Musings from Students of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem
Posted on July 13, 2016 by Ma'ayan Dyer
This blog was originally posted on the author’s personal blog, Lost in Jerusalem. In the eternal words of every human being since the beginning of spoken language, life is not fair. It never has been and never will be. Not that we will ever shut up about it. Perhaps I should back-up a bit and Continue Reading »
Posted on June 1, 2016 by Elana Weiner
If I were to be accused of avodah zarah, it would be to name among the mortal world a God of Audre Lorde. Since I first met her words, I have found meaning and comfort in them. One of my favorite quotes of hers aptly describes what I have learned here at Pardes: “Your silence will not protect Continue Reading »
Posted on May 29, 2016 by Maya Zinkow
When I thought about what I could say to encapsulate two years spent in this special place of learning and growth, I thought about the Maya of two years ago, how she might be unsure of where, even, to begin. There was always the parsha to look to, but if she were to close her Continue Reading »
Posted on April 12, 2016 by Becca Shrier
In the Gregorian calendar, a leap year occurs every four years, adding one day to the month of February. In the Jewish calendar, a leap year occurs seven times in a 19-year cycle, creating an “extra” month – Adar Aleph. Occasionally, both leap years sync up – which they did this year, 2016. This poses Continue Reading »
Posted on March 21, 2016 by Rivka Glick
Hi–I’m Rivka from Chicago. Because I’m leaving Pardes in two weeks, I wanted to take this opportunity to thank my teachers, my fellow students, and the Pardes personnel, all who have been my teachers (Joanne taught me how to wrap my head). One of my friends in Chicago said, “education is relationship.” “Yeah,” I said. “A Continue Reading »
Posted on February 20, 2016 by Dan Pelberg
Over the past 18 months I have been living a more religiously Jewish life. At the same time, I have constantly confronted the question of whether or not I am going in the direction of a life that I believe to be true, and that will ultimately make me happy. There has yet to be Continue Reading »
Posted on February 3, 2016 by Nathaniel Jhirad
For my volunteering project at Pardes, I participate in the Adopt-a-Savta program. This means, that for several hours a week, I visit my adopted Israeli Savta (grandmother). A few weeks ago, Savta celebrated her 90th birthday. To paraphrase Savta, it was really others who wanted to celebrate her birthday. The celebrations included a few small Continue Reading »
Posted on December 27, 2015 by Cathy Schechter
There was once a man who was successful in all things. He had a fine wife, a loving family, and a craft for which he was justly famous. But still he was not happy. “I want to know Truth,” he said to his wife. “Then you should seek her,” she replied. So the man put Continue Reading »
Posted on November 16, 2015 by Rachel Cohn
I wrote the following reflection after returning from my second trip with Encounter, an organization that brings Jewish leaders to meet with and hear from Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. The goal of these trips is not to find political solutions or to dispute each other’s narratives, but rather to encounter voices Continue Reading »
Posted on November 14, 2015 by Yaakov Feinberg
After my first month of the Pardes Year-Program, I was on a first-name basis with most of the teachers. Even if I didn’t attend a particular teacher’s shiur, I had either been invited to their house for Rosh Hashanah dinner, or spoken with them during a tiyul, or sat with them at community lunch, so Continue Reading »
