Zev Eleff

Zev Eleff is an American scholar in Jewish studies and American religion and a rabbi. He is the twelfth president of Gratz College.

Biography

Eleff was born Philadelphia and raised in Baltimore. He received M.A. from Teachers College, Columbia University (2011) and Ph.D. from Brandeis University (2015) He is also a graduate of Yeshiva College (BA 2009) and Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (ordained in 2011).

Eleff was elected president of Gratz College in 2021, succeeding Paul Finkelman. Before that he was chief academic officer of Hebrew Theological College and vice provost of Touro College Illinois.

Books

• 2009: Living from Convention to Convention: A History of the NCSY, 1954 – 1980
• 2016: Who Rules the Synagogue?: Religious Authority and the Formation of American Judaism
• 2016: Modern Orthodox Judaism: A Documentary History
• 2018: A Century at the Center: Orthodox Judaism & The Jewish Center
• 2020: Authentically Orthodox: A Tradition-Bound Faith in American Life
• 2023: Dyed in Crimson: Football, Faith, and Remaking Harvard's America
• 2025: The Greatest of All Time: A History of an American Obsession

Awards

• 2017: Wasserman Prize of the American Jewish Historical Society
• 2014: Rockower Award for Excellence by the American Jewish Press Association

Personal

Eleff lives in Merion Station, Pennsylvania . He and his wife, Melissa have four children.

References