He received his doctorate in modern Jewish history from UCLA. Adam specializes in the history of Jewish culture and politics in Eastern Europe and pre-state Palestine during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. He is currently writing a book on the creation of Hebrew and Yiddish national culture in Europe between the two world wars, entitled Hayim Nahman Bialik and the Zionist Reinvention of Jewish Tradition. Before accepting his position at HUC three years ago, he spent a year teaching at the University of Washington in Seattle. During his graduate studies, he lived in Israel for several years. Adam was born in Los Angeles, grew up in Tustin, California and received his undergraduate education at the University of California at Berkeley.