These and Those

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

Archive: January 2013

Lost (and Found) in Jerusalem

Posted on January 19, 2013 by Ma'ayan Dyer

From my blog: After seven months in the States, living a solitary Jewish lifestyle (meaning, an incredibly hollow one, sans community), day after day of ten hour shifts of packing candy on assembly lines, sitting on my tuchus in a call center selling fruit baskets and truffles to rich elderly folks, and waitressing a few Continue Reading »

Times Like These….

Posted on November 30, 2012 by Ma'ayan Dyer

[Cross-Posted from my blog, Lost in Jerusalem] Dear readers (all three of you), as you can see, it’s been almost four months since I’ve written for my blog. I could blame writer’s block or the typical day to day distractions as the reason behind my silence. For instance, I’ve been getting into Lost, because my Continue Reading »

Losing My Religion

Posted on June 19, 2012 by Ma'ayan Dyer

(X-posted from my blog Lost in Jerusalem: http://lostjlem.blogspot.com/) Two weeks have passed since I said goodbye to Jerusalem and hello to an old familiar foe, Medford, Oregon. The job hunt continues, and the sudden realization of how far away the nearest shul is, a mere ten miles, seems as though it might as well be Continue Reading »

This Isn’t Goodbye, Jerusalem! This is See You Later

Posted on June 8, 2012 by Ma'ayan Dyer

(X-Posted from my blog, Lost in Jerusalem: http://lostjlem.blogspot.com/) Well, I’m no longer lost in Jerusalem, the most interesting, intense and unique place to have the pleasure of being lost in. I’m now lost just somewhere in the vast world. Two full days of travel without sleep, three airplanes, and one jetlagged day later, I have found Continue Reading »

Shavuot: An Inspiration For Converts

Posted on May 28, 2012 by Ma'ayan Dyer

(x-posted from my blog Lost in Jerusalem: http://lostjlem.blogspot.com/) Now that Shavuot has come to an end (well, for those of us in Israel, anyway), the complete cycle of my first year as a Jew has also drawn to a close. I have been fortunate enough to have my first experiences as a Jew with every one Continue Reading »

Are you a Lonely Man or a Social Man?

Posted on May 17, 2012 by Ma'ayan Dyer

As most of my fellow Pardesnicks have probably gathered at this late date in the semester, I’m what one might call “quiet.” It’s not that I don’t speak up in class or won’t engage in conversation (if you strike one up first, of course). Rather, my quietness is an overall demeanor. I’m not a smiley Continue Reading »