Beyond the Fundamentals: Exploring Contemporary Judaism

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This ten-session intermediate class, taught by Rabbi Adam Zeff, is intended for those who would like to deepen their learning beyond an introductory course. We will explore Jewish tradition from different perspectives, including “How the Ancient Speaks to the Modern,” “Connecting Prayer and Scripture,” “Queer Judaism/Queer Torah,” “Mysticism in the Everyday,” and “Torah in the Eyes of Others.” As we learn about different ways of making meaning through Judaism, we will also discover new understandings for ourselves. All are welcome to join us! All materials will be available in English. The class meets on Zoom from 7:00 – 9:00 PM on Thursdays, March 10, 24, and 31; April 7 and 28; May 5, 12, and 26; June 2 and 9.

Rabbi Adam Zeff has served as Rabbi at Germantown Jewish Centre since 2010, after previously serving as Assistant Rabbi (2007-2010) and Student Rabbi (2002-2007). He received a B.A. in Anthropology from Yale University in 1990, a Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of Pennsylvania in 1999, and rabbinic ordination from the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College (RRC) in 2007. Rabbi Zeff is active in religious dialogue with Christian and Muslim clergy and is on the Executive Committee of the Board of Rabbis of Greater Philadelphia. As someone who grew up Reform, experimented with Orthodoxy in college, studied at a Reconstructionist seminary, and is a member of the Conservative movement’s Rabbinical Assembly, Rabbi Zeff is comfortable in a wide variety of Jewish settings and modes of worship and practice. His core conviction is that diversity in Jewish life and in the wider world is the truest expression of the divine.

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