These and Those

Musings from Students of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem

Tag Archives: appreciation / gratitude

Pardes Seminars . . . ‘ Pluralistic, genuine, immersive, non-denominational, spiritual and academic’

Posted on August 25, 2019 by Larry Brooks

This blog piece was written by Larry Brooks, alumnus of the Summer 2019 Pardes Executive Learning Seminar. Pluralistic, genuine, immersive, non-denominational, spiritual and academic? For years I’d heard others describe Pardes this way. Still, I began the 2019 ELS summer program with a healthy dose of New York skepticism. Would the teachers be truly engaging? Continue Reading »

End of the Year Reflection 5779

Posted on May 28, 2019 by Alex Griffel

Over the last few weeks, a palpable depression seems to have set in the 3rd floor of 29 Pierre Koenig. Maybe depression is too strong of a word; melancholy might be better. Perhaps that’s just me, but everyone I talk to about it concurs that things have felt different.   The year is ending, and Continue Reading »

Final Shabbaton Reflections 5779

Posted on May 28, 2019 by Branden Charles Johnson

This has been the most difficult blog post to write this year. As I type these words, I can’t even believe they’re describing reality. That we just returned from the final Shabbaton of our year at Pardes feels like the awkward punchline to a joke someone told back in September. “This year is going to Continue Reading »

New Year’s Intentions: Tefilah and Focus

Posted on January 17, 2019 by Amy Gold

This was originally distributed to the families of Epstein Hillel School, January 2, 2019. Amy Gold participated in the Pardes Tefilah Education Initiative Retreat in the Boston area. To register for our June 2019 conference visit our Tefilah Education Conference for Day School Administrators homepage. January first brings New Year’s resolutions. Commercials on the radio, social Continue Reading »

The Cubs Win! Baruch HaShem?

Posted on November 20, 2016 by Jamie Bornstein

This blog was originally posted on Times of Israel. I’m staring intently at one of the 40 flat screen TV’s in a standing-room only sports bar in Skokie, IL, and I stand out like a sore thumb. In the mob surrounding me, every soul, patron and server, is laden with Cubs gear. I, on the other Continue Reading »

Learning Torah From My Kidney – by Donating it to My Dad

Posted on August 16, 2016 by Yael Krieger

This post was originally published in Forward.  In the Hebrew Bible, the word “kidneys” is mentioned over a dozen times to metaphorically describe one’s emotional and moral choices. With a literal translation, Psalms 138:13 reads: “It was you who created my kidneys; You fashioned me in my mother’s womb. I praise You, for I am Continue Reading »

Savor the Questions

Posted on August 15, 2016 by Tara Zafft

This blog was originally posted on the author’s personal blog, at https://tarazafft.com/blog/ I came to Israel with a long list of goals. I wanted to be in Eretz Israel, a land I felt a deep connection to. I wanted to understand the nation, the culture, the politics. I wanted to learn Hebrew, Torah, and Talmud. I Continue Reading »

Dayenu

Posted on August 14, 2016 by Pessy Baskin

This post was delivered at our farewell community lunch for the August 2016 summer students. As many of you already know, I came to Pardes to learn Torah in honor of the anniversary of my father’s passing. I want to thank all my chavrutot, who so graciously agreed to learn as an aliyah for his neshama. One Continue Reading »

Rabbi Meir Schweiger – An Inspiration to Families Worldwide and His FSU Adventures

Posted on August 1, 2016 by Miriam BenSander

Imagine my family – a Jewish family, a respected family in FSU Moscow in 1983 … When I was an adolescent my parents decided to return to our Jewish roots and begin to observe traditions again – in a time when that was dangerous. They studied for themselves and tried to teach us, their children – Continue Reading »

Jerusalem Pride: Reflections

Posted on July 28, 2016 by Rachel Bikofsky

I was marching with friends, caught up in the music and dancing, and awed by the displays of courage and strength that surged around me. Suddenly, police officers started running by us, and we heard sirens as the crowd hurried to get out of the road so an ambulance could drive through. Within seconds, everyone Continue Reading »