Musings from Students of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem
Posted on March 2, 2014 by Yisrael Ben Avraham
Is it just me, or does the opening of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas sound a lot like the Torah’s ingredient list for the incense offering? We had two bags of grass, seventy-five pellets of mescaline, five sheets of high-powered blotter acid, a salt shaker half full of cocaine, and a whole galaxy of multi-colored Continue Reading »
Posted on February 1, 2014 by David Bogomolny
Aryeh Ben David once asked me, “What does it mean to be Jewish?” Reflecting upon this, I had some vague ideas, but had never much considered it. “The word Jew (יהודי) is derived from the name Judah (יהודה),” he answered himself, “which comes from the root ‘to thank’. So, for me, the essence of being a Continue Reading »
Posted on January 27, 2014 by Sarah Pollack
From my blog: I traveled to Bethlehem with my Jewish roommate on a program called Encounter. I also wrote about it here and here. While waiting in line to take pictures in front of the tree, we saw a Palestinian friend that we had met earlier in the day. “Aliya! (name has been changed)” I screamed, “Hey!” She came Continue Reading »
Posted on January 18, 2014 by Sydni Adler
Every Thursday afternoon, Misha volunteers for the Domari Gypsy Society, a non-profit organization that operates out of the Shu’fat neighborhood in East Jerusalem. Domari Gypsies have been living in the Middle East for centuries, and the Jerusalem Domari Gypsy community has been present for over a hundred years. Although Domari Gypsies speak Arabic and practice 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 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 December 27, 2013 by Naomi Bilmes
From my blog: On Tuesday night, I went to Bethlehem. Growing up in America, all I saw of Christmas were signs reading “Buy One get One FREE” and “Sale: 70% mark down! 5-7am only!!” All I saw was consumerism and a huge traffic jam outside of the church. But this year I’m in the Middle Continue Reading »
Posted on December 14, 2013 by Dorielle Parker
Discovering the art of Sofrut at Pardes I have always felt enchanted by shape. The coffee mug shaped perfectly for my hand. The shoes fit perfectly for my feet. The canvas built perfectly for paint. Letters curved perfectly for words. Words shaped perfectly for Creation. It is told that every Hebrew letter has a specific Continue Reading »
Posted on December 2, 2013 by Melissa Scholten-Gutierrez
My Talmud class (level Daled, taught by the amazing Leah Rosenthal) is working our way through Masechet Kiddushin. We began by learning a few sugiyot (discussions) in the first two prakim (chapters), then we dove into the third where it starts to get really interesting a month or so ago (or maybe my time is Continue Reading »
Posted on November 18, 2013 by Sydni Adler
In Israel, universities and many jobs require their applicants to be fluent in English. Unfortunately, many low-income children struggle with English acquisition as a result of lack of personal attention in school and family life. Every year, several Pardes students volunteer with KEEP (Kol HaNeshama’s English Enrichment Program), a program to help 4th-6th graders from Continue Reading »
