Musings from Students of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem
Posted on July 14, 2015 by Rachel Opatowsky
There is something about Pardes, genuinely… inspiring. Not only are the teachers animating and knowledgeable, but the material is rich and ever-evolving. We are delving into the text of our ancestors and the books of our people. I became artistically stimulated during one of the sessions of Family Relationships in Genesis with Howard Markose when Continue Reading »
Posted on May 30, 2014 by Eva Neuhaus
Here are some reflections that I shared at the final community lunch of the year: “libun” is the process of making something kosher by heating it to a high temperature. “libun” means “to whiten” and refers to heating metal until it grows white; it also means “to purify.” studying talmud this year was like taking Continue Reading »
Posted on February 22, 2014 by Carolyn Gerecht
This year, studying in the Pardes Center for Jewish Educators’ Program for Experiential Jewish Education (PEEP) and Yeshiva University’s Certificate in Experiential Jewish Education, I’ve been fortunate to have had many, many opportunities to answer the question, “What exactly is Experiential Jewish Education?” Typically, I respond in a couple of short sentences. “Most people think Continue Reading »
Posted on February 1, 2014 by David Bogomolny
Aryeh Ben David once asked me, “What does it mean to be Jewish?” Reflecting upon this, I had some vague ideas, but had never much considered it. “The word Jew (יהודי) is derived from the name Judah (יהודה),” he answered himself, “which comes from the root ‘to thank’. So, for me, the essence of being a Continue Reading »
Posted on November 17, 2013 by Ben Schneider
This past week, I had the privilege of being a member of the Masa delegation to the Jewish Federations of North America General Assembly. The JFNA is the largest Jewish charity, and I believe the largest charity of its kind in the world, and its primary purpose is to raise money and distribute it in Continue Reading »
Posted on October 2, 2013 by The Director of Digital Media
From my blog: Post College learning is incomparable to undergrad. It’s not even a question. If I were to sum up my undergrad formalized learning experience in one word, honestly, I would use coasting. I kind of floated through my classes, tried just hard enough to make it by, and instead focused my efforts on Continue Reading »
Posted on September 3, 2013 by Stefanie Groner
From my blog last week: Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year. Now, this Jewish New Year, 5774, begins this Wednesday! Party! Last night, I went to my school’s open class and service on Selichot, the art of repentance. Jews tend to harp on this theme as we finish up one year and begin to focus Continue Reading »
Posted on June 20, 2013 by The Director of Digital Media
Lisa Bodziner is currently the special programs and curriculum coordinator at the Pearlstone Center. She received a Bachelor’s degree in comparative religions from the University of Wisconsin- Madison. She then lived in Israel for four years, receiving a Master’s Degree in Jewish Education from the Pardes Institude and Hebrew College; working at an Ethiopian restaurant Continue Reading »
Posted on June 3, 2013 by Ari Abelman
From my blog: It’s hard to believe, but my time in Israel is almost done. Two days from now, I’ll be in the air on my way home. And while I haven’t been the best about blogging here regularly, at the moment I feel like a little bit of reflection is in order. I’m going Continue Reading »
Posted on May 31, 2013 by Derek Kwait
When I spoke at Community Lunch yesterday, I only had an outline. This is the closest I can remember to what I actually said. Hi, my name’s Derek. I’m from Pittsburgh. I’m a Fellow here at Pardes, which means I’m in my second year, so if you have any questions about Pardes or Jerusalem, I’ll Continue Reading »
