These and Those

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

Tag Archives: appreciation / gratitude

[PCJE Graduation] Learn Torah, Learn Torah, Learn Torah, Learn Torah…

Posted on June 6, 2014 by AdAm Mayer

My PCJE graduation speech: Thank you to all of my most amazing and wonderful peers and colleagues. You all have inspired me and taught me so much! Thank you to Judy, Gail, and all the incredible and supportive faculty, mentors and teachers at Pardes! You are true enablers! And Thank you to my wife Chana Continue Reading »

[PCJE Graduation] Bursting in Song

Posted on June 5, 2014 by Laura Marder

My PCJE graduation speech: How do you take a moment to realize that you “made it” and include others with you in your joy? When I first arrived here at Pardes to embark on this journey I was terrified. Completely unsure if I would make it to the other side. Then something switched inside of Continue Reading »

Bittuling out the bittul?

Posted on June 1, 2014 by Sam Stern

From my blog: These past couple of weeks have been full of “reflection time.” Teachers want to meet to discuss how the year went, administration wants you filling out evaluation forms to express your feelings, and every single student seems to have stopped mid-sentence and screamed out, “In 2 weeks, I’ll be in America.” It’s Continue Reading »

Blowtorch to my Soul

Posted on May 30, 2014 by Eva Neuhaus

Here are some reflections that I shared at the final community lunch of the year: “libun” is the process of making something kosher by heating it to a high temperature. “libun” means “to whiten” and refers to heating metal until it grows white; it also means “to purify.” studying talmud this year was like taking Continue Reading »

[PCJE Dvar Torah] The Chosen Blessings

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 »

[Alumni Guest Post] Back to the Temple

Posted on April 28, 2014 by Gabby Goodman

Written by Gabby Goodman (Year ’13) As I got ready to lead the Seder for the first time for my family in New York City this year, I remembered last year when I was at Pardes, when I wondered at the fact that I would be sitting at a Seder table in Jerusalem and saying Continue Reading »

New tunes amisdt the old

Posted on April 6, 2014 by Alanna Kleinman

From my blog: A few nights ago I went to a music and light festival in the old city. Earlier that day, I signed a contract for my job next year- working with Jewish communities in the South, based in Jackson Mississippi. I’ve become aware of what little time I have left in Israel, and Continue Reading »

It’s So Hard To Say Goodbye

Posted on April 4, 2014 by Aliza Geller

There is a good chance that I won’t be returning to Pardes after Passover. So, during community lunch yesterday, I said a few words, an option given to anyone who wants to reflect on their experience at Pardes. Here is what I said: Roughly two hours ago I walked into the Beit Midrash to return Continue Reading »

One month was not long enough

Posted on April 2, 2014 by Ilana Arje-Goldenthal

When I received my acceptance letter from Tel Aviv University (TAU) Law School to do a semester of exchange, I was surprised that the semester only began on February 16th. I calculated the time between completing the fall semester in Toronto and beginning the winter semester at TAU, and realized that I would have over Continue Reading »

Judy visits JDS

Posted on March 26, 2014 by Andrea Wiese

From my blog: I was lucky that my faculty check in during student teaching landed right in the middle of my student teaching. It is really easy to get overwhelmed (especially as a second year, in my case third) with teaching, but also interviewing and juggling life. Not only was Judy a great observer and Continue Reading »