Musings from Students of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem
Posted on March 31, 2015 by Bonnie Houghton
Pardes in Turkey, March 29th Sunday – With a warm gray sky contrasting the green rolling hills of Istanbul, this morning we headed bleary-eyed and smiling into our final day of this amazing experience. Having said or written tearful goodbyes to our home stay hosts, we returned to our home synagogue of Etz Ahayim to Continue Reading »
Posted on March 30, 2015 by Ariela Haim
Today was our 5th day in Istanbul with the warm and welcoming Turkish Jewish community. For the majority of us, it was our first Shabbat in Istanbul and a rather interesting experience considering that the majority of us were also not familiar with Sephardi prayer services and keeping Shabbat without an eruv. But despite these Continue Reading »
Posted on March 30, 2015 by Myra Meskin
After spending a few days getting to know the Jewish community here in Istanbul, we went today to the Jewish old age home, to hear their stories and to sing with them. Although we met one resident who spoke wonderful English and who told us about her studies in America and her time as a Continue Reading »
Posted on March 27, 2015 by Tmima Shupack
Today at 4:55am I was ushered into my day by the Muslim call to prayer from the bed of my home stay in Istanbul. This was the perfect beginning to my day, as I and the whole of our group needed to be ready at 5:30am to board the bus that would take us to Continue Reading »
Posted on March 27, 2015 by Geo Poor
The chuppah travels down the isle, carried by the youth of Istanbul. Dozens of people walk with it, surrounding it on all sides as if they would prop it up with their tightly-packed selves – many shoulders for the chuppah to lean on. On each side, the crowd, parted like the Red Sea, stands cheering Continue Reading »
Posted on March 26, 2015 by Loren Berman
Today brought me back to my days as a Nitzanim (4th/5th grade) counselor at Camp Ramah in California. I am not the only one on our trip with youth group leadership experience, so I am sure others felt similarly. We did our best to bring lots of energy to the young Turkish students in order Continue Reading »
Posted on March 25, 2015 by Maya Zinkow
At our first Turkey Team meeting, Levi charged us with the magnitude of our trip, pumping us up for what he ensured would be a meaningful, fulfilling, and, yes, exhausting trip. Weeks later, we have arrived — our bags full of lesson plans, song sheets, divrei Torah, and even some Pesach goodies for the Turkish Continue Reading »
Posted on March 23, 2015 by Geo Poor
My favorite service of the whole year is Hallel, a special service we add to certain holidays and to the seder. Hallel has a strange structure. It starts out by saying we are commanded to praise God. Why would be commanded to praise? Does praise really even count if it is not done by choice? Continue Reading »
Posted on February 2, 2014 by Tobias Moss
I had done my share of Mt. Uludag research. Greek mythology had deemed it as one of several mountains named ‘Mt. Olympus.’ Specifically, it was from Uludag that Zeus had the privilege to watch one of the world’s great battles, Troy. In modern times, Zeus’ domain had been reappropriated as a modern expensive ski resort. Continue Reading »
Posted on January 28, 2014 by Hirsch Fishman
by Debra Weiner, Pardes Staff I have lived in Israel for over 20 year yet had never visited Turkey – only 2 hours away yet worlds apart. When I heard that a group of students would be traveling to Turkey with Rabbi Levi Cooper, I jumped at the chance to travel with them. I had Continue Reading »
