Musings from Students of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem
Posted on March 4, 2019 by Yonatan Rahmani
The Oslo Accords presented an opportunity for the Jewish State that was never fully actualized. The generation of Israeli teens that witnessed the country split among deep rifts in 1993 and 1994 was also the generation that shed tears in 1995. This generation, I learned, is known as the Candle Generation. They witnessed the First Continue Reading »
Posted on February 25, 2019 by Danielle Plung
I love living in Jerusalem, surrounded by my fellow Pardesnikim, all of whom—in addition to being generally lovely people—share my deep commitment to spending our days in the Beit Midrash, translating texts and debating over the latest tractate of Mishna or Talmud, who love to discuss the weekly Torah portion even as they munch on Continue Reading »
Posted on October 11, 2015 by Elana Weiner
There once was a school called Pardes. In fact, Pardes was a Yeshiva and it was located on the Moon. The students at Pardes were very learned, for they studied long hours in their Beit Midrash. Their Beit Midrash had all the books they could ever need to learn about Judaism. And they learned Torah Continue Reading »
Posted on October 15, 2014 by David Gutbezahl
When I arrived at Pardes in 2012, I had already been out of college for two years. I have to admit, during those two years between college and Pardes I was pretty lazy. I spent a few hours teaching at religious schools, and a few hours applying for jobs while living with my parents. It Continue Reading »
Posted on October 8, 2014 by Steve Strauss
In Pirkei Avot, we learn the world rests upon 3 things: Torah, service of G-d, and acts of loving kindness. Here at Pardes, we do an excellent job in studying Torah. We engage with text for hours on end each day, debating with our chevruta and analyzing each word we read. We diligently criticize and Continue Reading »
Posted on September 7, 2014 by Ariella Siegel
From my blog: September already! Time flies when you’re being Jewy, I suppose. What a whirlwind! And I’m exhausted! Last we left off, it was orientation and more orientation and lots more orientation and then shabbat. The contrast between doing, doing, doing and then not doing at all (except actually doing, because Shabbos is a Continue Reading »
Posted on July 14, 2014 by Dara Rosenblatt
From my blog: While living in Tel Aviv last month I had the luxury of spending my time at ulpan (intensive Hebrew study), for four days a week, four hours a day. In June, I relaxed, studied my Hebrew, went to the beach, frequented some amazing cafes, and generally just enjoyed my vacation and the Continue Reading »
Posted on June 10, 2014 by Tani Cohen-Fraade
My PCJE graduation speech: I would like to speak for a few minutes about the Bet Midrash here at Pardes, the room in which we are now gathered. Over at least the last two years, we have spent countless hours every week studying texts and discussing them with our hevrutot and teachers. For many of Continue Reading »
Posted on April 28, 2014 by Rory Sullivan
It took me eight years to get back to Pardes. During a Birthright trip my freshman year of college, we sat in the Beit Midrash, the great big room filled with tables of four chairs each and books lining every wall. We studied a text that I don’t remember. What I do remember is liking Continue Reading »
Posted on March 20, 2014 by Max Einsohn
From the 2014 Purim Shpiel: I mixed the voice of our amazing teacher Levi Cooper, energizing us with a powerful “To the Beit Midrash!!” each day before we enter our Chevruta learning. I just felt like every time he said “To the Beit Midrash!!” that we were going off to fight crime or something… So Continue Reading »
