Musings from Students of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem
Posted on January 13, 2016 by Andrew Ash
Today was the first day of our 2016 Pardes trip to Turkey. It was not an uneventful day. With sadness and anger did I receive the news that a suicide bomber attacked the heart of Istanbul’s historic center, a square adjoining the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sofia. These monuments have stood for generations and will Continue Reading »
Posted on November 18, 2014 by David Derin
Those of you who know me well are aware of the fact that I do not like to talk about things related to politics. I personally feel that when people talk about politics it frequently leads to disagreement, yelling, and hurt feelings. At the end of the day, my opinions are my opinions and I Continue Reading »
Posted on October 31, 2014 by Jenn Mager
From my blog: Last Wednesday a man drove a car into a crowd of people waiting at the Ammunition Hill light rail station, killing a three month old baby girl and wounding 8 others. A newspaper reported that evening “Israeli police shoot man in East Jerusalem”. I read that the family was on their way back Continue Reading »
Posted on July 31, 2014 by Amanda Pogany
It’s been 12 years since we lost our friends Ben and Marla and this day never seems to get easier. I dread July 31st. Every year I hope that somehow we will transition from July 30 directly to August 1st. And somehow this year feels harder. Knowing that we are back in a moment of Continue Reading »
Posted on July 28, 2014 by Joanne Pollack-Reed
It was a gigantic leap of faith to apply and attend Pardes this summer. Forefront in my mind was if I, a 51 yr old – out of school forever- mom would be able to keep up. Would I be that student that clearly did not belong? My fears were put firmly to rest at Continue Reading »
Posted on July 14, 2014 by Dara Rosenblatt
From my blog: While living in Tel Aviv last month I had the luxury of spending my time at ulpan (intensive Hebrew study), for four days a week, four hours a day. In June, I relaxed, studied my Hebrew, went to the beach, frequented some amazing cafes, and generally just enjoyed my vacation and the Continue Reading »
Posted on July 11, 2014 by Lisa Hoelle
From our blog: Although we are still catching up on our blog posts from the whirlwind of the first few weeks of our stay here in Israel, I wanted to jump for a moment to the present and speak about the current tensions happening around us. First, I want to assure everyone that Lisa and Continue Reading »
Posted on July 11, 2014 by Elana Shilling
Dear incoming Pardes students nervously biting your fingernails while watching rockets fly on their TV screens, I won’t lie. Israel is at war. Rockets are terrorizing the country and ground troops are waiting for the okay to enter Gaza. It’s a tense time for Israel. That being said, this morning I woke up to my Continue Reading »
Posted on July 11, 2014 by Rachel Bikofsky
To the incoming Pardes student who’s watching the news and feeling anxious, I know how it is. You’re reading the headlines about everything going on in Israel and you’re thinking, “Wait, am I sure I want to go over there?” Allow me to be the voice that speaks insistently in your ear and says, “Yes, Continue Reading »
Posted on December 9, 2013 by Benjamin Friedman
The following are a few notes about my experience at the MASA Security and Diplomacy Shabbaton, which took place in Jerusalem from November 22-23. I attended with several other students from the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies, (where I am a year-student enjoying financial support from MASA), and can, on the whole say that it Continue Reading »
