The Hebrew Bible's Ancient Avengers
How Jewish Figures Influenced American History
3 Tuesdays from 7:00 - 8:00 p.m. ET, July 21 - Aug. 11
(no class on Aug. 4)
All sessions recorded
Long before Spider-Man, Wonder Woman and Batman, the Hebrew Bible’s Jewish characters were inspiring Americans.
Ripped from the pages of Tanakh, the figures of Moses, Esther, and David served as spiritual sustenance to freedom fighters, politicians, and pundits striving to see the United States live up to its founding ideals.
In this course timed to the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence, we will examine the how these Jewish heroes shaped the American story from its founding era to today — offering models of moral leadership, sacred self-sacrifice and courage amidst conflict.
Class sessions are one hour long. There are no refunds for this course. By registering, you'll also begin receiving an events email each Sunday from My Jewish Learning featuring free and paid classes and events offered by our 70 Faces Media brands.
About Your Teacher
Rabbi Stuart Halpern is senior advisor to the provost and senior program officer of the Straus Center for Torah and Western Thought at Yeshiva University. He has edited or co-edited 17 books, including most recently, "Esther in America", "Proclaim Liberty Throughout the Land: The Hebrew Bible in the United States", and "Gleanings: Reflections on Ruth." He has taught at Yeshiva University, synagogues, Hillels and adult educational settings across the United States, Europe, and Israel, and his writing has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, Tablet magazine, and the Jewish Review of Books.
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About My Jewish Learning
My Jewish Learning is the internet's leading pluralistic Jewish education resource. We offer thousands of articles, videos, live classes and other resources to help you navigate all aspects of Judaism and Jewish life — from Jewish ritual and practice to texts to history and culture.
My Jewish Learning is geared toward all backgrounds and levels of knowledge and is a part of 70 Faces Media, the largest Jewish digital media organization in North America.