Musings from Students of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem
Posted on September 30, 2015 by Dan Pelberg
3:00 am Walking through Jerusalem’s Old City at this hour makes me marvel at how the place can get so loud and crazy during the day. The winding, dimly lit streets are empty enough to make me feel like a lone rat in a maze, trying to find any way I can to reach my Continue Reading »
Posted on September 19, 2015 by Ma'ayan Dyer
Three weeks ago, I made aliyah. It had been a long time coming, something that I have been thinking about, dreaming of and longing for since I was first faced with saying goodbye to Israel after a year of living in Jerusalem in 2012. Back then, months before I even had to go back to Continue Reading »
Posted on September 17, 2014 by Ariella Siegel
From my blog: I have pretty normal, brown, curly-girl Jew hair. Nothing special, not terrible, regular curls. I do my best to condition, to take care of them, and style them in a manageable (and hopefully acceptable) way, and I tend to do pretty good job at that. However, on Shabbat, something special happens. My Continue Reading »
Posted on September 10, 2014 by Samantha Vinokor
Our goal should be to live life in radical amazement…get up in the morning and look at the world in a way that takes nothing for granted. Everything is phenomenal; everything is incredible. – Abraham Joshua Heschel When Heschel described radical amazement, he could easily have been speaking about the initial euphoria that people experience Continue Reading »
Posted on July 23, 2014 by Jenn Mager
I am an incoming Pardes student, spending this summer in Israel, and blogging about my experiences. This post is from my blog: By the end of last week, I needed a separation from “Breaking News”, Facebook, and political discussion. I’ve seen too many photos and cartoons expressing anger, violence, revenge, hatred, a side of human 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 11, 2014 by Rachel Bikofsky
To the incoming Pardes student who’s watching the news and feeling anxious, I know how it is. You’re reading the headlines about everything going on in Israel and you’re thinking, “Wait, am I sure I want to go over there?” Allow me to be the voice that speaks insistently in your ear and says, “Yes, Continue Reading »
Posted on April 28, 2014 by Rory Sullivan
It took me eight years to get back to Pardes. During a Birthright trip my freshman year of college, we sat in the Beit Midrash, the great big room filled with tables of four chairs each and books lining every wall. We studied a text that I don’t remember. What I do remember is liking Continue Reading »
Posted on February 26, 2014 by Sarah Pollack
From my blog: A few weeks ago, an actress came to Pardes to do a kind of skit, stereotyping Four Faces of Israel, or four different people that one will inevitably encounter in Israel. She portrayed the narratives of a Haredi woman, a settler, a kibbutznik and an Arab woman. Somehow, every experience that I have, Continue Reading »
Posted on February 23, 2014 by Falynn Schmidt
by Falynn Schmidt (Year ’99-’00), Pardes staff member, from her blog: It’s a strange thing how quickly a year can pass, but exactly one year ago today, I boarded a plane with a freshly minted aliyah[1] visa glued in to my US passport. My three-bag allowance and I got on an average plane flight, incognito, Continue Reading »
