These and Those

Musings from Students of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem

Archive: October 2012

Sukkot 2.0

Posted on October 16, 2012 by Lauren Schuchart

I have decided that Sukkot is my favorite holiday to celebrate in Israel. Appreciating the simplicity of life. Showing gratitude for our blessings. Being in the great outdoors. Quality time with friends. An offensive amount of food. A reason for my family to say, “a week off from school? come home and get a job!” Continue Reading »

[Take 5] My Poland Trip in Perspective

Posted on October 11, 2012 by Lauren Schuchart

This past Sunday night was Simchat Torah. I spent the evening in the Pardes beit midrash, dancing and singing, along with many of you. The energy in the room was palpable, and filled me up with a feeling of pure joy. I experienced a particularly moving moment when the singing shifted to “Am Yisrael Chai: Continue Reading »

The Distance Between Who We Are and Who We Want to Be

Posted on October 2, 2012 by Lauren Schuchart

(Cross-posted from my blog) The morning before Yom Kippur began, I was on a mission to buy food for the “break fast” (specifically borekas and other assorted fattening pastries). The streets were pretty crowded as it seemed everyone had a last-minute mind like myself. I walked past a woman who was holding a bag full Continue Reading »

Never Forget

Posted on April 30, 2012 by Lauren Schuchart

From my blog: Last week was Yom HaShoah, or Holocaust Remembrance Day. This day had special significance this year because of my recent trip to Poland. I had the honor and privilege of speaking at Pardes on behalf of the group of students who went on the trip. I shared an excerpt from this blog, Continue Reading »

The World is Mud-Luscious and Puddle-Wonderful (!)

Posted on April 11, 2012 by Lauren Schuchart

This was originally posted on my blog: “Go out, go out I beg of you / And taste the beauty of the wild.  Behold the miracle of the earth / With all the wonder of a child.” My school took a trip to the Golan Heights towards the end of March. I’ll let the pictures Continue Reading »

Topsy-Turvy

Posted on April 11, 2012 by Lauren Schuchart

This was originally posted on my blog: What is there to say about the Jewish holiday of Purim? Purim is a joyful, happy, and silly holiday which recounts the saving of the Jews from an impending massacre in the Persian period. In the story of Purim, we see a turnaround of fate, a reversal in Continue Reading »

Poland V

Posted on March 29, 2012 by Lauren Schuchart

(The fifth in a series of 5 posts detailing my heritage trip to Poland… originally posted on my blog) ___________________ Righteous Among the Nations   “Whoever saves one life, saves the entire world”- Talmud In a world where morality no longer existed, where any action could lead to one’s death, there were people who stood out Continue Reading »

Poland IV

Posted on March 29, 2012 by Lauren Schuchart

(The fourth in a series of 5 posts detailing my heritage trip to Poland… originally posted on my blog) ___________________ Belzec “Earth do not cover my blood / Let there be no resting place for my outcry” (Job 16:18)   When many people think of concentration camps, they think of Auschwitz. Why? Because many of Continue Reading »

Poland III

Posted on March 28, 2012 by Lauren Schuchart

(The third in a series of 5 posts detailing my heritage trip to Poland… originally posted on my blog) ___________________ Houses of Life We visited several Jewish cemetaries throughout Poland. In ordinary circumstances, a cemetery would seem like a low point on an itinerary. In Poland, cemeteries were a way to remember and memorialize great lives that were lived. Continue Reading »

Poland II

Posted on March 27, 2012 by Lauren Schuchart

(The second in a series of 5 posts detailing my heritage trip to Poland… originally posted on my blog) ___________________ Gone Now are Those Little Towns “Gone now are those little towns where the shoemaker was a poet, the watchmaker a philosopher, the barber a troubadour…” –Antoni Sionimski, “Elegy for the Jewish Villages” Tykocin