These and Those

Musings from Students of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem

Archive: August 2013

[Pardes from Jerusalem Podcast] Ki Tavo: “How Odd of G-D to Choose the Jews!”

Posted on August 23, 2013 by The Director of Digital Media

David Levin-Kruss discusses parsha Ki Tavo. [Download the Handout] Ki Tavo

The Value of a “Safe Space” Sticker

Posted on August 22, 2013 by Ben Schneider

From: my blog Living in a new place surrounded by new people has given me a new appreciation of how great it is to move past the “coming out” stage with Jewish communities. Coming out with subtlety, in individual conversations, is exhausting, and when I’m around large groups of people who don’t know I’m gay Continue Reading »

Investigation: ‘Leading from Behind’

Posted on August 21, 2013 by David Bogomolny

The Genesis at Brandeis University program where I’ve worked for the past two summers has many moving parts on the participant, staff and faculty levels. The ‘investigation’ component of a residential staff member’s responsibilities is an opportunity for professional development, through which the staff person explores an element of hir work at Genesis (or its Continue Reading »

I’m Totally Semi-Qualified to Handle That!

Posted on August 18, 2013 by Naomi Bilmes

From my blog: Not much has happened this summer. Wait, let me amend that statement: Not much has happened this summer in the personal life of Naomi Bilmes. A good deal, in fact, has happened in the world. There’s the Syrian uprising, the confessions and apologies of New York politicians, the Pope’s near-sainthood, and Egypt’s Continue Reading »

A Look at Teshuva Through Parshat Ki Tetzeh

Posted on August 18, 2013 by Naomi Bilmes

From my blog: In preparation for Elul, returning to Israel, and because Torah is awesome, I presented this d’var Torah at my synagogue tonight during seudat shlishit. I thought some of you might enjoy reading it. Shabbat Ki Tetzeh Seudat Shlishit D’var Torah By Naomi Bilmes Shabbat Shalom. This week’s parsha, Ki Tetzeh, is full Continue Reading »

[Alumni Guest Post] Chalk and Rivers

Posted on August 16, 2013 by Eli Steier

Studying at Pardes was amazing, and I gained much. One of the things I learned from my experiences at Pardes is how to be more comfortable with not knowing the answer, to not be so worried about getting life wrong. Let me explain, and lay my position on the table. I do believe there is Continue Reading »

[Alumni Guest Post] The Times of Yisrael, Episode 2

Posted on August 16, 2013 by The Director of Digital Media

Yisrael Campbell’s (Year ’01, Fellows ’02) 2nd episode of theTimes of Yisrael!

[Alumni Guest Post] Pardes Summer Program 2013

Posted on August 15, 2013 by Talia Kern

Here is the poem I read at the closing lunch for the ’13 summer program: We started Pardes on the eighth of July Little did we know, that time would fly At our opening circle, there are so many names “Come hear about the classes,” Alex exclaims. Nechama, Tzvi, Yaffa, Reuven, who should we choose? Continue Reading »

[Alumni Guest Post] Our Charge to Give

Posted on August 15, 2013 by The Director of Digital Media

Becca Bubis (PEP 2009-11) is starting her third year of teaching in the upper school at Tarbut v’Torah, in Orange County, CA. Twelve years ago I shuddered at the thought of standing on the bimah and delivering an address on Parashat Ki Tavo to two hundred and fifty people about a topic with which they Continue Reading »

[Alumni Guest Post] The Natural History of Nachas

Posted on August 14, 2013 by Falynn Schmidt

From my blog: Does any other language have a word for the particular pride we feel when someone we love does something great? I am not sure, but perhaps this is specific to the Jewish people and their languages of Yiddish and Hebrew. Nachas. It is exactly that: a word that describes in two syllables the almost Continue Reading »