Musings from Students of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem
Posted on August 9, 2016 by Estella Gabay
Before I got on the plane to Israel, I had many doubts. It wasn’t my first time in Israel, but my purpose was different from my previous visits. I was hesitant this time, overwhelmed. I am from Istanbul. I am Jewish, living in a Muslim community. Am I living a Jewish life? I ask that question to Continue Reading »
Posted on August 7, 2016 by Yuliya Mazur
This blog has been cross-posted from this link. Here at Pardes I like all of my teachers. Otherwise I wouldn’t have taken their classes, right? But a person whose class and relationship with I treasure the most, is definitely Yaffa Epstein. Yaffa is the reason I am coming to Pardes for the second year and Continue Reading »
Posted on July 28, 2016 by Rachel Bikofsky
I was marching with friends, caught up in the music and dancing, and awed by the displays of courage and strength that surged around me. Suddenly, police officers started running by us, and we heard sirens as the crowd hurried to get out of the road so an ambulance could drive through. Within seconds, everyone Continue Reading »
Posted on July 20, 2016 by Dave Benger
I’ve found that every student at Pardes has a unique backstory, and layer upon layer of reasons for what brought them to this place at this time, each story more intriguing than the last. For me, this summer at Pardes could not have come at a better time. This past year brought some radical transformation Continue Reading »
Posted on November 4, 2015 by Melinda Jones
If I told you I was going to study in a Yeshiva or a Seminary – or even that I was going to study Talmud – you would immediately make assumptions about the learning environment. First, it would be divided upon strict gender lines. Then there would be a dress code – at least the women would be Continue Reading »
Posted on July 29, 2015 by Ira Blum
4 Questions, Reflections, Responses and Resolutions from a Period of Immersive learning with the Future Jewish People. (While flying back from Tel Aviv to Philly, I struggled through turbulence in time and space, bearing the weight of collective memorial with the Jewish people, while transitioning back to the work place, following a generative period of Continue Reading »
Posted on July 19, 2015 by Juli Goodman
This post was originally published in www.backpocketeducation.com. This program is inspired by a text I learned in Yaffa Epstein’s course “Without Understanding, How Can I Pray” at the Pardes Institute this summer. I was struck by how detailed the text is with regard to the specific blessing associated with each action, as though a simple Continue Reading »
Posted on July 14, 2015 by Kelly Kossar
The original article was posted in the Reformingjew blog that is written by Kelly Kossar. Kesher Hadash has ruined me for life. I can’t sit through a class, field trip or speaker without over analyzing the way in which material is being presented to me. Am I being told the whole story? What bias does Continue Reading »
Posted on July 14, 2015 by Rachel Opatowsky
There is something about Pardes, genuinely… inspiring. Not only are the teachers animating and knowledgeable, but the material is rich and ever-evolving. We are delving into the text of our ancestors and the books of our people. I became artistically stimulated during one of the sessions of Family Relationships in Genesis with Howard Markose when Continue Reading »
Posted on July 14, 2015 by Yuliya Mazur
Jerusalem is a place I dream about, a place I begin to yearn for as soon as I am back home (?) from it. I had planned my study at Pardes long ago, thanks to Yaffa Epstein; and that’s when I wrote this little verse: Seeing you in my dreams Craving your warm embrace Hoping Continue Reading »
