Musings from Students of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem
Posted on December 1, 2019 by Alissa Platcow
This article is by current PEEP (’19-’20) student Alissa Platcow. This was originally written after the holidays, and serves as a Fall semester reflection. WUSHHH! The wind whistled through the trees outside as we perched peering out the window into the storm watching the sukkah my family had lovingly built up from the ground, the Continue Reading »
Posted on November 20, 2019 by Bruce Spierer
I often struggle with accepting Rabbinic interpretations and authority to define halacha and therefore how Judaism has been practiced for two thousand years. In the past, I’ve felt that if I can’t accept the Rabbinic narrative as an absolute, transcendent truth, then I cannot completely immerse myself in Judaism. For most of my life, doubting Continue Reading »
Posted on November 20, 2019 by Isaac Brosilow
Our day began with a speaker from B’tselem, an Israeli organization that documents human rights abuses in the West Bank. Sweat stains gathered around the speaker’s armpits and across his stomach. He communicated information without emotion. I struggled to connect with facts that I have heard so many times before. I recalled the first time Continue Reading »
Posted on February 27, 2018 by Alex Ronay
Hope Enough Took a trip down south— Not so far, but far enough. Tzion drove the bus— Not so fast, but fast enough. Saw a monument to the fighting farmers— Not so true, but true enough. Walked through farmland, wildflowers— Not so wild, but wild enough. Slept in a Kibbutz, played “Potato Pirates”— Not so Continue Reading »
Posted on January 28, 2018 by Simon Montagu
Dvar Torah in memory of Gwen Montagu I’d like to thank Pardes for giving me the opportunity to give a Dvar Torah in memory of my mother Gwen Montagu, נעמי בת שרה, whose Yahrtzeit is this Thursday, the 9th of Shevat. As my second semester studying here begins, I want to share some of my Continue Reading »
Posted on June 25, 2017 by Eliana Phansapurkar
To be a Bat Mitzvah in Jerusalem, for an Indian woman in her 20s felt like a dream as women are not obliged to do so in my traditional Bene Israeli Community. I always wanted to read from the Torah and have a Bat Mitzvah ceremony. For nine months at Pardes I prepared to chant Continue Reading »
Posted on June 20, 2017 by Mira Niculescu
At Pardes, we have a great tradition. It’s called “Take Five”: A few months into the program, right before community lunch on Thursday, we all gather in the Beit Midrash to hear a student share five minutes of Torah. I love this practice. For the listeners, it’s a beautiful way to gain insight into other Continue Reading »
Posted on June 7, 2017 by Adam Gillman
The streets are packed, people of all ages are walking in all directions. I make way from Dean Bernstein’s home to Pardes awestruck at the energy and uplifting vibes of this Jerusalem night. On my stroll towards Pardes, I am told that Shavuot is one of the three nights of the year when children are Continue Reading »
Posted on June 5, 2017 by Leah Beck
Four nights ago, after a delicious dinner with some old friends, new friends, and people I had just met, I walked to school. It was already close to 23:30, and while I am often in the Beit Midrash at Pardes late to study on my own, never before had I seen my school so packed Continue Reading »
Posted on June 4, 2017 by Celeste Aronoff
This article was originally published in The Times of Israel. I planned to go to Israel for two months. I ended up staying for three years. Because Israel can do that to you so easily. She flirts with you a little, seduces you a little, and before you know it, you’re in love with Israel Continue Reading »
