Musings from Students of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem
Posted on April 18, 2013 by Avi Spodek
Over these past few weeks I have been reading Steven R. Covey’s The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People as part of my coursework in Jewish educational leadership. Covey’s message and delivery are inspiring, and I highly recommend to this book to anyone and everyone. Its main premise is that leaders are most effective when Continue Reading »
Posted on April 9, 2013 by Heather Kantrowitz
From my blog: There are certain moments in my life where everything has come to a screeching halt. Most of these have just been moments when my personal world, or maybe my family or community, has stopped. Today (Yom HaShoah), I experienced an entire country ceasing all activity – learning, work, driving, shopping – and Continue Reading »
Posted on April 8, 2013 by The Director of Digital Media
Daniel Shibley (Yr. ’11, Fellows ’12) shared the following: As the clock turned from 9:59 to 10:00, it began. Quietly at first, and then reaching a volume that brings all of Israel to a halt. The siren of Yom Hashoah silenced all other man-made noises, leaving every body to their own thoughts and memories of Continue Reading »
Posted on April 1, 2013 by Falynn Schmidt
Originally posted to my blog yesterday, March 31: Today is my mother’s birthday. She would have been 68. What a strange thing to think. Sixty-eight, so young. Such a difficult life, surreal in ways I can’t imagine and in ways I know too well. My mother was an amazing woman, as you’ve either experienced first Continue Reading »
Posted on March 23, 2013 by The Director of Digital Media
Alum Daniel Shibley (Yr. ’11, Fellows ’12) writes about his official beginning of being drafted into the Israel Defense Forces in the context of Parshat Tzav: With great power comes great responsibility. Now that the Tabernacle has been completed and we have received the instructions on how to make the appropriate offerings, the next piece Continue Reading »
Posted on March 15, 2013 by Lauren Schuchart
In this week’s Torah portion, we move from the exciting and relatable narrative in the books of Bereshit (Genesis) and Shmot (Exodus), into the legalistic and methodical book of Vayikra (Leviticus). In the first Torah portion, God tells Moses how the Children of Israel should go about establishing a holy community, a “kingdom of priests.” Continue Reading »
Posted on January 28, 2013 by Avi Benson-Goldberg
(Part 1, Part 2, Part 3) It’s been quite a long time since we last checked in. As you might recall, in parts one and two, we looked at what Meir and Rahel had to say about praying. The arrangement of the shiur was fascinating, because we heard first from a very capable prayer, and Continue Reading »
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 »
Posted on January 23, 2013 by The Director of Digital Media
Ben Barer (Fellows ’12) wrote a Torah reflection about Power and Responsibility yesterday, in light of the Israeli elections: While Spider-Man seems capable of handling the (great) power he is given, oftentimes we seem to fail most when power is in our hands. On this day, when democratic elections for the 19th Knesset of the Continue Reading »
Posted on January 21, 2013 by The Director of Digital Media
Dan (Year ’10) shared the following reflection on Facebook… his writing is poignant as usual! Dear MLK: from one flawed human being to another flawed human being who changed the world – how did you do it? How did you see a different reality when others said there’s no chance that it will come true? Continue Reading »
