About Us
The SJC has been Seattle’s home for secular Jews since 1995. We are a vibrant community that celebrates our Jewish traditions, history and culture in a non-theistic context. The SJC is a proud chapter of the Society for Humanistic Judaism, and aligns itself with the global Secular Humanistic Judaism movement, which focuses on the values of reason, justice, and personal responsibility over the belief in, or dependency on, any divine being.
Our welcoming community includes and supports multiracial people and families, differently-abled people and families, intergenerational families, mixed-faith families, and the LGBTQ+ community. We welcome everyone who wants to include Jewish values and secular humanism as part of their contemporary Jewish identity!
Learn about our Sunday School, B Mitzvah program, holiday celebrations, and more by contacting us today to see what you have been missing. We would love to meet you at our next event!
We are a volunteer-run 501(c)(3) organization.
Why a circle?
Our name, Secular Jewish Circle, calls back to the roots of Secular Judaism in the Yiddishist movement of the late 19th century. Eastern European Jews were accustomed to self-run mutual aid and other civic/social groups as a sort of nation within a nation. They brought these types of organizations with them when they immigrated in large numbers to the USA. Most of these organizations were socialist, such as the Workers Circle, which was founded in 1900 and still operates a school and summer camp in New York to this day.
SJC uses the circle imagery as a nod to the Workers Circle, with whom we share many values as humanists.
Land Acknowledgement
The Secular Jewish Circle of Puget Sound recognizes that the region in which we operate, the Puget Sound, sits on land illegally and violently stolen from the dxʷdəwʔabš (Duwamish), dxʷsəq̓ʷəbš (Suquamish), Cayuse, Umatilla, Walla Walla, and bəqəlšuɬ (Muckleshoot) peoples in violation of the Treaty of Point Elliott.
For more information, please visit the dxʷdəwʔabš (Duwamish) tribe's website here.
Sun, 6 October 2024
Upcoming Events
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Friday ,
OctOctober 11 , 2024SJC Yom Kippur
Friday, Oct 11th 7:00p to 8:45p
Secular Humanistic Kol Nidre service for Yom Kippur 5785. -
Sunday ,
OctOctober 13 , 2024JFS Food Sort
Sunday, Oct 13th 10:00a to 12:00p
Volunteer at Jewish Family Service's Annual Food Sort to organize all the High Holiday non-perishable food donations they received. -
Saturday ,
OctOctober 19 , 2024SJC Sukkot
Saturday, Oct 19th 11:00a to 12:30p
Join the Circle in the sukkah for food, crafts, and community! -
Sunday ,
OctOctober 20 , 2024Sunday School
Sunday, Oct 20th 9:30a to 11:45a
Mitzvah Secular Sunday School class is in session! -
Sunday ,
NovNovember 3 , 2024Sunday School
Sunday, Nov 3rd 9:30a to 11:45a
Mitzvah Secular Sunday School class is in session!