• Action Headquarters
  • Media Center
    • Press Releases
    • Press Kit
    • All News

American Humanist Association

Advocating progressive values and equality for humanists, atheists, and freethinkers

  • Facebook
  • X
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • About
    • About

      For over 80 years, the AHA has proudly served as the leading progressive voice in America on behalf of humanists, atheists, agnostics, and freethinkers.

      Learn More
    • Our Mission
    • Our History
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Board of Directors
    • Staff
    • Jobs & Internships
    • Financial Info and Reports
    • Contact Us
  • Are You Humanist?
    • Are You Humanist?

      Guided by reason, inspired by compassion, and informed by experience.

      Learn More
    • Definition of Humanism
    • Humanism and Its Aspirations
    • Humanist of the Year Award
    • Famous Humanists in History
  • Key Issues
    • Key Issues

      We are committed to building an inclusive America grounded in an embrace of reason, ethics, scientific inquiry, and compassion- rather than religious dogma.

      Learn More
    • Defending Nontheists and Promoting Humanism
    • Religion and Government Separation
    • Social Justice
    • Scientific Integrity
    • Promoting Peace
    • Resolutions and Statements
  • What We Do
    • What We Do

      We work tirelessly in courts, legislatures, and communities to defend civil liberties, secular governance, and scientific integrity.

      Learn More
    • Legal
    • Legislative
    • Education Center
    • Local Groups
    • Programs and Adjuncts
    • Publications
    • AHA at the Supreme Court
    • National Day of Reason
    • Boycott the Pledge Campaign
    • Speakers Bureau
    • Humanism for All Prisoners’ Project
  • Get Involved
    • Get Involved

      Ready for change? Join our network and be the first to take action. Get the resources and tools you need to make a real difference.

      Learn More
    • Humanist Action Headquarters
    • Find a Local AHA Group
    • Become a Humanist Celebrant
    • Events and Conferences
    • Grants and Programs
    • Resources
  • Ways to Give
    • Ways to Give

      Through winning lawsuits, active lobbying, and effective media campaigns, your contribution can go a long way.

      Learn More
    • Join
    • Renew
    • Donate
    • Online-Only Membership
    • Leave a Bequest
    • IRA Rollover Gifts
    • Other Ways to Give
  • Media Center
  • Take Action
July 3, 2013 News

On religious atheists

Facebook Twitter Email Share
July 3, 2013 News

By Herb Silverman, Published: July 1, 2013

When I was six, I began Hebrew School as an Orthodox Jew because that’s what my family was and that’s the kind of synagogue I attended. At age 11, I started thinking seriously about the concept of God and soon became an Orthodox Jewish atheist, although I could not have used the word “atheist” to describe myself because I didn’t know what “atheist” meant (a person without a belief in any gods). Nonetheless, I felt comfortable participating in Orthodox rituals for a couple more years, mostly because I was a good student who could read Hebrew faster than the other boys. There are satirical movies (like Keeping up with the Steins) about families who compete to throw the most elaborate and expensive bar mitzvahs, but mine was simple and inexpensive. However, I won my invented “competition” of reading the complete Torah portion for the week with fewer mistakes than others in our congregation at their bar mitzvahs.

Our congregation considered the Jews at a nearby Reform synagogue to be almost as bad as the Goyim (Gentiles) because they not only failed to observe many of the Jewish rituals, but also conducted their services in English instead of Hebrew. Had I understood the English version of all my ritual Hebrew prayers, I’d undoubtedly have become an atheist even sooner. Eventually I stopped performing the rituals and moved from being an Orthodox Jewish atheist to just a Jewish atheist, without passing through Conservative or Reform branches.

To read the rest of this Washington Post On Faith article, click here.

Herb SilvermanHerb Silverman is founder and President Emeritus of the Secular Coalition for America, AHA board member, and author of Candidate Without a Prayer: An Autobiography of a Jewish Atheist in the Bible Belt.

More AHA in the News

Latest news from TheHumanist.com

Subscribe Today

The 3 Most Dangerous Lies Told at Trump’s Religious Liberty Commission

Court Beyer

Digital Ghosts: What We Leave Behind in an Online Afterlife

Taiwo Adepetun

Holding Space for Black Queer and Gender Non-Conforming Youth

Sikivu Hutchinson

The Comics Section: Stuck in the Middle with…

The Comics Section: Stuck in the Middle with…

Scientific Literacy and Democracy: Bob Reuter on the 2025 Luxembourg Humanist Conference

Scott Douglas Jacobsen
American Humanist Association
1821 Jefferson Place, NW
Washington, DC 20036
202-238-9088
800-837-3792 (toll-free)
202-238-9003 (fax)
  • Facebook
  • X
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • About the American Humanist Association
  • Are You Humanist?
  • What We Do
  • Key Issues
  • Board of Directors
  • Staff
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Get Involved
  • Press Kit
  • Local Groups
  • Education Center
  • Become a Humanist Celebrant
  • Job and Internship Opportunities
  • Humanist Action Headquarters
  • Sign Up for AHA Emails
  • Privacy Policy
  • Records Policy
  • Site Map
  • Contact Us

©2025 American Humanist Association. All Rights Reserved.

Combined Federal CampaignIndependent Charities of AmericaCharity NavigatorCandid/Guidestar Platinum Seal of Transparency