Musings from Students of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem
Posted on February 9, 2011 by Joel D.
By Faith Brigham “Barefoot and exposed I walk along a shoreline. With the clumping of a million grains of sand, my toes tingle Reminding me of my human-ness. My body-ness. The limitless of these grains tickle my brain as they tickle my limited body. A conch shell lies before me. My eyes gravitate towards its Continue Reading »
Posted on January 26, 2011 by Aviva P.
A Reflection from the 2011 Pardes Heritage Seminar to Poland In memory of my family and all those killed at Bełżec extermination camp I walk into the depths of death, surrounded by the abandoned bones of my brothers and sisters. Hate and fear stifled their cries; barren fields of rocks and concrete trap their whispers, Continue Reading »
Posted on January 9, 2011 by Shibley
Quick story. Last week I boarded the bus bound for the shuk. I was startled to find that the cost of a cartisia (multi-ride bus ticket) had increased since my last purpose. While discussing this with the driver, all of the Hebrew that I have accumulated vanished from my brain, leaving me stumbling for words, and sounding Continue Reading »
Posted on January 5, 2011 by Shibley
Last week I had the opportunity to visit Yad Vashem, Israel’s Holocaust Museum with fellow Pardes students. I had never been to Yad Vashem at night before, but I was surprised to find that the lack of natural light emphasized the murder of the Shoah. As I worked my way through the permanent exhibit, I Continue Reading »
Posted on November 29, 2010 by Joel D.
Posted on February 17, 2010 by David Bogomolny
Pardes alumna Noga Fisher & her husband Warren joined us on the 2010 Poland Trip. Here are her thoughts: “It’s been a month since our trip. During our intense 5 days I felt numb much of the time. But since then I have been thawing, thinking and feeling, and the process is far from over. Continue Reading »
Posted on February 16, 2010 by David Bogomolny
This will likely be my final note on the Pardes ’10 Poland Trip. We’ll see. Much of what I’ve reflected upon has been inspired by R. Levi Cooper, and I’m particularly appreciative of his emphasis on the wealth of Eastern European Jewish culture before the Shoah. We spent much of our final day touring the Continue Reading »
Posted on February 13, 2010 by David Bogomolny
Auschwitz I (the main Auschwitz camp) has been turned into a museum. I have photographs of the museum displays at Auschwitz I… photographs of human hair and human hair woven into cloth, of spectacles, frames, and lenses, of tallitot (plural form of tallit), of bowls, plates, and cups, of prosthetic limbs and canes, of suitcases Continue Reading »
Posted on February 11, 2010 by The Director of Digital Media
A poem inspired by the 2010 Pardes Poland trip by Cheryl Stone: MAJDANEK Breathe deeply my dear Breathe We have long since been forgotten Breathe They will not remember The guard tower watches over us Protecting The city pulses nearby But we are already dead Breathe The light brushing of blue Continue Reading »
Posted on February 8, 2010 by David Bogomolny
I’ve been busy recently, but that’s not the only reason it’s been taking me so long to write this post. Last week I had a conversation with a chevruta (study partner) on the subject of how we perceive & relate to the presence of G-d (it was a class assignment). We discussed a difficulty that Continue Reading »