These and Those

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

Tag Archives: Encounter Programs

[Alumni Guest Post] Political Activist Turned Mikveh Lady

Posted on August 27, 2014 by Ilana Sumka

Cross-posted from Ilana Sumka’s (Year ’05, Fellows ‘6) blog post on the Mayyim Hayyim blog: I’m a political activist by training, so I was as surprised as anyone to find myself teaching Tanakh, (Torah, Prophets and Writings) and Jewish law to a group of conversion students. A few weeks ago I had the profound honor of witnessing my students Continue Reading »

It All Started With the Priest on the Plane

Posted on May 4, 2014 by Sarah Pollack

From my blog on Thursday: It was about three weeks ago that my mom was flying to visit me in Israel. Another blog about that to follow, hopefully soon. She flew from Miami to Tel Aviv, through Rome. She highly recommends this flight because you get to Rome in the morning, have breakfast, fly to Continue Reading »

My Trip to Germany

Posted on February 28, 2014 by Benjamin Friedman

“Without a profound simplification the world around us would be an infinite, undefined tangle that would defy our ability to orient ourselves and decide upon our actions…. We are compelled to reduce the knowable to a schema.” -Primo Levi The above quotation by Holocaust survivor Primo Levi says something profound yet simple about human nature Continue Reading »

Am I Any Different?

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 »

Two Days in Bethlehem

Posted on January 3, 2014 by Alanna Kleinman

From my blog: One week ago I spent two days in Bethlehem with a group of 15 American Jews, on a trip run by Encounter (http://www.encounterprograms.org/). Immediately after the trip, I knew I had to write about it. I won’t pretend that I can accurately convey my experience in words, or share everything with you. Continue Reading »

Being a Witness to Something I Saw

Posted on January 3, 2014 by Sarah Pollack

From my blog: Last week, specifically the day after Christmas, I went to Bethlehem. I spent two days in Bethlehem with 15 other participants on a program called Encounter. When I saw the dates of the upcoming trip, I was eager to participate in the cross-cultural exchange, but also eager to venture into Bethlehem, the site Continue Reading »

I Encountered Myself

Posted on January 2, 2014 by Sarah Pollack

From my blog: Standing in Bethlehem, in a circle of Americans, Israelis, Palestinians, Muslims, Christians and Jews, we played a game. The rules of the game were simple. One, listen for the statement to be read in English and Arabic. Two, step into the circle if the statement applies to you. I AM A PERSON Continue Reading »

Dancing with the Enemy

Posted on May 27, 2013 by Joseph Shamash

On my second Encounter trip, as we listened to various Palestinian speakers share their personal stories in a conference room in a Bethlehem hotel, I decided to take a stretch in the back of the room. At that point in the day, we had already listened to a number of speakers and I remember thinking Continue Reading »

Wall Museum in Bethlehem

Posted on May 20, 2013 by Kayla Higgins

During my December Encounter trip to Bethlehem we had a short tour of the Wall as it looks facing the city. I heard from previous trip participants that the graffiti on the Wall is constantly changing, with pictures large and small, and messages written in various languages. One of the newer additions to the wall Continue Reading »

Enlisting the Torah: My Encounter Trip Reflection

Posted on May 20, 2013 by Kayla Higgins

Our bus returned to Jerusalem an hour before Shabbat candle-lighting time. I quickly biked home to shower and light the candles before heading out to my friend’s place for dinner. It was only at twilight, while walking along the Rakevet (the old railroad tracks that cut across the south Jerusalem) and reading from a commentary Continue Reading »