Do our nation’s core values — freedom, moral responsibility and the dignity of the individual — have Jewish roots? The answer is yes, if you ask Rabbi Sholom Deitsch.

Deitsch, the director of Chabad Lubavitch of Northern Virginia, recently kicked off an educational series in Fairfax exploring the ties between American ideals and Jewish tradition and how Jewish ethics shaped America. The four-session “Sinai & Civics” course takes place on Wednesday evenings throughout the month and started July 1.

“[Rabbi Deitsch is] giving a class about how Jewish ethics shaped America and how Jewish values connect to what it means to be free and created equal, and looking ahead, how we can use the Jewish ethics and moral code — aka the Torah — for a better future for America and for our nation,” said Hindy Deitsch, the program director at Chabad Lubavitch of Northern Virginia.

The course, offered through the Rohr Jewish Learning Institute, is in honor of the 250th anniversary of the United States, a country that has been “one of the most welcoming and supportive homes for Jews in all of history,” according to the course description.

“Jewish ethics and culture closely align with American values, allowing Jews to proudly and openly celebrate their heritage and practices,” the description read. “Join us on a four-week journey to uncover the shared roots of two remarkable traditions — and discover what they can teach us about building a strong, moral, and thriving society today.”

The first session, on July 1, focused on the foundations of the covenant. The next classes are “The Roots of Equality,” “In G-d We Trust” and “Separation of Powers.”

“[I want participants to walk away knowing] how to use the Torah, how to use our Jewish guidebook in shaping a future that you want to live in, how it connects with the American government and American society and how similar they are in a way,” Hindy Deitsch said.

Because “Sinai & Civics” falls under the Chabad-based JLI, Chabad of Northern Virginia is one of many Chabad houses worldwide teaching the course.

“Chabad is always very with the times,” Hindy Deitsch said. “We are very proud to be living here and practicing religion, and we definitely value America in that way. We love to celebrate our freedom.”

Chabad of Northern Virginia also marked the occasion with a Fourth of July-themed Shabbat and, earlier in the summer, a “Freedom & Faith” event honoring America 250 and 32 years since the Lubavitcher Rebbe’s passing.

“We connected [‘Freedom & Faith’] with really wanting to do something for 250 years of America and we also connected it with the Rebbe’s passing day, which was on Gimmel Tamuz, the third of the month of Tamuz,” Hindy Deitsch said.

The June 18 event included a live concert featuring Eitan Katz, whose music centers on acoustic instruments: strings, flute, percussion and acoustic guitar. The Jewish musician released his latest album, “Live in Jerusalem 4,” in January.

“He uplifted everyone,” Hindy Deitsch said. “It was very energetic.”

The program also featured keynote speaker Michael Auslin, the distinguished research fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution and former professor of history at Yale University. He is the author of the newly released “National Treasure: How the Declaration of Independence Made America.”

“[Auslin] spoke about how important the Jews were to the starting of America,” Hindy Deitsch said. “We also [discussed] the Rebbe and his involvement in coming to America and how he brought a lot of Jewry to America.”

She added that the Rebbe is credited for the creation of Chabad houses.

“You can’t go anywhere in America without finding a Chabad house,” Hindy Deitsch said. “[It’s] quite amazing, the stretch of the Rebbe’s leadership and guidance. He knew that America needed all of this, so we had a beautiful event to connect the two of them.

“The Rebbe had the foresight to bring so many Jews into many Chabad houses, which in turn, connected so many Jews to America,” she added. “We’re lucky to be here, we’re lucky to be able to do the work that we do, we’re proud to be Jewish [and] we’re proud to be American.”

zbell@midatlanticmedia.com