Musings from Students of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem
Posted on April 27, 2022 by Jack Snyder
It was a typical Tuesday morning in my middle school history classroom, and I was ready with my class plans and coffee, anticipating the day’s lesson. The students’ task for the day was to try and define “religion.” Simple, huh? The classroom environment was teeming with thoughts brought from home, synagogue, and past years at Continue Reading »
Posted on January 26, 2022 by Bracha Lieberman
This post was written by PLS participant Bracha Lieberman. To learn more about the Pardes Learning Seminar program, which runs during the summer and winter, please visit www.pardes.org.il/seminar. I grew up Modern Orthodox and studied in Orthodox schools through high school. My mother had wanted me to learn about the Jewish people, Jewish values, the Continue Reading »
Posted on January 12, 2022 by Josh Rolnick
I had so many reasons not to apply for the Pardes winter seminar on Cultivating Courage and Resilience. It took place during the holiday break, when my four children were off from school, a time of family and togetherness. Every day for five days, I knew, the seminar would take precious time away from my Continue Reading »
Posted on January 11, 2022 by Jonathan Chamberlin
This blog was written by Jonathan Chamberlin, a current student in the year program at Pardes. Jonathan chose to attend the Poland trip in part to explore his relationship to the Shoah as a Jew by choice. Sunday – Tikocyn As we walk on the path, I am looking for rocks. I left the one Continue Reading »
Posted on October 17, 2021 by Audrey Honig
This was written by Pardes year student Audrey Honig (Summer ’20, Year ’21-’22). Audrey graduated from Kalamazoo College in 2021, where she studied Religion and English. Audrey is passionate about Jewish summer camp, playing the flute, and reading. On one of my favorite stops during the tiyul, we squished together to overlook an ancient market Continue Reading »
Posted on May 10, 2021 by Judy Kupchan
This blog was written by Judy Kupchan. Judy is a recent olah to Israel from Chicago. She is a retired CEO of the Florence Melton School of Adult Jewish Learning and a Jewish educator for more than 40 years in the US. She and her husband Marshall Kupchan are Omer series participants. The Omer series Continue Reading »
Posted on February 9, 2021 by Lexie Botzum
Rabbah was called the uprooter of mountains, while Rav Yosef was called Sinai; Rabbah for his sharp and discerning pilpul, Rav Yosef for the unbelievable expansiveness of his Torah knowledge. Which is preferable as a rosh yeshiva, the gemara on Horayot 14a asks? Sinai. But Rav Yosef deferred to his colleague. We’re told of Rav Continue Reading »
Posted on July 8, 2020 by Rebecca Schisler
This article was written by Rebecca Schisler (Spiritual Retreat ’11, ’14, Year ’19-’20/Arts and Culture Fellow ’20). “In the middle of it all, I asked him if we could just take a ten-minute break”. Over the last several months, I have had the privilege of working with PCJE on a new initiative to integrate mindfulness Continue Reading »
Posted on July 6, 2020 by Brian and Jody Blum
This reflection was written by Brian and Jody Blum. (Photo credit: Debbie Zimelman) Brian Blum is a technology and business journalist. His book TOTALED: The Billion-Dollar Crash of the Startup that Took on Big Auto, Big Oil and the World, is available on Amazon and other online booksellers. brianblum.com Jody Blum, M.S.W. is a geriatric Continue Reading »
Posted on February 21, 2020 by Rebecca Schisler
Rebecca Schisler is a Pardes Year Program Student and the Arts and Culture Fellow. She reflects on what brought her to study this year at Pardes. She delivered this “Take 5” on Thursday, February 20. Pardes has been given permission to publish it. I was invited to speak to kick off recruitment week, which got Continue Reading »
