These and Those

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

Tag Archives: life after Pardes

[Alumni Guest Post] Update from Matt Rissien (Year ’08)

Posted on February 21, 2013 by The Director of Digital Media

Pardes-nicks, I just found out about the student blog, and I think it’s so great!! I took my Junior year off from the University of Kansas, and studied at Pardes in ’07-’08. Being still partially in the college mindset, I don’t know that I took full advantage of everything Pardes had to teach me; though Continue Reading »

[Alumni Guest Post] Friends for a Lifetime by Sarah Levy

Posted on February 20, 2013 by The Director of Digital Media

Sarah Levy (Mechina ’07, PEP ’08-’10) shares a personal reflection about Pardes: A friend of mine once told me that she felt all of her friends fell into one of three categories: Friends for a reason (and once that reason no longer existed, neither did the friendship) Friends for a season (and once that time Continue Reading »

[Alumni Guest Post] Reminder of Home

Posted on February 14, 2013 by The Director of Digital Media

Jessie Gindea (PEP ’10-’12) reflects upon the first Pardes Educators Conference in Baltimore There have been moments throughout my first year teaching amidst the messy lockers, lost homework, and lunch boxes strewn around the hallways, when my experience at Pardes seems like a hundred years ago. I love my job as the Coordinator of Jewish Continue Reading »

[Alumni Guest Post] Ben Freedman — Building Upon my Pardes Experience

Posted on January 23, 2013 by The Director of Digital Media

The semester I spent at Pardes was among the most important periods of personal growth that I’ve ever had. Upon my return to the US, when family or friends would ask about it, I could only create impressions of how I had grown or what I had truly learned. I would say, “imagine six months Continue Reading »

[Alumni Guest Post] Coming Home

Posted on January 2, 2013 by The Director of Digital Media

By Mira B. Shore [Summer ’09 and ’10, Year ’12] It has been 7 months since I was in the Pardes Beit Midrash. 7 months since I walked the streets of Jerusalem, honoring my ancestors and being part of the Jewish story. 7 months since I actively and constantly questioned my religion, my spirituality, and Continue Reading »

Times Like These….

Posted on November 30, 2012 by Ma'ayan Dyer

[Cross-Posted from my blog, Lost in Jerusalem] Dear readers (all three of you), as you can see, it’s been almost four months since I’ve written for my blog. I could blame writer’s block or the typical day to day distractions as the reason behind my silence. For instance, I’ve been getting into Lost, because my 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 »

[Alumni Post] Just Send Me Back To Pardes

Posted on September 9, 2012 by The Director of Digital Media

by Andrew Lustig, Year Program 5772 Just send me back to Pardes. Please, please, please. I promise I’ll learn at Night Sedar every week. And I won’t take a lot of bathroom breaks. And I wont distract my friends. And I wont use conversations with Robby and Donna and Joanne as clever ways to get Continue Reading »

Dvar Torah for Shoftim

Posted on August 26, 2012 by Derek Kwait

This week was my last back at my shul Young People’s Synagogue, which last year, raised around $7,000 to send me to Pardes for a year. Yesterday, I delivered this speech to let them know how their investment turned out. So, how have you all been? For those who don’t know, from September through the 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 »