Click here to go directly to the registration page

4 Mondays, June 8th - June 29th 7:30 PM - 8:30 PM

This course is being offered for both online and in-person attendees.

It’s July 4, 1776.

The Declaration of Independence has just been adopted. The ink is still wet.

And the very first thing Congress does is appoint a committee to design a national seal for the brand-new country.

The committee: Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and John Adams.

Their proposal? Moses standing over the Red Sea as Pharaoh’s army drowns behind him. A scene straight out of the Book of Exodus.

Congress rejected the design (too complicated). But the fact that America’s founders wanted a biblical scene stamped onto every official document tells you something powerful about the world they were living in.

This is just one piece of a much larger story almost nobody knows.

This summer, as America celebrates its 250th anniversary, join us for a fascinating new course exploring how the Founding Fathers drew inspiration from Judaism and the Torah as they shaped America’s ideals, values, and system of government.

Want to try it out? Email info@jewishmorristown.com with the words "First class tryout," and we will sign you up to join the first class free.

Lesson Outline

1. The Foundations of the Covenant From the Pilgrims on, America’s founders drew inspiration from the Hebrew Bible. America was founded, not by conquest, but by a shared promise—a covenant. See how these factors helped make America the most welcoming nation for Jews in our long Diaspora.

2. The Roots of Equality

   It wasn’t always self-evident that all people are created equal. So why did the founders think it was? Discover the story of this foundational American and Jewish value.

3. In G-d We Trust

   What is “The American Dream”? Discover the surprising story of how a Biblical concept came to shape America’s ideal of equal opportunity and mass prosperity.

4. The Separation of Powers Three branches of government. The separation of church and state. See how America’s system parallels the Torah’s ancient division of powers—and how they each understand the role morality plays in the public square.