Musings from Students of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem
Posted on July 30, 2019 by Tamy Jacobs
Imagine sitting in the shade on a Saturday morning. There’s a bit of a breeze. We just finished davvening (praying) and had a snack. It’s our final Pardes Shabbaton. We are in Tavor Alon at a retreat center. Everyone is relaxed and happy. We’ve broken into small groups to reflect back on the past year. Continue Reading »
Posted on May 28, 2019 by Branden Charles Johnson
This has been the most difficult blog post to write this year. As I type these words, I can’t even believe they’re describing reality. That we just returned from the final Shabbaton of our year at Pardes feels like the awkward punchline to a joke someone told back in September. “This year is going to Continue Reading »
Posted on February 26, 2019 by Aviva Turner
Recently, I returned from an excursion to Antarctica-The White Continent. My fascination with the polar regions began during my residency training program in 1980 when one of the nurse practitioners I was working with turned out to be the granddaughter of Admiral Bryd, who is credited with being the first person to fly over the Continue Reading »
Posted on March 23, 2018 by Maxim Delchev
We just came back from the Ulus School in Istanbul, where we spent our two days learning together with the high-school students about Pesach. And we decided instead of sharing with you what we taught in the school (we hope that the kids will share that next Friday on their Pesach celebrations at home), all Continue Reading »
Posted on March 23, 2018 by Maxim Delchev
A Rabbi, a medical doctor, a biologist, 12 teenagers and a director of spice trade corporation went together to a dining hall…. And that is not the beginning of a very strange joke. But it was exactly what happened to us in our second day in the Pardes trip to Turkey. While we spent most Continue Reading »
Posted on March 22, 2018 by Nate Swetlitz
Bright and early. Well, it’s not bright yet because it’s too early. But we make it to the airport, and in no time we’re back in the city of sinuous streets, countless spires, and constant noise. Istanbul spans many cultures and two continents. We began our day back in Turkey on the Asian side, visiting Continue Reading »
Posted on January 23, 2017 by Jonah P.
We are taught: “Matching a couple is as difficult as splitting the sea.” And we are also taught: “At the moment of each person’s conception, a Heavenly Echo calls out and decrees their future partner.” Which is it? Two weeks after becoming engaged to Rebecca, as we enter our 4th year as a couple, I Continue Reading »
Posted on November 20, 2016 by Jamie Bornstein
This blog was originally posted on Times of Israel. I’m staring intently at one of the 40 flat screen TV’s in a standing-room only sports bar in Skokie, IL, and I stand out like a sore thumb. In the mob surrounding me, every soul, patron and server, is laden with Cubs gear. I, on the other Continue Reading »
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 August 15, 2016 by Tara Zafft
This blog was originally posted on the author’s personal blog, at https://tarazafft.com/blog/ I came to Israel with a long list of goals. I wanted to be in Eretz Israel, a land I felt a deep connection to. I wanted to understand the nation, the culture, the politics. I wanted to learn Hebrew, Torah, and Talmud. I Continue Reading »
