Musings from Students of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem
Posted on January 18, 2011 by David Bogomolny
Ronit Rapoport (Fall ’10) first found herself at Pardes when she was sixteen years old; she was living in Jerusalem while her parents were studying in the Pardes Summer Program (Summer ’06). Two years later, Ronit returned to Pardes while visiting her sister Sophie who was studying in the Pardes Educators Program (Educators ’09).
In 2008 she began college at SUNY Binghamton, but the allure of Pardes gradually became overwhelming, and she decided to join the Pardes Year Program for the 2010 Fall Semester. Of course, Ronit might provide other reasons for her college hiatus… but we know the truth: Torah study at Pardes is a Rapoport family addiction.
Ronit grew up within walking distance of five synagogues and a lot of shul politics, which she did not particularly appreciate. As such, she felt particularly comfortable with the diversity of Pardes, and she loved the learning – Chumash class with Rav Meir Schweiger was amazing, and Dr. Meesh Hammer-Kossoy’s Social Justice Track opened her eyes to issues in Judaism and Israeli society that she hadn’t reflected upon before.
Of course, Ronit also wanted a taste of Israeli life outside the beit midrash, and she decided to spend the coming Spring Semester working at Kibbutz Sde Eliyahu before she returning to her university studies. In addition to her interests in Torah Study and organic farming, Ronit has also been playing the cello for 15 years, and embroidering since her childhood. Her artistic inclination continues to drive her, and her current embroidery project is a “counted cross-stitch” of a geisha… she has been working on this for more than two years!
We wish Ronit the best at Sde Eliyahu this semester… she’ll be greatly missed, but we’re expecting her back at Pardes in two years anyway – right on schedule.
