Cultural Judaism, often confused with Secular Judaism, is a stream of Judaism that encourages individual thought and understanding in Judaism. Its relation to Judaism is through the history, culture, civilization, ethical values and shared experiences of the Jewish people. Cultural Jews connect to their heritage not through religious beliefs but rather through the languages, literature, art, dance, music, food, and celebrations of the Jewish people.
It is a pillar in the ideologies of Habonim Dror

Habonim Dror

Habonim Dror is a Jewish Labour Zionist youth movement formed by the merger in 1982 of the Habonim and Dror youth movements. Habonim Dror's sister movement in Israel is Hanoar Haoved Vehalomed, the Working and Studying Youth.-Ideology:...

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Example

The following is an example of how a Cultural Jew would approach a particular custom or law in Judaism, in this example kashrut

Kashrut

Kashrut is the set of Jewish dietary laws. Food in accord with halakha is termed kosher in English, from the Ashkenazi pronunciation of the Hebrew term kashér , meaning "fit" Kashrut (also kashruth or kashrus) is the set of Jewish dietary laws. Food in accord with halakha (Jewish law) is termed...

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1. Go back to the source(s) and find out why it is done.
2. If you agree with what the source(s) are saying and therefore find meaning in the practise, then kashrut has just become not only a meaningful Jewish practise in your life, but has also caused you to look deeper into Judaism and probably helped strengthen your Jewish identity.
3. If the source doesn’t appeal to you, can you find an alternative Jewish source to help you out with another way to practise some form of kashrut?
4. Is there a non-Jewish source that could help you out with your dilemma?
5. If the whole practise is devoid of meaning, or you are against the practise for any reason – then don’t do it any more. But at least you will have enriched your Jewish knowledge and hopefully your Jewish identity.The implications of the choice are these: If your family decided to change their Shabbat activity from a Friday night.

See also

• Center for Cultural Judaism
  Center for Cultural Judaism
  The establishment of The Center for Cultural Judaism in New York in 2003 is the first major organizational change on the American Jewish scene in reaction to emerging new insights into American Jewish demography, as cited in the American Jewish Identity Survey...
  
  
• Habonim Dror
  Habonim Dror
  Habonim Dror is a Jewish Labour Zionist youth movement formed by the merger in 1982 of the Habonim and Dror youth movements. Habonim Dror's sister movement in Israel is Hanoar Haoved Vehalomed, the Working and Studying Youth.-Ideology:...
  
  
• Orthodox Judaism
  Orthodox Judaism
  Orthodox Judaism , is the approach to Judaism which adheres to the traditional interpretation and application of the laws and ethics of the Torah as legislated in the Talmudic texts by the Sanhedrin and subsequently developed and applied by the later authorities known as the Gaonim, Rishonim, and...
  
  
• Secular Jewish culture
  Secular Jewish culture
  Secular Jewish culture embraces several related phenomena; above all, it is the international culture of secular communities of Jewish people, but it can also include the cultural contributions of individuals who identify as secular Jews...