About the Chaplain
Chaplain Binyamin Biber is an ordained Humanistic rabbi who has for a decade served a DC congregation called Machar,* the Washington Congregation for Secular Humanistic Judaism. He is also currently the President of the Association of Humanistic Rabbis – North America, a member of the Rabbinic Cabinet of J Street – working for a just peace between Israel and Palestine, and a board member of the Humanist Society, the professional organization of chaplains and officiants active within the American Humanist Association (AHA).
*”Machar” = “tomorrow” in Hebrew.
About the Chaplaincy
The Humanist Chaplaincy at American University, led by Humanist chaplain and rabbi, Binyamin Biber, was recognized and welcomed by the AU Rationalists and Atheists (AURA, an affiliate of the Secular Students Alliance) and by the AU Chaplains Council in October 2011 to serve University students, faculty, and staff who embrace or are exploring a Humanist philosophy of life by:
- offering educational programs, services, and materials to promote the wider and deeper understanding of Humanism, its meaning, history, forms, and pragmatic relevance to our lives, as well as its relationships with various traditions, philosophies, and fields – from the religious to the secular, from the arts and sciences to the full spectrum of disciplines and professions taught at the University;
- supporting and fostering their personal development and well-being with particular focus on the moral, emotional, psycho-social, and philosophical facets of life, including our human search for and creation of meaning and purpose in our lives;
- facilitating the development of a healthy and vibrant Humanist community at AU that fulfills a measure of our common needs for interpersonal connectedness and friendship, intimacy and love, participation in and belonging to a circle of like-minded others committed to the greater good;
- actively engaging with and benefiting the larger community, society, and world in which the University operates through service and advocacy that applies the vision and values of Humanism such as affirming, defending, and advancing the equality, liberty, and humanity of all, as well as standing with and aiding the unfortunate and disadvantaged, the exploited and oppressed;
- educating ourselves and others about the imperative of mutual respect, tolerance, and co-operation to achieve humanity’s shared goals in a free, fair, and pluralist democracy.
For More Information
Email Chaplain Biber at: biber@american.edu
Humanist Chaplaincy at American University
Kay Spiritual Life Center
American University
4400 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20016-8010
Website: http://humanistchaplaincyau.org/