Musings from Students of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem
Posted on September 13, 2011 by Derek Kwait
(Cross-posted from my blog for “The Jewish Chronicle of Pittsburgh”, Yinzer in Yerushalayim.) I am writing this now on a mirpeset* (even people who don’t speak Hebrew call them mirpesets here, and it’s already become such second-nature for me that I can’t go back) with a sweeping view of Jerusalem at night, including the lit-up Continue Reading »
Posted on July 5, 2011 by Daniel Weinreb
3. The stairs connecting the upper plaza to the shrine’s entrance resemble those in a mikveh excavated at Qumran. Ritual life in Jerusalem is like nothing I have experienced elsewhere. The mikveh on the front of this card is only one part of life here that is enveloped in symbolic acts. The food in Jerusalem Continue Reading »
Posted on June 1, 2011 by David Bogomolny
“… now I better understand what I was looking for… I didn’t know what to ask for – I didn’t know what it looked like – I didn’t realize I could trust Judaism, but at Pardes I’ve realized that everything I was looking for exists in Jewish texts.” As a young woman growing up in Washington, DC, Merissa was heavily involved in race dialogues, and later came Continue Reading »
Posted on May 12, 2011 by Shibley
Last Shabbat, I had the pleasure of staying with one of my teachers (Rabbi Levi Cooper) in the yishuv of Tzur Hadassah. Throughout Shabbat I had the opportunity to daven at a mizrachi synagogue who davened nusach edot hamizrach, and an ashkenazi shul who davened nusach ashkenaz. I just wanted to share a couple of Continue Reading »
Posted on April 13, 2011 by Shibley
Last Shabbat I had the pleasure of trying out a new synagogue in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Nachlaot called Kol Rina. Kol Rina meets in a miklat (bomb shelter), and you could easily miss it. Once inside, it appears as if this is a full service synagogue, with a newsletter, committees, a library, events, a Continue Reading »
Posted on March 13, 2011 by Shibley
It is well documented that on Friday afternoons in Jerusalem, and other cities throughout Israel, the country begins to slow down, and in some cases shut down for Shabbat. Walking through the open air markets on a dark Shabbat evening is quite strange. Hours earlier vendors were hawking their wares, bellowing at the top of Continue Reading »
Posted on February 27, 2011 by Tamara Frankel
Dear Friends, Last week’s parsha, Parshat Vayakhel, continues to describe the construction of the Tabernacle (Mishkan) which the Israelites built in the desert and would serve later as the prototype for the Temple in King Solomon’s reign. But I’d like to focus on a different aspect of the parsha, namely Shabbat. Before the Torah goes Continue Reading »
Posted on February 20, 2011 by Tamara Frankel
Dear Friends, What a week of learning, both inside and outside the walls of Pardes! A particular highlight for me was picking oranges for an organization called Leket Israel, which provides for Israeli children who are hungry and/or do not received proper nutrition. This volunteering project was organized by Pardes students in loving memory of Continue Reading »
Posted on February 13, 2011 by Tamara Frankel
Dear Friends, I hope this email finds you well. Last week was quite the jam-packed, rainy and nearly sleepless week! My dad was visiting last week so we were busy with Torah study at Pardes, touring the country, shopping (of course) and visiting with family and friends. We had a great time!! But like my Continue Reading »
Posted on February 6, 2011 by Shibley
This post is long overdue, I apologize for the lengthy interlude between posts. Earlier this month, I was fortunate to receive a two-week visit from my parents. Since my arrival in Israel, I have been planning their arrival. We arranged a guide for a few days in the North of Israel, after which I would Continue Reading »
