Alumni Articles

eJP – The Pardes Mahloket Matters Fellowship

Posted on March 7, 2021

Written by Rabbi Mike Uram (Chief Vision and Education Officer of Pardes North America, Year ’99-’00) – Guided by the belief that Jewish texts and their diverse interpretations can empower us to engage more constructively in disagreements today, I, along with my colleagues at the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies, am thrilled to announce the 31 inaugural Continue Reading »

Times of Israel – Extending the Branches of Jewish Education

Posted on February 21, 2021

This article was written by Rabbi Aaron Finkelstein (Year ’03-’04) – For the last few years before Covid, part of my role as a school rabbi was offering learning opportunities for parents. I’ve offered classes/shiurim after morning drop off, a club for parents and children to practice putting on Tefillin, and even a scotch and steak Continue Reading »

eJP – Professional Development as a Catalyst for Community Change

Posted on February 21, 2021

This article was written by Clare Goldwater (Year ’91-’93) – January 2020, Montreal: It is snowing and freezing cold. The words “COVID-19” don’t mean anything to us yet. Twenty-four Jewish educators gather at a camp in the beautiful Laurentian mountains of Quebec to kick off the Passport to Jewish Life Fellowship. They are here to Continue Reading »

Times of Israel – Pardes Alum Evan Wolkenstein Wins Jewish Children’s Book Award

Posted on January 27, 2021

Pardes alum M. Evan Wolkenstein (Year ’98-’99, Fellow ’99-’00, PCJE ’00-’02, Summer ’04, ’05) won the Sydney Taylor Book Awards for the best in Jewish children’s literature in the category of middle school, for his book Turtle Boy. This book is also #1 on Amazon’s Jewish Children Fiction list. The Times of Israel story was Continue Reading »

Three Pardes Alumni Named Fellows for UpStart Change Accelerator Program

Posted on January 18, 2021

Pardes alumni Rachel Eisen (Summer ’12), Cara Gold (PCJCR ’12) and Laura Schuchart (Year ’12, PCJE ’13) were three of the 52 individuals named as part of four nations cohorts of  UpStart’s Change Accelerator Program. This year, UpStart leveraged the application data to design cohorts focused on emerging challenges and trends in Jewish life: The Continue Reading »

Jweekly.com – The irrelevance of day school Jewish studies, and how to fix the problem

Posted on January 18, 2021

Written by Micha Levin (PCJE ’07-’09, Summer ’10, ’11) – At his last appearance at Kehillah Jewish High School before his death, San Francisco Jewish philanthropist Warren Hellman quoted New York Jewish philanthropist Michael Steinhardt: “Day school education has failed.” I was a highly dedicated Jewish studies teacher at the time and was shocked by Continue Reading »

eJP – Havruta Learning: Torah at Its Best

Posted on January 13, 2021

Written by Sherwin Pomerantz (Israel Board Chair of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies) – Ben Lusher’s recent article on investing in Jewish learning at Moishe House brought back some good memories for me. During my 20 years in Chicago before Aliyah 37 years ago, I had the privilege of serving as Chair of the Continue Reading »

eJP – Scaling Small for Deep Impact

Posted on January 7, 2021

Written by Rabbi Benjamin Berger (Summer ’01, ’03) – While Gen Z, those born after 1995, are often known for being “digital natives,” like all humans before them they overwhelmingly crave in-person connection. Their adolescent digital lives are often disrupted  in college by  life-changing interactions, which we all recall from our own college experiences. Face-to-face Continue Reading »

eJP – The Development of the Organized Jewish Philanthropic Community in the United States

Posted on January 7, 2021

Written by Yisrael (Stephen) Donshik (PLS ’15, ’16, ’17, ’19, hourly for many years) – Many people have wanted to know more about the development of the organized Jewish community in the United States and how the Jewish federation became a one-stop address for raising funds, providing local services, and meeting overseas needs. Yet, it Continue Reading »

Pardes Alumna Robin Mencher (Year ’96-’97) is New Executive Director of Jewish Family & Community Services East Bay.

Posted on January 6, 2021

This announcement was published on Jweekly.com and written by Alix Wall. Pardes Alumna Robin Mencher (Year ’96-’97) has been named the new executive director of Jewish Family & Community Services East Bay, replacing outgoing director Avi Rose. Given that Robin Mencher describes herself as “fairly low-risk and conservative in making decisions,” one might assume that Continue Reading »