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Ordained Leaders

Secular Humanistic Jewish Leadership

The International Institute for Secular Humanistic Judaism is the ONLY accredited institute for training and ordaining Secular Humanistic Jewish leadership:

  • Officiant Program - Secular Humanistic Jewish Officiants create and lead meaningful lifecycle event celebrations.
  • Leadership (Madrikh(a)/Vegvayzer) Program - Secular Humanistic Madrichim (Hebrew) / Vegvayzers (Yiddish), translated as "Guides," act as Officiants, community guides, movement spokespeople, and educators.
  • Rabbinic Program - Secular Humanistic Rabbis act as Madrichim / Vegvayzers, counselors / mentors, and experts in Judaism.

Wait, can a rabbi even BE secular?

The short answer is: Yes!

The primary roles of a rabbi are to lead services, officiate lifecycle events, and provide philosophical / spiritual guidance with their vast knowledge of Jewish history, mythology and traditions. None of which require one to believe in a higher power!

By that same token, nothing about the philosophy of Secular Humanistic Judaism mandates the existence of formal Jewish clergy / leadership in our movement. We choose to train and ordain these leaders for our denomination to ensure that we can all more fully and authentically participate in Jewish life.

Meet SJC's Madrikh: Jeff Treistman (he/him)

Headshot of Jeff Treistman, a man with a receding hair line of dark gray hair, a light gray chinstrap beard, and thick glasses, wearing a dark brown windbreaker.

Jeff graduated from the International Institute for Secular Humanistic Judaism and was ordained a Madrikh (Hebrew) / Vegvayzer (Yiddish) (translates to "Guide") in 2024 after two years of intensive study. Madrichim / Vegvayzers can officiate most lifecycle events, including naming ceremonies, weddings and funerals.

Being a retired public school librarian, Jeff brings a commitment to education and a passion for self-discovery to his work in the SJC community. Naturally, this inclination led him to double as a teacher at our Sunday School, and a mentor in our Youth B Mitzvah Program.


In 2022, Jeff followed his passion for storytelling to found the Jewish Comics Library of Seattle (JCLS), a nonprofit project dedicated to amplifying Jewish graphic narratives by creating a low-stakes entrypoint into the diverse, modern Jewish experience. Visit the JCLS pop-up library on every 2nd and 4th Friday of the month at the Couth Buzzard Bookstore!

Ask a Madrikh!

Have questions? Need spiritual or philosophic guidance? Ask away!

* If you'd like to submit your question anonymously, please enter "Anonymous" into the "Your Name" field.

YOUR question may get featured on our upcoming YouTube Shorts series!

Wed, 25 June 2025