Tamara Kolton is the first rabbi ordained in Humanistic Judaism

Humanistic Judaism

Humanistic Judaism is a movement in Judaism that offers a nontheistic alternative in contemporary Jewish life. It defines Judaism as the cultural and historical experience of the Jewish people and encourages humanistic and secular Jews to celebrate their Jewish identity by participating in Jewish...

 . She grew up attending the Birmingham Temple (of Humanistic Judaism) in Farmington Hills, Michigan, and has practiced Humanistic Judaism throughout her life . She was ordained in October 1999 at the International Institute for Secular Humanistic Judaism

International Institute for Secular Humanistic Judaism

The International Institute for Secular Humanistic Judaism is the academic and intellectual center of Humanistic Judaism. It was established in Jerusalem in 1985 and currently has two centers of activity: one in Jerusalem and the other in Farmington Hills, Michigan...

, having received her PhD in Rabbinic Studies in August 1999; her dissertation was on the role and experience of female rabbis . She became the senior rabbi of the Birmingham Temple in 2007, when Rabbi Sherwin Wine (who was then the senior rabbi) died in an automobile accident . Rabbi Kolton is married to Isaac Kolton, an Israeli born in Petach Tikva . Together they are raising their two children, Lior and Maya, in Farmington Hills and at the Birmingham Temple .