Musings from Students of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem
Posted on January 17, 2018 by Barry Rosekind
Our second day brought out a lot of conflicting thoughts and tensions. There were parts of me that was hesitant to come to Poland. I thought why should I come visit a place where so many Jews were killed and we weren’t loved by a lot of our neighbors. We visited a shtetl named Tikocyn, Continue Reading »
Posted on January 15, 2018 by Danielle Plung
Yiddish writer Israel Joshua Singer (older brother of noble laurate Isaac Bashevis Singer), entitled his 1946 memoir—published posthumously after his death in 1944 and detailing his life in Poland before emigrating to America—Of a World that is No More. Obviously, this title evokes melancholy, and draws attention to the tremendous loss that took place during Continue Reading »
Posted on January 28, 2015 by Nate Goldman
From our trip to Poland, we definitely had our share of sad sights. Through the five days of our tour of the country we visited countless ghettos, camps, and graves. The stories about life as a Jew during the Shoah were tragic and horrifying. Other stories, like the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, seemed heroic. Seeing Schindler’s Continue Reading »
Posted on January 19, 2015 by Samantha Vinokor
Under the night sky, lit only by stars, we return. None of us have been here before, to this town trapped in time, and yet our presence here is a return. We come as a memory of what once was, confronting the sky, the trees, and the houses with each footstep. On a footpath in Continue Reading »
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 »
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 »
Posted on April 23, 2012 by Laura H.
Being in Israel has taught me how to prepare. No, not how to properly pack bags, or take provisions for a hike – both of which are useful skills in this country, but how to prepare mentally. I noticed this immediately when I arrived. Pardes began as the month of Elul started, a time when Continue Reading »
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 »
Posted on March 29, 2012 by Lauren Schuchart
(The fifth in a series of 5 posts detailing my heritage trip to Poland… originally posted on my blog) ___________________ Righteous Among the Nations “Whoever saves one life, saves the entire world”- Talmud In a world where morality no longer existed, where any action could lead to one’s death, there were people who stood out Continue Reading »
Posted on March 29, 2012 by Lauren Schuchart
(The fourth in a series of 5 posts detailing my heritage trip to Poland… originally posted on my blog) ___________________ Belzec “Earth do not cover my blood / Let there be no resting place for my outcry” (Job 16:18) When many people think of concentration camps, they think of Auschwitz. Why? Because many of Continue Reading »
