Musings from Students of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem
Posted on January 30, 2014 by Dorielle Parker
Daniel Roth presented our ‘Judaism and Conflict Resolution’ class for Jewish Educators with this assignment, and below is the modern ‘Third Story’ that I wrote about Jacob and Esav: It is written: “And he kissed him” (Genesis 33:4) Do you remember your first kiss? Awkward braces, chapped lips, a pulse fast enough to make a Continue Reading »
Posted on May 19, 2013 by The Director of Digital Media
X-posted from Eryn’s blog post: Eryn London (Summer ’06 & ’07, Community Education ’10, Year ’10-’11, Hourly ’11-’12) made Aliya from New Jersey three years ago. She is currently studying in the Manhiga Hilchatit Program at Midreshet Lindenbaum, which is a 5 year advanced Halacha learning program. Beyond learning she also runs activities at a Continue Reading »
Posted on May 13, 2013 by Gabby Goodman
Reflections on Rosh Hodesh Sivan with Women of the Wall, 5773 – 2013 Throughout the year I have studied here in Jerusalem, I have learned that the Wall has its own identity crisis. It is part of a larger structure that was built and carried, lost, built again and then destroyed, and built again, and Continue Reading »
Posted on May 4, 2013 by Sam Kaye
I’m leaving for Israel and my father hands me two bags. “Take these with you. The furrier, Shlomo, your great grandmother’s brother-in-law, left them to me. Find out if it’s meaningful for you.” The first is black felt, light to the touch, with a golden Magen David embroidered in cord on its front. The Tallit Continue Reading »
Posted on February 24, 2013 by Naomi Bilmes
From my blog: Sometimes, a simple touch can make all the difference. In the Jewish world, some girls don’t touch boys. Some girls touch some boys. Some girls touch only one boy, and everyone hugs their mother. As a part of this world, I have become especially attuned to the presence and absence of human Continue Reading »
Posted on January 31, 2013 by Annie Matan Gilbert
This week’s parsha, Yitro, mentions Moses’ father-in-law (known by seven names in Tanakh.) In Yitro, he swoops in, Jean-Luc Picard style, to teach Moses how to delegate and manage his community more efficiently and then swoops out again. This midrash was written at Pardes in 2009-2010 and tells the story of their meeting and how their Continue Reading »
Posted on January 19, 2013 by Ma'ayan Dyer
From my blog: After seven months in the States, living a solitary Jewish lifestyle (meaning, an incredibly hollow one, sans community), day after day of ten hour shifts of packing candy on assembly lines, sitting on my tuchus in a call center selling fruit baskets and truffles to rich elderly folks, and waitressing a few Continue Reading »
Posted on December 5, 2012 by Shoshana Rosen
By Shoshana Rosen How do I even begin to put into words, an experience that in its essence has no words? Just recently coming back from a silent meditation shabbaton, up north at Kibbutz Hannaton I realize only how much it impacted me by the stark reality of coming back home. Like many have said Continue Reading »
Posted on November 22, 2012 by The Director of Digital Media
ויצא If Leah were alive today, this is what I think she would tell us. “‘It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.’1 Rahel and I are twins2 born five minutes apart. I am the older sister, and like any set of twins, we had our good days and we had Continue Reading »
Posted on March 4, 2012 by Derek Kwait
When I woke up to a snowstorm this morning, I was so happy I could dance. It wasn’t just snow, it was big-flaked, sticky snow, the kind you could make snowballs out of were there enough of it, and it looked for all the world like there would be before too long. I grabbed my Continue Reading »
