These and Those

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

Tag Archives: Israel

My Documentary: Finding Israel

Posted on May 13, 2012 by Joseph Shamash

When I‘m not busy studying Torah at Pardes, this is what I‘m working on! Check out the website for our documentary project, and check out our promotional video:

Debate: Peter Beinart v. Daniel Gordis

Posted on May 8, 2012 by The Director of Digital Media

For those who may not have seen this yet, this debate is absolutely worth watching:

Yom HaZikaron

Posted on May 3, 2012 by Barer

Last week, I attended MASA’s Yom HaZikaron ceremony (טקס) with some other Pardesniks.  It had been six years since I had commemorated Israel’s two Memorial Days — for fallen soldiers and victims of terror since the founding of Israel and Holocaust Remembrance Day — in Israel, when I was a participant on March of the Continue Reading »

Help us pursue Justice in honor of Yom Ha’atzmaut

Posted on April 24, 2012 by aliza

We are a group of international students living in Jerusalem deeply disturbed by the racism that has recently manifested itself in a series of violent incidents involving the Beitar Jerusalem soccer fans. On March 19, hundreds of Beitar fans stormed the Malha mall in Jerusalem, violently assaulting Arab workers while chanting racist slogans including “Death Continue Reading »

The Disability Community in Israel

Posted on April 3, 2012 by J. Belasco

Most people who know me know that I am active in the field of disability rights.  While it has taken me a while to connect to a disability community here in Jerusalem, I have recently begun to do so through the Jerusalem Center for Independent Living (מרכז לחיים עצמאיים), which is located in a decently-sized, Continue Reading »

Big Questions

Posted on March 28, 2012 by Jackie F.

I wrote this upon exploring the Israeli narrative with Perspectives Israel: I made aliyah 2.5 years ago. Someday (G-d willing) I will be a mom – a mom to sabras. It will be my turn to directly shape the next generation of Israel. What will I say when they ask about the Separation Barrier? What Continue Reading »

Innocent Until Proven Amalek

Posted on February 28, 2012 by Barer

To the consternation of many around the world, there has been heightened tension around talk of some sort of war starting between Israel/US and Iran.  With Parshat Zachor only a few days from being read in shuls (synagogues) around the world, it would behoove all of us to consider what kind of relationship we wish Continue Reading »

Pardes in Poland-Auschwitz-Birkenau

Posted on February 21, 2012 by Leah Stern

This was it. This was the part of the trip that I had most been afraid of. I had always been afraid of visiting this place, it was part of the reason I had delayed going to Poland until now. The name that is engraved on the heart of every Jew: Auschwitz. I have always Continue Reading »

Protesting

Posted on February 8, 2012 by Barer

On Sunday (which is not the weekend here) I attended the protest written about and filmed here (you can see me in the background).  As the first real protest I have ever attended, I think what I found most striking was that it was not in a country in which I have citizenship.  In some Continue Reading »

[Alumni Guest Post] Serving Up Justice in Jerusalem

Posted on January 30, 2012 by The Director of Digital Media

by Ruhi Sophia Motzkin Rubenstein I had been studying at the Pardes Institute for a few months last year when I heard a presentation by Dyonna Ginsburg, then director of a small amuta called Bema’aglei Tzedek . She described the situation of the working poor, and particularly contract workers in Israel, the gap between the Continue Reading »