Musings from Students of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem
Posted on March 23, 2018 by Maxim Delchev
We just came back from the Ulus School in Istanbul, where we spent our two days learning together with the high-school students about Pesach. And we decided instead of sharing with you what we taught in the school (we hope that the kids will share that next Friday on their Pesach celebrations at home), all Continue Reading »
Posted on March 23, 2018 by Maxim Delchev
A Rabbi, a medical doctor, a biologist, 12 teenagers and a director of spice trade corporation went together to a dining hall…. And that is not the beginning of a very strange joke. But it was exactly what happened to us in our second day in the Pardes trip to Turkey. While we spent most Continue Reading »
Posted on March 22, 2018 by Nate Swetlitz
Bright and early. Well, it’s not bright yet because it’s too early. But we make it to the airport, and in no time we’re back in the city of sinuous streets, countless spires, and constant noise. Istanbul spans many cultures and two continents. We began our day back in Turkey on the Asian side, visiting Continue Reading »
Posted on February 26, 2018 by Sarah Palmer
After a busy day with the students at Ulus, we all headed back to our billets to get ready for Shabbat. We welcomed in Shabbat with Rabbi Nafi at the Ortaköy synagogue. Rabbi Nafi exploded with the most most exciting energy that inspired us and the community to sing and dance for just about the entirety of Continue Reading »
Posted on February 25, 2018 by Sarah Palmer
Today was an exciting day at the Ulus Jewish School. We davened Shacharit at Alef (the Jewish community center next to the school) and then had six classes full of games, laughter, and song. We met students in the 6th, 7th, and 11th grades who shared some of their upcoming plans for Purim. In the Continue Reading »
Posted on February 23, 2018 by Nate Swetlitz
In Turkey, the time is different than it is in Israel. It’s not just that it’s an hour later here. In Turkey, we have two days in one. After one and a half days of experiencing the city of seven hills (imagine a combination of San Francisco for the streets, LA for the traffic, and Continue Reading »
Posted on February 22, 2018 by Morane Bensoussan
After an eventful day visiting Istanbul’a main synagogues and touring around Buyukada island, popular summer destination among the Turkish Jewish community, we took the last ferry back to the city for an evening at “Aleph”. Aleph is the youth movement affiliated to the high school we will be teaching in tomorrow and on Friday. Thanks Continue Reading »
Posted on February 22, 2018 by Benji Elson
Today, we met with members of the Chief Rabbinate of Turkey. Unfortunately, we were not able to meet with the chief Rabbi himself, the Haham, as planned due to his being ill (he should have a speedy recovery!). But we did get to meet with four important rabbis of the Turkish community. Each of them Continue Reading »
Posted on February 21, 2018 by Gavi Bernat-Kunin Kornsgold
After arriving in Istanbul, our first stop was a synagogue. This seemed so fitting as we had left Israel, a center of Jewish life and Judaism to be in the center of another Jewish community. This synagogue was located on the Asian side of turkey and was over 100 year old. As we entered, we Continue Reading »
Posted on February 20, 2018 by Joshua Hooper
The countdown is almost over as we are about to board our plane to turkey. B”h, everyone made it to the airport with plenty of time to relax, daven, and of course grab any last items from duty free. The feeling of excitement is in the air… See you in Turkey!
