Fundamentals of Judaism

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What is Judaism really about? How can we understand Torah? What are Jewish views of relationships? And where does antisemitism come from? Join Rabbi Adam Zeff and Student Rabbi Maria Pulzetti for a weekly exploration of some “fundamentals of Judaism.” The class will take us on an exploration of key topics, core Jewish stories, and Judaism’s big ideas, including ethics, ritual, holidays, and more. This is a great class for those who are eager for more knowledge about what is central to Jewish practice and community, for those who are new to Jewish community, and for those considering conversion. The class meets weekly on Thursdays from 7:00-9:00 PM on Zoom, beginning on Thursday, October 14 and continuing through March 3. The class will not meet on November 25, December 23, or December 30.

Maria Pulzetti is a student at Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, where she seeks to integrate her love of Torah into her work toward justice, dignity and wholeness for all people. She finds sacred connection in learning people’s stories and being present with them through times of challenge, transition and joy. She is honored to serve GJC, her family’s spiritual home, as student rabbi. Maria also works as a lawyer at Community Legal Services of Philadelphia, where she provides direct services to her low-income clients and leads systemic advocacy to strengthen social safety net programs. Maria was a public defender for twelve years. Before that, she was the founding executive director of the Moscow-based Russian Justice Initiative, a human rights litigation project. When she was 18, she co-founded the Day of Silence, a student-led day of action against the silencing and erasure of LGBTQ people in schools. Maria lives in Philadelphia with her wife and two children. She received her BA from the University of Virginia and her JD from Yale Law School.

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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