Musings from Students of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem
Posted on June 23, 2013 by Naomi Bilmes
From my blog: I am fascinated by the creation story. No, not the one about monkeys. The other one – the one in which Adam and Eve inherit the wind and disinherit the garden. The story is one of beauty and tragedy. The story sets into motion the human concepts of good, evil, man, woman, Continue Reading »
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 »
Posted on May 21, 2013 by The Director of Digital Media
Tamara Frankel (PEP ’09-’11) is in her second year of teaching at Chicagoland Jewish High School. It’s one of the first sunny days in Chicago this spring and my students beg me to take them outside for class. We negotiate and decide to review our homework in class, on the board, and then go outside Continue Reading »
Posted on May 8, 2013 by Annie Matan Gilbert
From my blog: This piece was an assignment for the Hartman Rabbinical Students Seminar. We were asked to choose one poem or song that we studied and one other piece of text that we studied, share a line or a paragraph from each and a reflection on it. Ever the overachiever, I ended up weaving Continue Reading »
Posted on May 4, 2013 by Laurie Franklin
Don’t count me out. I’m not young. In fact, I am rightfully considered to be among the elders of our community. But I didn’t grow up in yeshivish Judaism, and my knowledge, is how shall we say… Limited by the circumstances of my origin. I’m acutely aware of it here, in Jerusalem, at Pardes. Nonetheless, Continue Reading »
Posted on April 28, 2013 by David Bogomolny
I shared the following words at Pardes, wishing my friend Yevgenia and her family chizuk (encouragement, support) and Hashem’s rachamim (mercy). She was born with a congenital heart defect, which has always impacted the quality of her life. Last Sunday, a week ago, I was not entirely surprised to learn that she had been hospitalized. Yevgenia inspires me Continue Reading »
Posted on April 16, 2013 by The Director of Digital Media
Pardes is pleased to present the second episode of our new podcast series by Rabbi Daniel Landes, Unexpected Encounters: The Jewish Holidays and the Other. This episode is on Yom Ha’atzmaut. Episode title: Yom Ha’atzmaut and the Naqba–Is a Jewish Theology of a Palestinian State Possible? Pardes thanks the Alexander Soros Foundation, the sponsor for Continue Reading »
Posted on April 6, 2013 by The Director of Digital Media
R. Joshua Ratner (Pardes Year ’98-’99) is the rabbi of Congregation Kol Ami in Cheshire, CT. Ordained by the Jewish Theological Seminary in May 2012, Rabbi Ratner was a Joseph Neubauer Fellow and also earned a Master’s Degree in Midrash and a Certificate in Pastoral Care. He also worked as an attorney for five years Continue Reading »
Posted on April 2, 2013 by Annie Matan Gilbert
Among the many blessings I have experienced this year is the Ayeka course facilitated by David Bogomolny. I share here some of my favourite take-aways from the course (handily preserved in my writing exercises and reflections.) This module was about bringing God back to the conversation. I felt like it gave me a place to Continue Reading »
Posted on March 22, 2013 by The Director of Digital Media
Amber Ikeman (Year ’12) reflects upon how we can relate to Passover if we don’t believe in the story of the Haggadah: I often find myself questioning (shocker!) whether the stories in the Torah actually happened. Don’t you? I mean, it’s a really nice idea to think that thousands of years ago, maybe before humankind Continue Reading »
