Sinai and Civics
The Jewish Ethics that Shaped America’s Founding
What does it mean today to be a Jewish American?
Sinai and Civics explores the surprising connection between Torah values and America’s founding vision. In this four-part course, we’ll uncover how Jewish ideas helped shape concepts like liberty, equality, morality, and the separation of powers, and why many of America’s founders looked to the Hebrew Bible for inspiration.
Timed for America’s 250th anniversary, this course offers a fascinating and meaningful way to explore the Jewish side of America’s story, and what it means for us today.
Sinai and Civics explores the surprising connection between Torah values and America’s founding vision. In this four-part course, we’ll uncover how Jewish ideas helped shape concepts like liberty, equality, morality, and the separation of powers, and why many of America’s founders looked to the Hebrew Bible for inspiration.
Timed for America’s 250th anniversary, this course offers a fascinating and meaningful way to explore the Jewish side of America’s story, and what it means for us today.
Course Schedule & Info
Celebrate America’s 250th anniversary by exploring the Torah ideas that helped shape the nation’s founding ideals and institutions.
4 Sunday evenings at 6:00 PM
Opening Session • Sunday, June 28 at 6:00 PM
Introductory session with dinner. Free to attend and experience the course before registering.
No class July 5 due to Fourth of July weekend.
Remaining sessions:
Sunday, July 12 at 6:00 PM
Sunday, July 19 at 6:00 PM
Sunday, July 26 at 6:00 PM
Taught by Rabbi Shneur Itzinger
Chabad at the Falls
100 N Main Street, Suite 100
Chagrin Falls, Ohio
Celebrate America’s 250th anniversary by exploring the Torah ideas that helped shape the nation’s founding ideals and institutions.
4 Sunday evenings at 6:00 PM
Opening Session • Sunday, June 28 at 6:00 PM
Introductory session with dinner. Free to attend and experience the course before registering.
No class July 5 due to Fourth of July weekend.
Remaining sessions:
Sunday, July 12 at 6:00 PM
Sunday, July 19 at 6:00 PM
Sunday, July 26 at 6:00 PM
Taught by Rabbi Shneur Itzinger
Chabad at the Falls
100 N Main Street, Suite 100
Chagrin Falls, Ohio
This course is generously sponsored by The Geyer Family and Ian Friedman.
Registration Info
- $80 per individual
- $120 per couple
- June 28 opening session is free to attend
- Scholarships available
Course Promo
Course Overview: The 4 Lessons
1. The Exodus and the American Story
Why did the American founders so often compare their new nation to the story of the Exodus? We explore how early Americans saw themselves as leaving oppression and building a society rooted in moral purpose and covenantal responsibility.
2. Human Dignity and Equality
Where did the idea of human equality come from? We trace the Torah’s teaching that every person is created with infinite value and how this resonates in America’s founding principle of equality.
3. The American Dream and the Jubilee Year
What shapes the idea of ownership and opportunity? We explore the Torah’s Jubilee year, when land returns to its original owners, and what it teaches about wealth, responsibility, and trust in G-d.
4. Separation of Powers and Moral Responsibility
Why did the founders divide government into separate branches? We compare this to the Torah’s model of shared authority between king, Sanhedrin, and Torah, and what it teaches about power and moral accountability.
1. The Exodus and the American Story
Why did the American founders so often compare their new nation to the story of the Exodus? We explore how early Americans saw themselves as leaving oppression and building a society rooted in moral purpose and covenantal responsibility.
2. Human Dignity and Equality
Where did the idea of human equality come from? We trace the Torah’s teaching that every person is created with infinite value and how this resonates in America’s founding principle of equality.
3. The American Dream and the Jubilee Year
What shapes the idea of ownership and opportunity? We explore the Torah’s Jubilee year, when land returns to its original owners, and what it teaches about wealth, responsibility, and trust in G-d.
4. Separation of Powers and Moral Responsibility
Why did the founders divide government into separate branches? We compare this to the Torah’s model of shared authority between king, Sanhedrin, and Torah, and what it teaches about power and moral accountability.
Discover the Jewish ideas behind America’s story.