These and Those

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

Tag Archives: memories

Ten Years of Chesed

Posted on February 4, 2013 by Stu Jacobs

The year after Ben and Marla were killed was a year of mourning for our whole community, even for those, like me, who never had the pleasure of meeting them. The first Yom Iyun shel Chesed enabled us to come together and celebrate the lives of two fellow students by creating something positive from the Continue Reading »

Dear Marla and Ben:

Posted on January 27, 2013 by Laura H.

Dear Marla and Ben: I feel connected to you even though I never knew you. The moment that you were killed was a powerful moment in my own personal narrative relating to Israel. I was scheduled to come to Israel for a semester of high school in the fall of 2002. All summer, I was Continue Reading »

[Alumni Guest Post] In Loving Memory of Rose Goldberg

Posted on January 23, 2013 by Carole Daman

Thursday’s learning is dedicated to the loving memory of Rose Goldberg, Bryna Rayzel bat Avraham V’ Tcherna. (Rose’s first yahrzeit is on Friday, Shevat 14) Rose’s daughter, Carole Daman (Year Program ‘74) writes: My mother was a very warm, vivacious woman who was active in Jewish communal affairs into her 90’s. For many years she Continue Reading »

[PCJE Dvar Torah] Cara Abrams-Simonton: Memories of my Father

Posted on January 10, 2013 by Cara Abrams-Simonton

Although this week’s parashah, Va’era, is full of many rich elements of our story as a Jewish people, I am drawn to the four promises that God makes to the Jewish people in chapter 6, verses 6 and 7: “Wherefore say unto the children of Israel: I am the LORD, and I will bring you 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 »

[PCJE Dvar Torah] A Woman’s Insight by David Bogomolny

Posted on December 30, 2012 by David Bogomolny

This week we are starting the sefer (book) of Shemot (Exodus), which literally means ‘names’. The weekly parasha is also called Shemot. I mention this because the first name that comes to my mind when I read this parasha is ‘Isra Yaghoubi’ (Year ’08-’09, Fellows ’09-’10). She was my first Chumash havruta, and she left me Continue Reading »

[PCJE Dvar Torah] Stu Jacobs — A Special Connection

Posted on December 21, 2012 by The Director of Digital Media

Parshat VaYigash has for a long time been a parsha that I have a special connection with. Not only is it my bar mitzvah parsha (20 years ago this year), but it was also the parsha the week following my wedding.  After our wedding in Los Angeles, Aviva and I, who had met in Jerusalem Continue Reading »

Talent Show!

Posted on December 2, 2012 by Avi Benson-Goldberg

Before there was an operation that was almost a war that kept me on the edge of my seat as much as it sat in the back of my mind, we went on a tiyyul. Tiyyul is a sort of quintessentially Israeli thing. It’s not a field trip. It’s a journey somewhere, but it’s short, Continue Reading »

Authentically Now

Posted on November 27, 2012 by David Bogomolny

Evan was my first flatmate in Israel; he and I studied at Pardes together, and we had plenty of conversations about our shared Jewish heritage over the course of that year. He had fond childhood memories of his grandfather, a traditional, American shul-going Jew, and recalled the smell and texture of the tallit that he had worn at Continue Reading »

Going down the mountain with Sam.

Posted on November 16, 2012 by Adam L Masser

Ein Gedi, freshwater spring of legend, sanctuary of David. In the scorching desert, the Negev. In the mountains above Yam HaMelach, the Dead Sea, the burning sea of salt. Sam, falling down while climbing out of a gorge carved in a high, rocky outcropping, its steep chutes formed by the rains of a geologic epoch. Continue Reading »