CU_Supp_CSJOHistory

=Supplement: History of CSJO by Roberta Feinstein=

The CSJO held its first meeting in March 1969 in Detroit, bringing together people from the U.S. and Canada, whose ideas and interests were similar. At that time, the primary concern was secular Jewish education, which resulted in exchanges of curricula and programs. The very first name of the organization, in fact, was the Conference on Jewish Secular Education. Representatives from Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Philadelphia and Toronto were present at that meeting.Today, CSJO makes our curricula materials, for all subjects, and Bar/Bat Mitzvah materials and certificates, available to all the communities.

CSJO groups share holiday programs from affiliates across North America. Apples and Honey, a book which incorporates music and readings for the New Year Holiday Celebration, was published by CSJO to share with our affiliates and others. CSJO also has a large publications list from which publications are sold to, among others, CSJO affiliate members at a discount.

CSJO is a member of the International Federation of Secular Humanistic Jews. We receive support from the Federation as well as the Federation being our voice to the international Jewish community.

The Educational arm of the Federation is the International Institute For Secular Humanistic Judaism and CSJO sits on its board of directors. CSJO boasts a number of certified Leaders, and a rabbi, all of whom were trained at the Institute. They perform life-cycle events and offer materials for such events. CSJO has a scholarship fund, The Gerry Revzin fund, which Gerry Revzin, CSJO's first executive director, created. This fund is to help people obtain their leaderhip training; continuing Jewish education; and to attend conferences.

Five years after the Congress was created, it became obvious that the organization was attracting secular Jewish groups that were not involved in schools, yet their needs for exchanging ideas and programming were as great as those of the schools. Consequently, the name was changed to the Conference of Secular Jewish Organizations and then, in 1982, at its annual meeting, it was changed again, and remains, the Congress of Secular Jewish Organizations...CSJO.

What is significant to note is that with the advent of CSJO and, as a result of the first three conferences held in Detroit, several groups in major cities such as Chicago, Cleveland and Los Angeles were granted permission to rent facilities in Jewish community centers. This had previously been denied, because the groups were not considered to be "mainstream" Jewish organizations.

CSJO wants our young people to find a place where they don't have to explain themselves to anyone. Young people need like-minded young people with whom they can share ideas and thoughts. The young people are the lifeblood and future of CSJO. This was recognized early on and in May of 1975, in Cleveland, Ohio, the first Teen conference was held concurrently with the adult conference. As these conferences continued, the teens became young adults and asked that a place be made for them, too, at the conference. So, the title was changed to the Teen/Young Adult conference still taking place alongside the adult conference. In 2004 the Young Adults again asked for, and received, permission to create an Older Young Adult segment of CSJO. Keeping our young people involved is a major goal for CSJO.

The Teens, young Adults, and Older Young Adults do all of their own planning of conference workshops. The adults are invited to attend these workshops as the younger people are invited to the adult workshops. From these conferences have come basic administrative decisions such as Teens, Young Adults and Older Young Adults having an important place on the board of directors. The keynote speeches at the conferences are made by both an adult and a Teen and/or a Young Aduland/or an Older Young Adult! The young people keep in touch with each other through their own newsletter and the internet. This May, CSJO will be holding its 37th. Adult conference and its 32th Teen/Young Adult/Older Young Adult conference in Cleveland during the American Memorial Day week-end.

From its onset, CSJO agreed that each affiliated school and organization would remain an autonomous unit, free to participate or initiate programs in their own communities. All groups were urged to share the information of their activities with all of CSJO. This sharing took place, by and large, at the yearly conferences.

CSJO has a long-standing Social Action committee. There are a number of statements which the committee, and then the entire membership, have agreed upon, thereby making it much easier to articulate statements to the media in the name of the Secular Jewish movement in North America.

CSJO's newsletter, which is published four times a year, continues to share information by and about its affiliates.

Today, there are 24 affiliate CSJO groups and a large number of associate members. And also, thanks to our electronic marvels, information is shared and ideas put forth on an almost daily basis.

The schools and organizations of the CSJO are, as I stated before, independent, autonomous affiliates. The CSJO functions with a board of directors consisting of a delegate with an alternate from EACH of the affiliates, as well as an at-large associate representative and both a teen and young adult representative. The officers, and an executive committee of 7, carry on the business of CSJO between board meetings. We are predominantly a volunteer staffed organization, as are our affiliates. The schools, of course, have paid teaching and administrative staffs, governed by parent member bodies.

CSJO offers a teacher training program to help teachers who are not familiar with Secular Jewishness teach to the curriculum with a better understanding of who we are.

A most important part of the CSJO Statement of Policy and Philosophy states:...For us the continuity and survival of the Jewish people is paramount; our prophetic tradition of social justice and humanism is the foundation upon which our community is built. It provides us with standards for the conduct of our lives and those of succeeding generations." And the prophetic tradition, indeed, has led CSJO to become socially active and humanistically aware of the world in which we live.