Blogs posts and reflections from students and alumni
studying at the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem
Have a story or reflection to share? Email us: info@pardes.org.il
Disagreeing Better for the Sake of Heaven and Earth: Truth, Integrity, and Relational Disagreement
Posted on April 19, 2023 by Louis Polisson
Student Reflection: Grace Sudry—Pardes Learning Seminar Winter 2023
Posted on February 13, 2023 by Grace Sudry
Overcoming Yad Mitzrayim and Recognizing the Power of Hashem
Posted on February 4, 2023 by Carole Daman
Posted on January 31, 2023 by Jonathon Adler
Jonathon Adler Winter 2023 PLS Participant On my winter vacation, I took a trip to the Holy Land. I spent an incredibly wonderful week learning at the Pardes Institute, a truly special institute of higher learning, with professors from multiple traditions within Judaism, including Orthodox rabbis who are women, which was a truly pleasant surprise. Continue Reading »
Posted on January 25, 2023 by Matthew Filderman
In reflection to his experiences on the Pardes Jewish Heritage Journey to Poland guided by Pardes Dean Emeritus David Bernstein. My name is Matthew Filderman. I am a proud Reform Jew from Memphis, Tennessee. I graduated from the University of Alabama in 2017 and am currently studying in The Year Program at The Pardes Institute of Jewish Continue Reading »
Posted on January 25, 2023 by Kim and Neal Holtzman
Kim and Neal Holtzman Winter 2023 PLS Participants Learning at Pardes has been on our bucket list for many years. We have a very dear friend who studied at Pardes for two years and spoke often and fondly of the learning and knowledge she had acquired there. We had never taken the opportunity for any Continue Reading »
Posted on January 25, 2023 by Rabbi Peter Stein
Rabbi Peter W. Stein Winter 2023 PLS Participant I serve as the senior rabbi of Temple B’rith Kodesh in Rochester, NY. At the end of December, I came to Israel to begin a two month sabbatical. I was blessed to spend the first week of my time here as a participant in the intensive Pardes Continue Reading »
Posted on January 17, 2023 by Yitzi Gittelsohn
In reflection to his experiences on the Pardes Jewish Heritage Journey to Poland guided by Pardes Dean Emeritus David Bernstein. Day 2 – Rocks of Treblinka The rocks were really heavy: They must have been really heavy to move, All those rocks, Together, For the monument. The lives must have been even heavier, They must Continue Reading »
Posted on October 23, 2022 by Carole Daman
Today is the 16th Yahrzeit of my wonderful husband, Dr. Harlan Daman, Tsvi Hirsh ben Dovid Aryeh. He died during the week after Simchat Torah so the last Torah portion he heard was the first account of Creation. He did not get to hear the rest of Parshat Bereshit. R. Nachman Cohen has observed that Continue Reading »
Posted on September 23, 2022 by Gila Gwen Sack (Year '87-'88)
From the Fast of the 17th of Tammuz until Hoshana Rabbah, the Jewish calendar is filled with emotion. First, there is the period of national introspection leading up to Tisha B’Av. Then from Rosh Chodesh Elul until Hoshana Rabbah, there are some 50 days of personal introspection and, hopefully, personal growth. As a single Jewish Continue Reading »
Posted on July 2, 2022 by David Gutbezahl
I first want to thank the community for inviting our group from Pardes to learn with you this week in Warsaw. We will be having classes on Sunday at the Polin Museum and all are invited to join us. When I began to prepare this d’var I intended, of course, to use material from the Continue Reading »
Posted on April 27, 2022 by Jack Snyder
It was a typical Tuesday morning in my middle school history classroom, and I was ready with my class plans and coffee, anticipating the day’s lesson. The students’ task for the day was to try and define “religion.” Simple, huh? The classroom environment was teeming with thoughts brought from home, synagogue, and past years at Continue Reading »
Posted on April 7, 2022 by Carole Daman
The focus of this Dvar Torah is the maftir for Shabbat Hachodesh. The maftir, referred to as Parashat Hachodesh, consists of the first 20 verses of Chapter 12 of Shmot. Not only does it relate to Pesach, but it mentions both my and my son Avi’s Hebrew birthdays, the 10th (on an actual Shabbos Hagadol Continue Reading »
