Musings from Students of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem
Posted on May 22, 2013 by Rabbi Julie Gordon
R. Julie Gordon (PEP ’12) recollects: Here are some of my thoughts after my experience davenning with Women of the Wall (WOW) on May 10, 2013. I was exhilarated on the day after my bat mitzvah when I learned how to lay tefillin through the wisdom and care of Bert Cooper, z”l, our Albert Lea, Continue Reading »
Posted on May 21, 2013 by The Director of Digital Media
Robyn (Year ’08, PEP ’10) is a third-year teacher. She teaches High School Judaics at the Emory/Wiener School in Houston, where she will continue in the fall. My name is Robyn Miller. Typically, May is not a good time to ask me about my life as a teacher. I’m about to finish my third year Continue Reading »
Posted on May 19, 2013 by Shoshana Rosen
From my blog: Am I awake or asleep? Maybe a dreamlike state in between the two. I leave my apartment 4:45 am to continue my journey But all I am thinking about is my bed, snuggling between my warm blankets, head on my pillow. But then I thought of the people who used to walk, Continue Reading »
Posted on May 13, 2013 by Gabby Goodman
Reflections on Rosh Hodesh Sivan with Women of the Wall, 5773 – 2013 Throughout the year I have studied here in Jerusalem, I have learned that the Wall has its own identity crisis. It is part of a larger structure that was built and carried, lost, built again and then destroyed, and built again, and Continue Reading »
Posted on May 13, 2013 by Laurie Franklin
I went to the Kotel on Rosh Chodesh Sivan expecting to pray, and I did. I was surprised that I could focus on prayer in the volatile atmosphere; the hullabaloo made me concentrate even harder than usual. “Ozi v’zimrat Yah” never had greater meaning for me than it did on Friday morning as I stood Continue Reading »
Posted on May 12, 2013 by Andrea Wiese
From my blog: Friday morning was a blur. A scary blur. I didn’t wake up until 6:24 AM when my roommate screamed, “WIESE.” And I jumped out of bed, how could this happen, on a day that was so important to me? Never mind…we jumped in a taxi and I ran down to the women’s Continue Reading »
Posted on May 4, 2013 by Sam Kaye
I’m leaving for Israel and my father hands me two bags. “Take these with you. The furrier, Shlomo, your great grandmother’s brother-in-law, left them to me. Find out if it’s meaningful for you.” The first is black felt, light to the touch, with a golden Magen David embroidered in cord on its front. The Tallit Continue Reading »
Posted on May 2, 2013 by Annie Matan Gilbert
Wednesday morning, at our weekly Creative Shacharit, I led a Kohenet style davenning. This means that the liturgy of the service follows the arc of a traditional shacharit service but is often not traditional liturgy. This particular service is compiled from chants and prayers from the Kohenet siddur and from my own writing and repertoire. Continue Reading »
Posted on April 23, 2013 by Avi Benson-Goldberg
From my blog: The thing is, the apparatus of “traditional prayer” are sort of kinky. The thing is, we’re ten men tying ourselves up in leather straps too early in the morning. And we’re enshrouded in these huge sheets, and some people cover their heads and faces and it’s very anonymous even when I know Continue Reading »
Posted on April 13, 2013 by Naomi Bilmes
From my blog: I have Haredi cousins. I did not know this until last Friday night, enjoying couch-conversation with one of said cousins before Shabbat dinner. “So what do people in this neighborhood call themselves?” I asked, wondering (after seeing all the black hats and streimels) which sect of Ultra-Orthodoxy I had resigned myself to Continue Reading »
