Musings from Students of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem
Posted on April 12, 2012 by David Bogomolny
Rob Murstein comes from a ‘very liturgical’ family; they attend Shabbat services every Friday evening, Saturday morning, and Saturday afternoon until havdalah. Rob’s father is a regular Torah reader at shul, his brother studied chazzanut with their cantor, and Rob himself read Torah at shul for the first time when he was six years old; and then again at Continue Reading »
Posted on April 4, 2012 by J. Belasco
About a month and a half ago, I went to Hevron for Shabbat with a few Pardesniks to visit a fellow student’s wife’s family. His wife actually grew up in Hevron; and her parents still live there today. I was very grateful for the family’s generosity and hospitality, and for the chance they gave me to experience Continue Reading »
Posted on March 26, 2012 by Rabbi Julie Gordon
On Thursday I completed my teaching at the Kellman Brown Academy, a medium size warm and friendly Solomon Schechter (Conservative) day school in Cherry Hill, NJ. The school has terrific staff and it was a great match for me. I was mentored by a talented fourth grade teacher who encouraged me as I deepened my Continue Reading »
Posted on March 13, 2012 by David Bogomolny
I spent last Shabbat at Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach’s moshav near the city of Modi’in, where my grandparents and other close family members live. This Shabbaton was particularly convenient for me because it allowed me to visit my family without worrying about rushing back to J’lem for Shabbat (especially during the winter). It was also quite Continue Reading »
Posted on February 20, 2012 by R. Murstein
Last weekend, I spent a lovely Shabbat in the holy city of Hevron. What a place! The four Pardesniks that went were a tour de force of “peace and conflict.” Personally, I made it my duty to wear a huge smile and say hello to every person I happened across, be they Jew, Arab or Continue Reading »
Posted on February 19, 2012 by Derek Kwait
(Mostly X-posted from my home blog, Yinzer in Yerushalayim) * For Tuesday’s group lecture, Robby Berman, head of the Halakhic Organ Donor Society came to give a riveting, inspiring, infuriating talk. I’ll sum it up in brief: There is no valid Jewish (or non-Jewish) reason to not save lives by being an organ donor. If Continue Reading »
Posted on February 18, 2012 by Naomi Zaslow
Three hassids are walking in a park, taking about the glory of their Rebbes. The first hassid shakes his head sagely – “My Rebbe is so great,” he says. “Last week were walking in the neighborhood and came across a house burning. Oy! What a shame! But my Rebbe was unperturbed. He spread his hands Continue Reading »
Posted on February 4, 2012 by Andrea Wiese
At Pardes, Shabbat is the topic of many discussions and the focus of a lot of study. Last semester I took Halakah (Jewish Law) and the class focused on Shabbat. I have written about Shabbat on the blog in the past as well. I have been trying to create a Shabbat “space.” One thing I’ve Continue Reading »
Posted on January 16, 2012 by Derek Kwait
(X-posted from my home blog, Yinzer in Yerushalayim) As I end my first semester in Israel, I am surrounded by reminders of where I come from and how I got here. It started last Thursday night, when I made halushki, a Central/Eastern European dish popular in Western Pennsylvania, at my friend מיכאל’s (pronounced “Mee-kha-el”) apartment Continue Reading »
Posted on January 8, 2012 by David Bogomolny
Shaul Janes grew up in Elizabeth, NJ around the corner from a synagogue that his family did not attend. They were culturally Jewish, but their lives were nearly void of Judaism. As a young man, Shaul fell in love with cooking – he would think about cooking all the time – it became his creative outlet – it was all he wanted to Continue Reading »
