This week, Rabbi Daniel Roth discusses Parashat Tzav and Shabbat HaGadol in “Family Unity and Elijah’s Role.”
Shabbat shalom!
[Pardes from Jerusalem Podcast] Tzav and Shabbat HaGadol 5773: Family Unity and Elijah’s Role
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Tag Archives: conflict resolution
‘Rodef Shalom’ Pilot Program for Hillel Professionals
Leah Kahn is a Campus Professional Fellow within The Pardes Center for Judaism and Conflict Resolution, a current student within the Pardes Center for Jewish Educators and former Director of Engagement, University of Chicago Hillel from 2005-2011.
I know from firsthand experience that Hillel professionals are very busy managing multiple projects at once and don’t always have time to step back and think reflectively about the challenges they face at work. I created this Webinar to give them space and time to think about and improve their professional relationships. This ‘Rodef Shalom’ Program for Hillel professionals is currently a pilot project and we have 2 excellent professionals participating in this 4-part series. We are having very exciting and thoughtful conversations, and they are really enjoying combining classical Jewish texts with conflict resolution strategies.
Me facilitating an online training workshop for Hillel professionals.
[Pardes From Jerusalem Podcast] Truma 5773: Mutual Respect or Conflict?
This week, Rabbi Daniel Roth discusses Parashat Truma in “Mutual Respect or Conflict?”
Click here for more information about the first-ever Jewish Day of Constructive Conflict sponsored by the Pardes Center for Judaism and Conflict Resolution on February 19 (9 Adar), including the resources referenced in the podcast.
Shabbat shalom!
Difficult Conversations and Active Listening
T-Shirt w/Diversity Labels
On Wednesday, December 5th, a group of approximately 20 members of the Pardes community gathered to talk about what we could do to facilitate conversations on challenging issues among ourselves. This session was expertly led by Shoshana Rosen (Year Program ‘13) and Meesh Hammer-Kossoy.
The biggest concern voiced at the meeting is that people do not necessarily have the skills to talk about ideas that they do not believe in, or are outside of their comfort zone. We decided that it would be fruitful for members of the community to be “trained” as active listeners. This would include Continue reading
Empty Notebook
I doodled once on the cover of my notebook, but I didn’t take any notes. Every time we met with a speaker, I brought my notebook and pen with me, but I never once wrote down what they were saying. I’m not sure that I couldn’t have; I’m only sure that I didn’t want to.
The two days of our Perspectives Israel trip were completely packed with speaker after speaker. We ate lunch on the bus because otherwise we wouldn’t have made it back before Shabbat on Friday. And we really stuck to our schedule. They spoke, we asked, they answered, and we left for the bus. Speaker after speaker after speaker.
I think my concern was mostly about being present with them.
Chanukah is almost here! Unbelievable!
The following post has been cross-posted from my Studymoon blog.
Hello!
Shmatan here again, writing from the holy land!
I cannot believe that Chanukah has almost arrived! That means that all us Pardesniks have now been here for 3 months! It blows my mind how fast time goes by.
Before, we get started, I must provide an update to our ongoing measure of the Jerusalem feline population, the Shmatan Cat Count:
Our new total, as of Monday, December 3, is:
68
Disclaimer: This may, on rare occasions, include the counting of cats more than once, although efforts have been made to avoid such a source of bias.
Unfortunately, as I am writing this, I am sitting in bed with my first cold since being here, but it has given me some good time to reflect on what my experience has been like so far.
I love Israel, especially all of the Israel’isms that you would never experience anywhere else in the world. Being literally bowled over in the shuk at 4 pm on Friday by a senior citizen rushing to get the last container of chocolate rugelach. The shopping carts piled literally feet above the top metal rim. The transliterations that exactly mimic the English (English = Broccoli, Hebrew = Broccoli). The drivers that take the rules of the road merely as a subtle suggestion. There are other things that I could do without. The fear of war looming from outside Israel’s borders, the conflict that I observe both outside within the communities around me, and the conflict that I find inside myself, when I debate what if anything that we can do to make this part of the world a better place.
If there is anything that I have learned from the time that I have spent here in Israel, it is that the situation that presents itself here in Israel is very, very complicated. Before coming to Israel, I felt that my inability to get my head around how to achieve peace in the middle east was solely due to a lack of knowledge. Now, having been in Israel, and having met members from many of the communities that have a stake in the peace process, I understand that it is not a matter of having enough information. I definitely now have plenty of that. There are so many groups with so many opinions, so many axes to grind, so much fear, so much hope, and a genuine desire for peace, but no way to get past history. Like I said, really really complex.
I feel now more able to discuss the issues that underlie the fight for peace in the middle east, but by no means do I feel any closer to a solution. I hope that through further discussion with progressive individuals who truly, genuinely care about achieving peace, maybe someday such a goal could be achieved. There are so many hurdles to get over, but hey, call me an optimist.
The way that I feel, as long as people are still talking to people, we are on the right track.
Shmatan signing off.
PS If anyone is interested, here is the email address of Issa, the first Palestinian speaker from the Hevron trip. From him, I felt an honest desire for peace.
issa...@gmail.com
[Alumni Guest Post] Intrafaith Engagement
by Ben Barer (Fall 2010, Fellows 2011-12)
“All Jews are friends”
I came across this article recently, and the tenor of the article greatly disturbed me. My friend and fellow Pardes alum did a wonderful job setting the record straight, but I see the underlying problem as requiring more thought as well. Why are we so quick to demonize fellow Jews? This is not a case of unaffiliated Jews who see no particular connection between themselves and other Jews, nor is it a case of questioning whether criticism of the State of Israel is legitimate coming (loudly) from a Jewish voice. This is the question of whether committed Jews from various denominations in the global Jewish community can see that there is much to be lost from sniping at each other, and much to be gained by trying to understand one another, despite our differences.
In the Crimson article, the following were among the inflammatory words that appeared: “endangered,” “anathema,” “medieval,” and “parochial zeal.” I struggle to understand what the goal of inciting such antagonism is. The author himself states that the Orthodox community is the dominant demography in Judaism today. While he claims that Reform and Conservative Judaism stand for tikkun olam — repairing the world — the concept of כל ישראל ערבים זה לזה (Sanhedrin 27b), that all Jews are inextricably bound up in each others’ lives, has been sidelined.
I am not arguing that, if only Jews would all unite, there would be peace in the Middle East — or anything similarly grandiose. I actually think that the people who stand to benefit most from Jews making a concerted effort to decrease a rhetoric of hate and increase understanding are Jews. The Jewish tradition stands to be enriched by having Jews of all backgrounds come together and grapple with the issues that animate our lives. This is in large part because there are so many different, institutionally sanctioned ways of Continue reading
Rodef Shalom course
Click for More Info about the Upcoming
RODEF SHALOM Retreat!
I first learned about this wonderful program through the Pardes newsletter. I was in Brazil at the time and had already missed the first class, but I immediately wrote to see if it would still be possible for me to join the course. I also invited my M.A. student, Joshua Barer, to enroll in the course as well. I am a professor of Religious Studies and Anthropology at Drew University; at Drew I am also Associate Director of the Center on Religion, Culture and Conflict, and Hillel Director. In all of my roles at Drew, and as a member of the local (and global?) community, I am deeply involved with peacebuilding and conflict resolution efforts. Much of this work is focused on interfaith and inter-cultural endeavors. And so when I saw an opportunity to learn more about what my own faith has to say about conflict resolution, I jumped at the opportunity.
The course, led by Jonah Geffen, has not disappointed. In fact, it has exceeded my expectations. Since there were two of us – Josh and I – first joining the course on the second session, Continue reading