Musings from Students of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem
Posted on October 11, 2015 by Elana Weiner
There once was a school called Pardes. In fact, Pardes was a Yeshiva and it was located on the Moon. The students at Pardes were very learned, for they studied long hours in their Beit Midrash. Their Beit Midrash had all the books they could ever need to learn about Judaism. And they learned Torah Continue Reading »
Posted on September 7, 2014 by Suzanne Hutt
The first thing you should know is that I live in a cistern. A cistern that has been converted into a multi-level, modern apartment, but a cistern nonetheless. Sometimes I sit on the couch and gaze up at the skylight, musing to myself that not so long ago, this whole thing would have been filled Continue Reading »
Posted on July 31, 2014 by Janu Mendel
I could seriously fill an entire book about the experiences that led me to Pardes, but don’t worry — for the sake of short attention spans (it’s okay, I have one too) — I’ll keep it brief. So long story short, I grew up in this little bubble outside of the United States. I never had Continue Reading »
Posted on July 29, 2014 by Jamie Bornstein
“Zvi ruined my life.” That was the common refrain heard in the hallways of Pardes at the conclusion of Rabbi Zvi Wolff’s class in 2005. Said with a shake of the head and a smile, we uttered these ironic words with love. We even considered making t-shirts. For several hours every week the brilliant Rabbi Continue Reading »
Posted on July 28, 2014 by Joanne Pollack-Reed
It was a gigantic leap of faith to apply and attend Pardes this summer. Forefront in my mind was if I, a 51 yr old – out of school forever- mom would be able to keep up. Would I be that student that clearly did not belong? My fears were put firmly to rest at Continue Reading »
Posted on July 26, 2014 by Dara Rosenblatt
From my blog, written before Shabbat: As I enter my last Shabbat in Jerusalem before returning back to the United States on Monday, I find myself thinking and reflecting on the past two months in my life. It was with great intention that I chose to come to Israel this summer, for personal, spiritual, and Continue Reading »
Posted on July 14, 2014 by Dara Rosenblatt
From my blog: While living in Tel Aviv last month I had the luxury of spending my time at ulpan (intensive Hebrew study), for four days a week, four hours a day. In June, I relaxed, studied my Hebrew, went to the beach, frequented some amazing cafes, and generally just enjoyed my vacation and the Continue Reading »
Posted on July 4, 2014 by Leah Lesch
From my blog: The closing dinner for the Pardes Executive Seminar was held last night at the picturesque Khan Theater and it was not surprisingly a fitting close to a remarkable week. I’m sad that my time here has come to an end; but in some ways it feels like a beginning. I have amassed Continue Reading »
Posted on June 29, 2014 by Leah Lesch
From my blog: It’s 95 degrees in Jerusalem. And it’s supposed to be hot all week. In Hebrew this is called a Hamsin (heatwave) and you pronounce the H with the Israeli CH in your throat so that it comes our of your mouth sounding all hot and bothered. For those of you who have never been to Jerusalem, this is unusual as well Continue Reading »
Posted on June 10, 2014 by Tani Cohen-Fraade
My PCJE graduation speech: I would like to speak for a few minutes about the Bet Midrash here at Pardes, the room in which we are now gathered. Over at least the last two years, we have spent countless hours every week studying texts and discussing them with our hevrutot and teachers. For many of Continue Reading »
