Musings from Students of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem
Posted on May 26, 2014 by Tani Cohen-Fraade
From my blog: A question that is a very hot topic right now in Jewish education is about what the role of technology should be in the Jewish classroom. It was once a given that Jewish learning was being done in physical books. Enter the Xerox machine. All of a sudden, we don’t need to Continue Reading »
Posted on May 23, 2014 by Deborah Renert
Every morning when we recite Birchat haTorah we say “Blessed are You, HaShem our G-d, King of the universe, Who has sanctified us with His commandments and has commanded us “la’asok b’divrei Torah.” It has always struck me that this blessing could have utilized clearer wording if it were meant to refer specifically to studying Continue Reading »
Posted on May 23, 2014 by Hannah Joy
From my blog: This past Tuesday night was the Masa Israeli Cultural event at the International Convention Center in Jerusalem. Top Israeli artists of all kinds were brought in for us to hear from, and the night culminated in an incredible performance by the Voca People. I chose to go to the session with Alex Levac, a Continue Reading »
Posted on May 23, 2014 by Alanna Kleinman
I’m leaving Israel today. I hurry to catch my plane, held up before security for sentimental reasons. Rushed goodbyes and confusion. I enter the plane with a crowd full of men in black jackets, fur hats, and peyos. I walk inside to find the aisles crowded full of these men, pushing and shoving, frantically fitting Continue Reading »
Posted on May 21, 2014 by Hannah Joy
From my blog: (I know, I know. I haven’t blogged in months. And my year here will be over in less than three weeks. Unreal.) This past Shabbat was the final Pardes shabbaton. Here are some thoughts I shared at the tisch Friday night. Parshat Bechukotai deals with blessings and curses. It opens with the Continue Reading »
Posted on May 21, 2014 by Suzanne Singer
I wrote this to Swarthmore’s Hillel in hopes that it would engage them in responding to me. I have heard nothing. I expect that some Pardes students may be interested and want to challenge/ agree/ expand my thoughts. In Support of Hillel “Guidelines” Why Swarthmore’s Hillel Should Not Become “Open” On December 8, 2013, Swarthmore’s Continue Reading »
Posted on May 20, 2014 by Lisa Motenko
Originally posted on the Hillel Int’l Blog: This past summer I left Berkeley Hillel, where I was on staff for four amazing years, to head to Israel. I didn’t grow up in Jewish day school, or have extensive experience in Israel – so my time had come to spend a year immersing myself in Jewish text Continue Reading »
Posted on May 18, 2014 by Andrea Wiese
My dvar Torah from the Final 2013-14 Shabbaton: In Leviticus 26:42 (ויקרא כו:מב): וְזָכַרְתִּי, אֶת-בְּרִיתִי יַעֲקוֹב; וְאַף אֶת-בְּרִיתִי יִצְחָק וְאַף אֶת-בְּרִיתִי אַבְרָהָם I will remember the brit of Yakov, even the brit of Yitzchak, and even the brit of Avraham. What I want to focus on here is that the text doesn’t just say Avot… it Continue Reading »
Posted on May 15, 2014 by Laura Marder
What do we have to do in order to get the beautiful blessings that are promised to us in this week’s parsha? Blessings that really take care of us – our whole selves, emotionally and physically. Blessings that have blossoming effects on our shared land and bring food and joy to our tables. It seems Continue Reading »
Posted on May 14, 2014 by Meira Cohen
The place: a little shtieble near my house in New York. The time: the holiday of Simchat Torah. I am accompanying my brother and his two children to hakafot, the joyous circle dancing celebrating our people’s connection to the Torah. As I walk into the women’s section past the sign delineating proper and modest dress Continue Reading »
