These and Those

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

Tag Archives: death camps and concentration camps

[PCJE Dvar Torah] Emulating my Grandparents

Posted on April 24, 2014 by Ariel Eliach Forman

This week’s Parsha, Parshat Kedoshim uses the literary device of an “inclusio”. It starts and ends with the same line. דַּבֵּר אֶל-כָּל-עֲדַת בְּנֵי-יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאָמַרְתָּ אֲלֵהֶם–קְדֹשִׁים תִּהְיוּ: כִּי קָדוֹשׁ, אֲנִי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם.   and ends with: וִהְיִיתֶם לִי קְדֹשִׁים, כִּי קָדוֹשׁ אֲנִי יְהוָה;   In the middle, the parsha talks about all the ways and laws Continue Reading »

Flowers of Bread

Posted on March 20, 2014 by David Bogomolny

I recently searched for & found these online instructions for making flowers out of old bread. This would be a fun art project – it’s not so complicated: Spread the slices of bread on a tray Crush the bread to form fine crumbs Add in white glue (and paint) to the breadcrumbs Start making the Continue Reading »

Only in Israel, Sukkot 5774 edition

Posted on September 23, 2013 by Jeff Amshalem

This Shabbat we were at lunch in the sukkah of a friend, Shmulik, whose life story reads like Israel’s. Both his parents were survivors of Auschwitz. After two years in a DP camp they tried to come to Eretz Israel on the famous SS Exodus 1947. They were stopped by the British and sent back Continue Reading »

A Heavy Responsibility

Posted on April 25, 2013 by Andrea Wiese

From my blog: This is my fourth summer working for NFTY in Israel. The past three summers I have been in charge of my group and logistics, but this summer I am also going to be the tour guide. I have been in a course for the past few months going around Israel to learn Continue Reading »

[PCJE Dvar Torah] God Cries Along – by Aviva Golbert

Posted on April 4, 2013 by The Director of Digital Media

It is usually considered good practice to connect one’s Dvar Torah about the Parshah to some current event or to an upcoming holiday. As such, I want to find some segue between this week’s Torah portion – Parshat Shemini – and Yom HaShoah – Holocaust Remembrance Day, which will be commemorated in Israel next Monday. Continue Reading »

[Student Profile] Hannah Grossman

Posted on March 15, 2013 by Derek Kwait

Hannah Grossman is an explorer. Her Jewish journey has taken her from the farthest ends of the earth to the deepest corners of her psyche. Yet the further she has traveled from her native New Jersey, the closer she has come to finally finding her Jewish home. Hannah grew up in West Orange, NJ to Continue Reading »

[Take 5] My Poland Trip in Perspective

Posted on October 11, 2012 by Lauren Schuchart

This past Sunday night was Simchat Torah. I spent the evening in the Pardes beit midrash, dancing and singing, along with many of you. The energy in the room was palpable, and filled me up with a feeling of pure joy. I experienced a particularly moving moment when the singing shifted to “Am Yisrael Chai: Continue Reading »

Symbolism: Reflections on my Pardes Poland Trip

Posted on September 8, 2012 by Leah Kahn

In looking back at our Poland Heritage Trip in January, it’s quite difficult to fathom just how much we witnessed in 5 short days. We began with the colorful tapestry of Jewish life that existed in Warsaw and Lublin, which was hardly a foreshadowing of what was to come. We tapped into the spirituality of Continue Reading »

2012 Poland Trip: A Journal Entry from January 17, 2012

Posted on April 22, 2012 by Laura H.

There is a great deal of contrast in the types of graves we are seeing in Poland. Today, we went to Belsec, where even in the mid-1990s, there were still bones visible on the earth. The memorial there is cut into the shallow hill of the camps – into the mass grave. We spoke about Continue Reading »

2012 Poland Trip: A Journal Entry from January 16, 2012

Posted on April 21, 2012 by Laura H.

Today we went to Majdanek. I walked around the camp thinking a lot about why I came back to Poland. I had a hard time focusing on what was around me and found myself intellectualizing, rather than feeling things. I pictured much of the imagery from Survival in Auschwitz to try to visualize camp life. Continue Reading »