Musings from Students of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem
Posted on January 27, 2014 by Sarah Pollack
From my blog: I traveled to Bethlehem with my Jewish roommate on a program called Encounter. I also wrote about it here and here. While waiting in line to take pictures in front of the tree, we saw a Palestinian friend that we had met earlier in the day. “Aliya! (name has been changed)” I screamed, “Hey!” She came Continue Reading »
Posted on January 26, 2014 by Hirsch Fishman
Daniel Shibley’s (Year ’11, Fellows ’12, Kollel ’14) post: Day in and day out in the army, somebody somewhere can be overheard delivering these two words. Often they follow a complaint about any number of potential issues or a minor injury. Frankly, there are plenty of opportunities to be on the giving and receiving end Continue Reading »
Posted on January 23, 2014 by Emet Ozar
From our blog: How many times have I been asked “ben o bat?” (boy or girl) in Israel? How many times have I been stopped trying to enter the women’s side of the Kotel? Maybe I should explain first off that I’m genderqueer. I have a female body, but don’t identify with femininity at all. Continue Reading »
Posted on January 23, 2014 by Jessica Baverman
From my blog: As a resident of a country whose primary language isn’t my own and where the health system is very different, I often have challenges when needing to get things done. Seeing a doctor that speaks English is so amazing, you have no idea. We completely take it for granted in the US Continue Reading »
Posted on January 21, 2014 by David Bogomolny
oh no. My plane on the runway at Ben Gurion International Airport, I’d just realized that I’d forgotten my tefilin (phylacteries) in Jerusalem. calm down. you’ll deal with this. think about it — lots of people in the group will have their tefilin with them… My internal voice of reason was reassuring, but I felt Continue Reading »
Posted on December 27, 2013 by Carolyn Gerecht
As Parshat Shemot closes, it’s not looking good for the Israelites. Petitioned by Aharon and Moshe, Pharaoh not only refuses their (botched) request to free the Israelites from slavery – he also adds to their misery by demanding that they now gather the straw that they need themselves while still maintaining the same pace (Shemot Continue Reading »
Posted on December 25, 2013 by Alana Bandos
Together in Paris. That’s what Anastasia’s grandmother says to her before their family is torn apart in the hit animated feature film Anastasia (which is not actually a Disney movie). It’s on the necklace the young girl wears through to adulthood and it helps her reclaim her true identity as heir to the Russian throne. Continue Reading »
Posted on December 18, 2013 by The Director of Digital Media
From my blog: I find it fascinating how quickly our lives can change, often times without us even realizing it. On top of that, how quickly we can change the lives of others, of future generations, surely without them realizing it. It’s a rainy day outside, so you take the bus to work instead of Continue Reading »
Posted on December 8, 2013 by Itay Zaidenberg
Living in Jerusalem, it’s easy to feel like Israel is abundantly observant. But when I get off the 480 at Tel Aviv’s Arlozorov bus station, I’m immediately reminded, it’s not. And if I didn’t take the 480 so many times that I now recognize several of the bus drivers, I don’t think I would have Continue Reading »
Posted on November 25, 2013 by Alanna Kleinman
A recent lunchtime discussion about the ceremony of Brit Shalom caused me to question a tradition I found meaningful and quite honestly, took for granted. Brit Shalom is a naming ceremony for newborn Jewish boys that does not involve circumcision. A family can choose to create their own ceremony, or look to templates that already Continue Reading »
