These and Those

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

Tag Archives: Hillel

Dear Marla and Ben:

Posted on January 27, 2013 by Laura H.

Dear Marla and Ben: I feel connected to you even though I never knew you. The moment that you were killed was a powerful moment in my own personal narrative relating to Israel. I was scheduled to come to Israel for a semester of high school in the fall of 2002. All summer, I was Continue Reading »

[Student Profile] Ben Gurin & Sydni Adler

Posted on January 21, 2013 by David Bogomolny

Sydni Adler (Year ’13) and Ben Gurin (Year ’13) met during the Summer of ’10 in Washington DC, as participants on the Mechon Kaplan program of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism. Together with their cohort, they took classes on Social Justice and Judaism, and each interned for an NGO; Sydni worked on campaign Continue Reading »

[Student Profile] Mike Backman

Posted on January 1, 2013 by Derek Kwait

When it came to picking out a college and a major, Mike knew he wanted to work with numbers and that he wanted to do something practical. So he searched and weighed the available data: He looked into economics but found it boring. He looked into physics, but thought it just wasn’t for him, then Continue Reading »

Humans Living Today

Posted on December 14, 2012 by Adam L Masser

A classic example in the spirit of channukah–Shammai and Hillel on how to light a menorah. Shammai takes a literal reading, deduces logically that the miracle provided for 8 days of oil and so tells us to start with 8 flames and reduce each night.  Hillel holds the opposite–start with 1 light and add a Continue Reading »

Why I’m Not Making Aliyah

Posted on November 8, 2012 by Derek Kwait

“Oh, so you’ve been here [almost a year/two years]! So are you planning on making aliyah?,” they say, bearing their teeth and gently lifting their eyebrows in anticipation of the upcoming hearty “Mazel tov!” they’re sure to owe me. “No.” “Oh,” this is less an expression than the sound a face makes as it falls. Continue Reading »

[Alumni Guest Post] Intrafaith Engagement

Posted on October 17, 2012 by The Director of Digital Media

by Ben Barer (Fall 2010, Fellows 2011-12) Cross-posted from his blog. “All Jews are friends” I came across this article recently, and the tenor of the article greatly disturbed me.  My friend and fellow Pardes alum did a wonderful job setting the record straight, but I see the underlying problem as requiring more thought as Continue Reading »

Meet the Fellows 5773

Posted on August 24, 2012 by Derek Kwait

Derek Kwait never spent longer than five consecutive weeks outside of his native Pittsburgh area prior to fulfilling his dream of studying at Pardes last year. After attending one year of film school at Point Park University in 2007-8, he transferred to the University of Pittsburgh in fall 2008. He graduated in 2011 with a Continue Reading »

Rodef Shalom course

Posted on April 30, 2012 by Dr. J. Golden

I first learned about this wonderful program through the Pardes newsletter.  I was in Brazil at the time and had already missed the first class, but I immediately wrote to see if it would still be possible for me to join the course.  I also invited my M.A. student, Joshua Barer, to enroll in the Continue Reading »

My two loves: Torah and Theater

Posted on April 24, 2012 by Leah Stern

My life in Israel this year has been amazing. I’ve been so lucky to make new friends, learn new things, and experience everything that is Israel. Most of my day is spent at Pardes, where I’ve had to opportunity to learn with faculty and peers about everything Jewish, from the tefillot in the siddur to Continue Reading »

[Student Profile] Rob Murstein

Posted on April 12, 2012 by David Bogomolny

Rob Murstein comes from a ‘very liturgical’ family; they attend Shabbat services every Friday evening, Saturday morning, and Saturday afternoon until havdalah. Rob’s father is a regular Torah reader at shul, his brother studied chazzanut with their cantor, and Rob himself read Torah at shul for the first time when he was six years old; and then again at Continue Reading »