Musings from Students of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem
Posted on September 7, 2014 by Suzanne Hutt
The first thing you should know is that I live in a cistern. A cistern that has been converted into a multi-level, modern apartment, but a cistern nonetheless. Sometimes I sit on the couch and gaze up at the skylight, musing to myself that not so long ago, this whole thing would have been filled Continue Reading »
Posted on August 24, 2013 by Naomi Bilmes
From my blog: It was only 31 hours without sleep. Not so bad, really. It began at 6:35 am on Tuesday, with a train ride from Hartford to Newark. It continued with three hours of waiting at Newark Liberty airport, most of which occurred in an oddly deserted section of the terminal. ELAL flight 028 Continue Reading »
Posted on May 28, 2013 by Yisrael Ben Avraham
I’ll be a Pardes alum in the next couple weeks and possibly a second year student. I thought I’d write a list of random things for new and returning students to make their lives in Israel easier and enjoyable. These are in no particular order, but I cannot emphasis enough how much Ulpan Morasha chews Continue Reading »
Posted on January 27, 2013 by Naomi Bilmes
From my blog: It appears that I may have two souls. My first soul isn’t sure how it feels about this. Previously, it was always the center of attention, benefiting from activities that are “good for the soul” – like yoga, baking and writing (note that I said soul, not souls). Now, however, it appears that Continue Reading »
Posted on September 23, 2011 by Derek Kwait
(X-posted to my home blog Yinzer in Yerushalayim.) I think it would be fair to call this my first “normal” week in Israel. For starters, I moved in to my apartment Sunday after class, which means I finally have a big quiet (for Jerusalem) room with fast, reliable Internet all to myself, am living with Continue Reading »
Posted on July 18, 2011 by Daniel Weinreb
5. The entryway symbolizes the transition from the mundane to the sacred Entrances are a big part of life in Israel as much as liminal states that a person moves through from one part of his life to another. The liminality begins when you duck your head to board the El Al plane unless you happen to Continue Reading »
Posted on June 29, 2011 by Daniel Weinreb
2. The fountain on the Shrine’s dome – a symbol of purity and life. Without question, the living standard is lower here. “Ahhh,” you say, “who sets the standards and what, or whom – do those standards serve?” A very good question! I could say the standard by which Israel would be ranked lower serves the interest of Continue Reading »
Posted on November 1, 2009 by David Bogomolny
Some weeks ago, I bought myself a pair of house slippers because my roommate & I had agreed not to wear shoes inside our apartment. My decision was mostly based upon my preference for wearing shoes while davening (praying) at home (traditional Jewish law requires footwear during prayer), but I also thought it would be Continue Reading »
Posted on October 27, 2009 by Naomi Adland
Since this is one of the first posts on These and Those, I thought I’d take a minute to introduce the blog, and let you all know what we want this blog to be. Pardes is an amazing place to spend time – whether it’s for a few weeks in the summer, a semester, a Continue Reading »