Musings from Students of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem
Posted on February 7, 2014 by Jessica Baverman
There has been a lot of hype around women wearing tefillin lately (see here, here, here, and here). Since I just started taking the “Women and Mitzvot” class, this is a topic that I have followed. I’ve also been intrigued by the whole idea of tefillin for a while now. For most of my life, I saw tefillin as Continue Reading »
Posted on October 8, 2013 by Andrea Wiese
Check out what I wrote about being the face of Women of the Wall on The Times of Israel Blog.
Posted on May 22, 2013 by Rabbi Julie Gordon
R. Julie Gordon (PEP ’12) recollects: Here are some of my thoughts after my experience davenning with Women of the Wall (WOW) on May 10, 2013. I was exhilarated on the day after my bat mitzvah when I learned how to lay tefillin through the wisdom and care of Bert Cooper, z”l, our Albert Lea, 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 13, 2013 by Laurie Franklin
I went to the Kotel on Rosh Chodesh Sivan expecting to pray, and I did. I was surprised that I could focus on prayer in the volatile atmosphere; the hullabaloo made me concentrate even harder than usual. “Ozi v’zimrat Yah” never had greater meaning for me than it did on Friday morning as I stood Continue Reading »
Posted on May 12, 2013 by Andrea Wiese
From my blog: Friday morning was a blur. A scary blur. I didn’t wake up until 6:24 AM when my roommate screamed, “WIESE.” And I jumped out of bed, how could this happen, on a day that was so important to me? Never mind…we jumped in a taxi and I ran down to the women’s 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 April 29, 2013 by Stu Jacobs
Yesterday was a special day at Pardes. Not because Meir was roaming the halls with a mass of students, singing at the top of his lungs, although that was part of it. Not because there was dancing in the beit midrash, although that was part of it as well. The occurrences above, while special, have Continue Reading »
Posted on April 23, 2013 by Avi Benson-Goldberg
From my blog: The thing is, the apparatus of “traditional prayer” are sort of kinky. The thing is, we’re ten men tying ourselves up in leather straps too early in the morning. And we’re enshrouded in these huge sheets, and some people cover their heads and faces and it’s very anonymous even when I know Continue Reading »
Posted on April 11, 2013 by Shoshana Rosen
From my blog: When you are praying the words “Shema Yisrael”, “Listen Israel”, but instead you hear the sound of people yelling at you. When there are more photographers and journalists than people praying. After months of hesitation and apprehension I visit the kotel for Rosh Chodesh. I go to finally see what it is like to be Continue Reading »
