Lee I. Levine is an American-born rabbi

Rabbi

In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...

, archaeologist and historian of classical Judaism

Judaism

Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...

. He is a strong believer in the ability of the Jewish people and Judaism to adapt to local settings as a key to survival. He is the author of Judaism and Hellenism in Antiquity and The Ancient Synagogue, one of the most comprehensive texts on the subject.

Levine is a professor of Jewish history

Jewish history

Jewish history is the history of the Jews, their religion and culture, as it developed and interacted with other peoples, religions and cultures. Since Jewish history is over 4000 years long and includes hundreds of different populations, any treatment can only be provided in broad strokes...

 and archaeology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Hebrew University of Jerusalem

The Hebrew University of Jerusalem ; ; abbreviated HUJI) is Israel's second-oldest university, after the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. The Hebrew University has three campuses in Jerusalem and one in Rehovot. The world's largest Jewish studies library is located on its Edmond J...

. He received degrees at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America

Jewish Theological Seminary of America

The Jewish Theological Seminary of America is one of the academic and spiritual centers of Conservative Judaism, and a major center for academic scholarship in Jewish studies.JTS operates five schools: Albert A...

 (JTS), where he was ordained as a Conservative rabbi, and Columbia University

Columbia University

Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...

. He was a student of Gerson Cohen. In 1961, Levine married Mira Karp, whom he met at Camp Ramah

Camp Ramah

Camp Ramah is a network of Jewish summer camps affiliated with the Conservative Movement. The camps operate in the United States, Canada, and Israel. Ramah camps serve kosher food and are Shabbat-observant.-History:...

. Levine has also taught at Yale University

Yale University

Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...

 and the Seminary of Judaic Studies in Jerusalem. He has directed several archaeological digs, among them a dig in Caesarea and the excavation of the Hurvat Amudim

Hurvat Amudim

Hurvat Amudim or Sde Amudim was an ancient village, now an archaeological site, in Israel, located south-east of the Beit Netofa Valley, on the eastern side of Highway 65 between Golani junction and Kadarim junction...

Synagogue.

Published work

• The Ancient Synagogue: The First Thousand Years, Second Edition, Yale University Press, 2005
• Jerusalem: Portrait of the City in the Second Temple Period (538 B.C.E.-70 C.E.), Jewish Publication Society of America, 2003
• Judaism and Hellenism in Antiquity: Conflict or Confluence?, Hendrickson Publishers, 1999
• Rabbinic Class of Roman Palestine in Late Antiquity, Jewish Theological Seminary of America, 1990