Musings from Students of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem
Posted on April 12, 2013 by Derek Kwait
Never underestimate the impact of one good deed, on the doer at least as much as on the recipient. I went on Birthright through Hillel in late December 2008. During one of our pre-Israel orientation sessions, they told us we would have the opportunity to pack suitcases filled with clothes, shoes, toys, etc.at the JCC Continue Reading »
Posted on March 10, 2013 by Stuart Matan Lithwick
Hello Pardes! If anyone has not yet visited the Hadassah Medical Centre at Ein Kerem it is an absolute must! I had a personal reason to visit the hospital this morning. In 2006 I was diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa, a genetic blindness disorder, during a routine visit to the Optometrist’s office. Since that time, doctors 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 January 21, 2013 by David Bogomolny
Sydni Adler (Year ’13) and Ben Gurin (Year ’13) met during the Summer of ’10 in Washington DC, as participants on the Mechon Kaplan program of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism. Together with their cohort, they took classes on Social Justice and Judaism, and each interned for an NGO; Sydni worked on campaign Continue Reading »
Posted on December 28, 2012 by Laura Marder
Shabbat Shalom Pardes. I wanted to share a portion of my Dvar torah that I am giving to my Shul tonight… Shabbat Shalom, Last week as my facebook followers know I was standing on a mountain over the dead sea welcoming the Sabbath at a meditation retreat. If I close my eyes I can Continue Reading »
Posted on November 18, 2012 by Eric Feldman
Originally posted on my blog: Hey, I’ve certainly been keeping busy over the past few weeks but I’ll hone in on this most recent week since a lot has been going on recently. The first thing I’d like to say is that, although from the media explosion through internet and TV it may seem like Continue Reading »
Posted on November 18, 2012 by Lauren Schuchart
Originally posted on my blog: “You’re worried? You don’t need to be worried. The rockets can’t reach Jerusalem,” they said. “You don’t feel safe in Tel-Aviv? Come stay with us for Shabbat,” we said. “No, Mom, I’m fine. Jerusalem is out of the range of the rockets. Don’t worry,” I said. Yesterday was Friday. I Continue Reading »
Posted on October 17, 2012 by David Bogomolny
Bruce Shaffer was raised in an assimilation-bent household in the predominantly Jewish neighborhood of Northwest Detroit, fairly typical of what he saw around him. His curiosity for Jewish learning and Jewish text was seeded at his Hebrew school. There was no core of professional Jewish faculty – Bruce’s teachers were mostly Yiddish-speaking European refugees, and Continue Reading »
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 March 29, 2012 by Lauren Schuchart
(The fourth in a series of 5 posts detailing my heritage trip to Poland… originally posted on my blog) ___________________ Belzec “Earth do not cover my blood / Let there be no resting place for my outcry” (Job 16:18) When many people think of concentration camps, they think of Auschwitz. Why? Because many of Continue Reading »
