Musings from Students of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem
Posted on March 10, 2013 by Naomi Bilmes
From my blog: I am usually a very tolerant person, especially when people are trying to understand human diversity. I will kindly explain that, no, Connecticut is not New York and that, yes, I would rather watch reruns of “Gilmore Girls” than new episodes of “Jersey Shore.” I will gladly explain that I would much Continue Reading »
Posted on March 9, 2013 by Tadea Klein
On a quiet soundless night a little girl with ancient eyes comes creeping into Jerusalem Shabbat is tired She drags her feet, weary of simcha and cheer Ears ringing from songs, head aching from wine, she wants only to go home, flick on the TV and zone out Not smile, nor laugh Nor sing or Continue Reading »
Posted on March 3, 2013 by David Bogomolny
I often find myself reflecting upon something that my father shared with me about his early impressions of Israel after he made Aliyah from Moscow in ’74. He told me about his being a security guard on Mt. Scopus before the Hebrew U. campus had been fully constructed, and gazing from his post across the Continue Reading »
Posted on February 23, 2013 by Naomi Bilmes
From my blog, written before Shabbat: A Dusky Holiness before Shabbat… Stories from the week… …still on air from serendipity. It was on a Thursday, on which we presumably do organized chesed projects, but on one specific Thursday, I chose to simply organize myself: carrots, sweet potatoes, scallions, cumin, coriander, cumin, whirr whirr whirr in Continue Reading »
Posted on February 17, 2013 by David Bogomolny
On Saturday, I returned to the Kotel to daven at the minyan that I’d happened upon the previous Shabbat. Once again, the group was friendly, and one of the participants noted that I had arrived on time, which he encouraged me to do again. On my way through the Old City to minyan, I found myself Continue Reading »
Posted on February 12, 2013 by David Bogomolny
Over the course of the past several years, I’ve come to learn that it’s not entirely clear whether praying in a minyan is halakhically required or not. Granted, most sources agree that praying in a minyan is at least encouraged & laudable… but ultimately, my halakhic obligation is to pray the correct services (morning, afternoon, evening) at the correct times. Outside of Continue Reading »
Posted on February 7, 2013 by The Director of Digital Media
This week, Rabbi Alex Israel discusses Parashat Mishpatim in “Explicating the Ten Commandments.” Mishpatim ’73 Shabbat shalom!
Posted on February 3, 2013 by Naomi Bilmes
From my blog: It’s Saturday night in Israel. You know what that means: Put your head on the pillow by 9pm because tomorrow is a work day, which is fine, because who needs Sunday anyway? Sunday is a totally over-rated day of the week: people just use them to do chores, which you could do Continue Reading »
Posted on January 24, 2013 by Eric Feldman
From my blog: In this weeks parsha, Beshalach, one of the most famous events in all of the Tanakh occurs when God splits the Red Sea through the staff of Moses, allowing the Israelites to finally escape the centuries-long enslavement in Egypt and become a free people. The result of their freedom is that the Continue Reading »
Posted on January 24, 2013 by The Director of Digital Media
Rochel Joanna Czopnik (Year ’05, PEP ’07) shares the story of how she ended up back in Poland after graduating from the Pardes Educators Program (PEP): After graduating from PEP, I was scared and quite anxious about my first job. I moved to Baltimore and for the first time was to live in the US Continue Reading »
