These and Those

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

Tag Archives: modern Judaism

My Documentary: Finding Israel

Posted on May 13, 2012 by Joseph Shamash

When I‘m not busy studying Torah at Pardes, this is what I‘m working on! Check out the website for our documentary project, and check out our promotional video:

[PEP Student] Developments in Talmud Study

Posted on March 20, 2012 by Daniel Weinreb

“Kids these days. They don’t learn like before. They have all the information at their fingertips. Confronted with a problem, they need only to glance over to a different page and lo and behold their questions are answered. Learning used to be a social process, with emphasis on learning from someone else, or better yet, Continue Reading »

A Shtender Bender

Posted on March 8, 2012 by Leah Stern

Most people have never even heard the word shtender. They think I am making up a pretend word, though to my knowledge it is Yiddish. I said it recently to an Israeli friend and the closest word I could use to explain it was the word מעמד, which means a stand, but that isn’t even Continue Reading »

Egalitarianism in Judaism

Posted on February 21, 2012 by Barer

Many of us who fall under the label ‘modern liberal Jew’  view women’s role (or lack thereof) in traditional Judaism to be a serious affront to our notions of egalitarianism.  ‘How can it be’ we ask, ‘that anyone could live in a Western democracy in the 21st century and subject women to secondary-citizen status in Continue Reading »

The Frustrations of Being an American Rabbi…

Posted on February 10, 2012 by Derek Kwait

As I was browsing through my hard drive yesterday I rediscovered this dramatic monologue I wrote for my Playwriting class in college. Here it is with slight emendations, I hope you enjoy it. (I apologize for the weird spacing, I don’t know why it’s like that, it’s not intentional.) (A rabbi’s office. The wall is Continue Reading »

Coercion – an inner struggle

Posted on February 6, 2012 by J. Belasco

I find that I would like to explore more intensively the question of where flexibility exists within halacha and what to do with conflict between the halachic system and my other values. This is particularly important for me right now, since I am on the brink of moving out of the bubble of Pardes and Continue Reading »

Student Quote

Posted on January 24, 2012 by The Director of Digital Media

A quote from a student during the Fellows recruitment meeting yesterday: “Pardes is traditional Judaism’s most loving and honest response to modernity.”

MUST SEE Poetry Performance

Posted on January 12, 2012 by The Director of Digital Media

Pardes student Andrew Lustig performed this piece for the community at the 1st Shabbaton of the year, and we’re very excited that he’s finally made it available online! Thanks, Andrew!

The Shabbaton

Posted on September 23, 2011 by Derek Kwait

Who we are slideshow What we’re looking at slideshow (X-posted to my home blog Yinzer in Yerushalayim on the side column.)   I can’t write about last weekend’s Shabbaton at the Beit Yehuda Hostel in the southwest of Jerusalem. To properly capture an experience so jam-packed and uplifting, with so much bonding, learning, singing, eating, Continue Reading »

Modern Days

Posted on May 18, 2011 by Shibley

The time between Pesach and Shavuot is marked in Israel with four modern holidays. Yom Hashoa, Yom Hazikaron, Yom Haatzmaut, and Yom Yerushalayim. Colloquially, this time of year is called y’mei yamim. The days of days. It has been an incredible experience to watch Israel move from Pesach into these modern celebrations. Israeli flags adorn Continue Reading »