Musings from Students of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem
Posted on August 4, 2014 by Alanna Kleinman
I cried during services last Shabbat. I cried out of frustration and fear. I cried because the Rabbi told the sanctuary that liberal voices speaking out against Israel were anti-Semitic and hateful. I cried because I was told to shut up, that there’s only one way to support a land I had come to call Continue Reading »
Posted on May 21, 2014 by Suzanne Singer
I wrote this to Swarthmore’s Hillel in hopes that it would engage them in responding to me. I have heard nothing. I expect that some Pardes students may be interested and want to challenge/ agree/ expand my thoughts. In Support of Hillel “Guidelines” Why Swarthmore’s Hillel Should Not Become “Open” On December 8, 2013, Swarthmore’s Continue Reading »
Posted on December 28, 2013 by The Director of Digital Media
From my blog: A few weeks ago, an actress came to Pardes to do a kind of skit, stereotyping Four Faces of Israel, or four different people that one will inevitably encounter in Israel. She portrayed the narratives of a Haredi woman, a settler, a kibbutznik and an Arab woman. Somehow, every experience that I have, Continue Reading »
Posted on August 14, 2013 by Falynn Schmidt
From my blog: Does any other language have a word for the particular pride we feel when someone we love does something great? I am not sure, but perhaps this is specific to the Jewish people and their languages of Yiddish and Hebrew. Nachas. It is exactly that: a word that describes in two syllables the almost Continue Reading »
Posted on March 28, 2013 by Ari Abelman
From my blog: I’d like to use this post to respond to a sentiment that I have frequently heard in recent years among Israelis with regard to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The sentiment goes something like this: “I’m in favor of peace with the Palestinians, including a two-state solution in which the Palestinians would have a Continue Reading »
Posted on March 6, 2013 by Rachel Rosenbluth
Hello Pardes Friends! I’m writing to you guys in preparation for the Passover Seder, to present an opportunity for doing a really special mitzvah, and to share a unique Pesach experience that I had in East Africa. Two years ago, I had a far-from-trypical pesach seder. It took place far away, in a remote and Continue Reading »
Posted on December 14, 2012 by Adam L Masser
A classic example in the spirit of channukah–Shammai and Hillel on how to light a menorah. Shammai takes a literal reading, deduces logically that the miracle provided for 8 days of oil and so tells us to start with 8 flames and reduce each night. Hillel holds the opposite–start with 1 light and add a Continue Reading »
Posted on December 13, 2012 by Shira Bee
Originally posted on my blog: Our visit to Hevron (West Bank). A challenging day of conflicting narratives. Heard personal stories and shared reflections from Israeli settlers, Israeli soldiers, Palestinian residents, peace-building organizations, and International Human Rights-Watch organizations.
Posted on October 23, 2012 by The Director of Digital Media
Sarah Mulhern (Year Program ’09, Fellows ’10) shares her dvar Torah for Parashat Lech Lecha with These&Those. This commentary is provided by special arrangement with American Jewish World Service. To learn more, visit www.ajws.org. Lech Lecha One of the things I find most inspiring about studying Torah is that the biblical characters are human. They Continue Reading »
Posted on April 24, 2012 by aliza
We are a group of international students living in Jerusalem deeply disturbed by the racism that has recently manifested itself in a series of violent incidents involving the Beitar Jerusalem soccer fans. On March 19, hundreds of Beitar fans stormed the Malha mall in Jerusalem, violently assaulting Arab workers while chanting racist slogans including “Death Continue Reading »
