Musings from Students of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem
Posted on September 18, 2016 by Mira Niculescu
Last Monday was our first day of class at Pardes. I had just arrived from Paris the night before, and the landing hadn’t been easy. Within a few hours of a plane journey, I had transitioned from an intense network of love and relationships to an empty apartment in a new country where I knew Continue Reading »
Posted on September 7, 2014 by Ariella Siegel
From my blog: September already! Time flies when you’re being Jewy, I suppose. What a whirlwind! And I’m exhausted! Last we left off, it was orientation and more orientation and lots more orientation and then shabbat. The contrast between doing, doing, doing and then not doing at all (except actually doing, because Shabbos is a Continue Reading »
Posted on June 12, 2014 by Carolyn Gerecht
My dvar Torah from PCJE graduation: To commemorate the last day of our Gemara class this year with Rahel, we looked together at a special passage from Masechet Avoda Zara, Daf Yud Tet, Amud Alef. In the passage, Levi and Rabbi Shimon are studying together with Rah-bee. When they finish the text, Levi demands that Continue Reading »
Posted on May 30, 2014 by Carolyn Gerecht
Sitting in the Beit Midrash earlier this week, I casually flipped open a Tanakh to begin jotting down some thoughts for this blog post. What’s Parshat Naso all about, anyway? I opened up Bemidbar to find out. And then I realized I was about to write a Dvar Torah about the longest parsha ever. No, Continue Reading »
Posted on May 20, 2014 by Lisa Motenko
Originally posted on the Hillel Int’l Blog: This past summer I left Berkeley Hillel, where I was on staff for four amazing years, to head to Israel. I didn’t grow up in Jewish day school, or have extensive experience in Israel – so my time had come to spend a year immersing myself in Jewish text Continue Reading »
Posted on March 20, 2014 by Lisa Motenko
You are what you eat. For Jews, this adage rings especially true because we follow strict dietary laws that strengthen our relationship with G-d, as well as distinguish us from other nations. Growing up I was allowed to eat whatever I wanted – except for pig. Like many assimilated American Jews, my family did not keep kosher, but Continue Reading »
Posted on February 22, 2014 by Carolyn Gerecht
This year, studying in the Pardes Center for Jewish Educators’ Program for Experiential Jewish Education (PEEP) and Yeshiva University’s Certificate in Experiential Jewish Education, I’ve been fortunate to have had many, many opportunities to answer the question, “What exactly is Experiential Jewish Education?” Typically, I respond in a couple of short sentences. “Most people think Continue Reading »
Posted on December 27, 2013 by Carolyn Gerecht
As Parshat Shemot closes, it’s not looking good for the Israelites. Petitioned by Aharon and Moshe, Pharaoh not only refuses their (botched) request to free the Israelites from slavery – he also adds to their misery by demanding that they now gather the straw that they need themselves while still maintaining the same pace (Shemot Continue Reading »
Posted on December 19, 2013 by Lisa Motenko
I chose to write a dvar torah for this week’s portion of Shemot because it is the week of my birthday and this was also the portion for my bat mitzvah 17 (gasp!) years ago! I have been privileged to study Shemot in depth this semester at Pardes and could describe dozens of fascinating insights, Continue Reading »
Posted on December 19, 2013 by Sara Spanjer
One of the most exciting things that can happen in Jewish education is when one Jewish school meets another. This past week my two Jewish schools collided, Pardes and The Weber School. Although we are all different ages, ranging from high school to post-college to grandparents, being Jewish and being in Israel brought us together. Continue Reading »
