These and Those

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

Tag Archives: Conservative Judaism

Dvar Torah for Shoftim

Posted on August 26, 2012 by Derek Kwait

This week was my last back at my shul Young People’s Synagogue, which last year, raised around $7,000 to send me to Pardes for a year. Yesterday, I delivered this speech to let them know how their investment turned out. So, how have you all been? For those who don’t know, from September through the Continue Reading »

[Student Profile] From 19 to 91

Posted on August 3, 2012 by Vicki Raun

Pardes Summer Program students Annabelle Jaffe, almost 91, and Jacqueline Cohen, almost 19, are decades apart in age and live in different parts of the globe. But they both brought to Pardes lifelong involvement with their local Jewish communities and will leave Pardes with renewed commitments to Jewish life in their hometowns. Annabelle Jaffe is Continue Reading »

[Student Profile] Rob Murstein

Posted on April 12, 2012 by David Bogomolny

Rob Murstein comes from a ‘very liturgical’ family; they attend Shabbat services every Friday evening, Saturday morning, and Saturday afternoon until havdalah. Rob’s father is a regular Torah reader at shul, his brother studied chazzanut with their cantor, and Rob himself read Torah at shul for the first time when he was six years old; and then again at Continue Reading »

[Student Profile] Stu Jacobs

Posted on February 21, 2012 by David Bogomolny

“I’m very adamant about a pluralistic model of Jewish practice.” -Stu Jacobs In 5th grade, a teacher inspired Stu Jacobs to explore and gradually start keeping more mitzvot, and throughout his youth the young man strived to connect to and practice a new mitzvah every single year. His teacher had said that ‘he didn’t have Continue Reading »

[Student Profile] Louis Sachs

Posted on July 2, 2011 by David Bogomolny

Over the course of many consecutive summers as a camper at JCA Shalom in Malibu, Louis learned about Judaism “without realizing” it. He first attended camp as a fifth grader, and returned year after year until the summer after his first year of college (as a camp counselor). “I did USY for six years, and went to Hebrew school through 10th grade, but Continue Reading »

[Student Profile] Brian Stein

Posted on April 21, 2011 by David Bogomolny

Raised in the Squirrel Hill neigborhood of Pittsburgh, Brian’s fascination with Jewish tradition grew through his USY involvement. For the young man, “regional USY Shabbatons were a religious experience in a way that Hebrew school never was.” He experienced traditional Shabbat seudot, and learned about netilat yadayim, lechem mishneh, seudat shlishit, and singing zmirot. As time went on, Brian Continue Reading »

Panel of Rabbinical Students at Pardes

Posted on March 22, 2011 by The Director of Digital Media

Happening RIGHT NOW: Panel of rabbinical students currently studying at Pardes. From Right to Left: Louis Sachs, Conservative, American Jewish University Daniel Shibley, Modern Orthodox, Yeshivat Chovevei Torah Scott Roland, Post-Denominational, Hebrew College Ruhi Rubenstein, Reconstructionist, Reconstructionist Rabbinical College Stefan Tiwy, Reform, Hebrew Union College Heena Reiter, Renewal, ALEPH

[Student Profile] Katie Greenberg

Posted on March 22, 2011 by David Bogomolny

This profile is in honor of Katie Greenberg‘s upcoming wedding to Matan Glazer on March 31st. From all of us at Pardes, we wish Katie and Matan… 🙂 מזל טוב ובהצלחה 🙂     Katie (Summer ’06 & ’07, Year ’09-’10, Fellows ’10-’11) and Matan met at Kibbutz Ketura while Katie was on the Young Judea Year Course, Continue Reading »

[Student Profile] Rabbi Julie K. Gordon

Posted on January 19, 2011 by David Bogomolny

This mother of two enjoys cooking unusual cuisines, going to the movies, reading David Grossman novels, people watching, and listening to others. She’s also a rabbi with 26 years of professional Jewish communal experience, and she’s a student in the Pardes Educators Program. “At Pardes I’ve found a group of people who ask Jewish questions, and Continue Reading »

[Student Profile] Sam Blumberg

Posted on January 2, 2011 by David Bogomolny

Sam had so much to share with his parents last summer, and it was his father’s first time in Israel! He felt steeped in Israeli culture; and his thinking about Jewish and Israel education had evolved after his Mechina (preparatory) year for the Pardes Educators Program (PEP). He wanted to share not only the religious and historical aspects of Israel, Continue Reading »