A secular Jewish community
The Red Herring Club is a secular Jewish Community based in London, oriented towards activities for children and families. We run activities and celebrate Jewish festivals and occasions in a non-religious way. We have a small “cheder” and run a bar/bat mitzvah programme. We run a Klezmer band, the Rockin' Rollmops, for children and parents. If you can play an instrument and want to join, get in touch!
Aims
The objective of the Red Herring Club is to form an inter-generational community to foster and preserve Jewish identity in a secular context and to foster the development and application of progressive and humanistic values.
Objectives
- To introduce Jewish culture in its widest sense. This includes the history and geography of the Jewish world, legends, folk tales, music, food, visual art, languages, clothes, traditions. It also includes some of the ideas of Jewish religious culture in a sympathetic manner but wholly from a secular perspective.
- To attempt to present material in an interesting and fun way, so that the activities of the Red Herring Club are age-appropriate and relevant to the children's lives.
- To present Jewish culture in a progressive, pluralist, inclusive framework. For example, using the history of Jews all over the world to help to foster multiculturalism and anti-racism and ensuring that material does not have a gender bias.
- To help children to relate to Jewishness in a way which ensures that they recognise that Jews are a unique people among many unique peoples.
The Red Herring Club is affiliated to and supported by the Jewish Socialists' Group.