January 4 & 11, 4 – 5:30 PM EST
Taught by Rabbi Yehoshua Soudakoff
This lecture explores the rich and varied world of Jewish literature and the profound role it has played in shaping Jewish identity throughout the centuries. From early Halachic (legal) writings to piyutim (liturgical poetry), rabbinic commentaries, philosophical works, communal letters, and personal correspondence, Jewish literary traditions have evolved in response to history, culture, and community needs.
Participants will learn how the invention of the printing press revolutionized the spread of Jewish texts, making study more accessible and transforming Jewish learning across global communities. The lectures also examine the long history of censorship—how governments and Christian authorities altered or suppressed Jewish writings, and how these interventions impacted both scholarship and cultural memory.
Through this journey, the series highlights how Jewish literature has served not only as a repository of law and tradition but also as a living expression of creativity, resilience, and identity. As a people known as Am HaSefer—the People of the Book—our texts have shaped who we are, how we think, and how we remain connected across time and place.
Paid JDC members have access to a discount code on the JDC website for this lecture which will allow free registration. If you are a paid member, login to see the code above.
Yehoshua Soudakoff
Rabbi Yehoshua, who grew up in sunny Los Angeles, currently lives in the Holy Land with his wife Cheftziba and their two children, Baila and Levi. After graduating from the world’s only yeshiva high school for deaf and hard of hearing boys in Toronto, Canada, he received his rabbinical ordination in Brooklyn. He and his wife are also the official Chabad representatives to the Deaf and hard of hearing community, and their many projects – from summer camp to Shabbat retreats and Chanukah celebrations to online classes – touch the lives of many deaf and hard of hearing Jews around the globe.
