These and Those

Musings from Students of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem

Tag Archives: reflections / testimonials

I’ve been saying Watermelon a lot.

Posted on August 1, 2014 by Rachel Dingman

I don’t formally blog, but I did spend some time reflecting on something I shared at our 2014 Pardes Summer Program Tish. Here are my reflections: At a dinner at Yaffa’s house she made the joke “sing along if you know the words, if you don’t just say Watermelon”. Needless to say, I said watermelon Continue Reading »

The Secret Ingredient

Posted on July 31, 2014 by Janu Mendel

I could seriously fill an entire book about the experiences that led me to Pardes, but don’t worry — for the sake of short attention spans (it’s okay, I have one too) — I’ll keep it brief. So long story short, I grew up in this little bubble outside of the United States. I never had Continue Reading »

A Reflection Of Time At Pardes

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 »

Just a few words…

Posted on July 26, 2014 by Dara Rosenblatt

From my blog, written before Shabbat: As I enter my last Shabbat in Jerusalem before returning back to the United States on Monday, I find myself thinking and reflecting on the past two months in my life. It was with great intention that I chose to come to Israel this summer, for personal, spiritual, and Continue Reading »

Bittuling out the bittul?

Posted on June 1, 2014 by Sam Stern

From my blog: These past couple of weeks have been full of “reflection time.” Teachers want to meet to discuss how the year went, administration wants you filling out evaluation forms to express your feelings, and every single student seems to have stopped mid-sentence and screamed out, “In 2 weeks, I’ll be in America.” It’s Continue Reading »

It’s So Hard To Say Goodbye

Posted on April 4, 2014 by Aliza Geller

There is a good chance that I won’t be returning to Pardes after Passover. So, during community lunch yesterday, I said a few words, an option given to anyone who wants to reflect on their experience at Pardes. Here is what I said: Roughly two hours ago I walked into the Beit Midrash to return Continue Reading »

One month was not long enough

Posted on April 2, 2014 by Ilana Arje-Goldenthal

When I received my acceptance letter from Tel Aviv University (TAU) Law School to do a semester of exchange, I was surprised that the semester only began on February 16th. I calculated the time between completing the fall semester in Toronto and beginning the winter semester at TAU, and realized that I would have over Continue Reading »

[Alumni Guest Post] Frostbite and Recovery by Evan Wolkenstein

Posted on March 24, 2014 by Hirsch Fishman

Evan Wolkenstein (Year ’99, Fellows ’00, PEP ’00-’02) reflects upon the 2014 Pardes ‘Spring Forward’ Retreat for Judaics Teachers (from his blog) I had no business being outside without my arms covered. But Stu and I needed to run. Clearly. That’s what we’ve always done together. Stu packed smarter than I did. He brought a Continue Reading »

My Personal Experience at Pardes

Posted on March 3, 2014 by Eileen Gamzuletova

Once I finally arrived home, after twenty seven hours travelling time, my mother asked me, “What was the best thing you gained out of your time at Pardes?” to which I answered, “A sense of belonging.” Upon completing my formal education in a Modern Orthodox and Zionist school, Mount Scopus College, and commencing life in Continue Reading »

[Alumni Guest Post] Pardes didn’t change my life

Posted on February 10, 2014 by Vicki Raun

Alum Vicki Raun (Year ’11, Fellows ’12) continues to study at Pardes in the evenings, and this is her personal reflection: Pardes didn’t change my life and I don’t expect it to in the future. Which is why I continue to take classes and attend Night Seder. Yes, I moved 7,626 miles [according to Google] Continue Reading »