It is a complete and vibrant culture with a rich history, ethical outlook, languages, music, literature, and folk traditions. We see the Jews as an international family with a diverse and continually evolving culture. We see reason rather than faith as a guide to understanding, and human will and intelligence as the forces that guide human destiny.

Our congregation, founded in 1977, is part of the national and international Secular Humanistic Judaism movement through our affiliation with the Society for Humanistic Judaism. We develop and conduct services for Shabbat and other Jewish Holidays and life-cycle milestones that clearly express our Secular and Humanistic outlook. In our Jewish Cultural School we teach our children to have pride in their Jewish heritage and to have respect for all peoples. Our members participate in a variety of community service and social action activities that transform our philosophy into reality.