eJP – A Journey of Discovery
Posted on October 28, 2020
Written by Magda Dorosz (Hillel Summer Program ’16) – I have sent 314 young Polish Jews to Israel on Birthright Israel since 2011, because the trip is among the most important Jewish experiences for young adults in Poland that impacts their future engagement. Hillel in Poland is now the leading provider of that trip. Birthright Continue Reading »
JWeekly.com – Your political opponent is not an idol worshipper
Posted on September 30, 2020
Written by Rabbi Leon Morris (President of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies) and Rabbi Zvi Hirschfield (Pardes Faculty) – Our ability to have civil conversations with the other side is deteriorating rapidly. The differences between the left and the right are an ever-widening gulf, and we are all deeply entrenched within communities that shield Continue Reading »
A Rosh Hashana Message from Rabbi Leon Morris, President
Posted on September 17, 2020
Dear Friends of Pardes, Today marks the end of the third week of classes here in Jerusalem, and the sense of miraculousness I felt as we first welcomed our students to Pardes on August 31st is still palpable. As the sounds of learning fill the beit midrash, dining room and the park next door, I Continue Reading »
eJP – Kids’ Mental Health Can’t be an Afterthought – Especially Not Now
Posted on September 14, 2020
Written by Carrie Bornstein (Year ’05-’06) – For months, teachers, parents, and administrators have been considering every element of the school day in preparation for reopening. The details are dizzying. Where will everyone sit on the school bus? Can we still use the water fountains? Who needs an iPad at home? How will our kids Continue Reading »
Times of Israel – How Rabbis of Yore Fought Plague with Temple Rite, Social Distancing
Posted on September 10, 2020
In this week’s Times of Israel podcast, we speak with Dr. Rabbi Levi Cooper about rabbinic responses to previous pandemics. From kabbalistic “front-line workers” to surprisingly sophisticated social distancing measures, ancient Jewish communities documented the steps they took to cope with pandemics over the centuries — and incredibly, many of the questions they had aren’t Continue Reading »
The Jewish Chronicle – In the eyes of the Torah, we are all the children of immigrants
Posted on September 8, 2020
Written by Benedict Roth (Year ’88-’89, Summer ’12, ’15) – The tension between narrower and more universal interpretation of the Torah is highlighted by a well-known verse in this week’s sidrah. Nowhere does the Jewish pendulum swing so rapidly from inclusiveness to xenophobia, from openness to suspicion, as it does at the start of this Continue Reading »
Alumni News – Alyssa Silva, a Houston Hillel Professional Expands Role
Posted on September 7, 2020
Alyssa Silva (PEEP ’18-’19, Communications Fellow ’19, WLI ’20) recently assumed a new role – assistant executive director at Houston Hillel. Silva arrived at Houston Hillel one year ago as director of Jewston, Houston Hillel’s community for Jewish twentysomethings (graduate students and young professionals). Silva will continue as Houston Hillel’s lead professional for Jewston, but Continue Reading »
Pardes Launches New Learning App
Posted on August 27, 2020
JERUSALEM – In 2005, Pardes launched Pardes in Jerusalem, which has been among the most highly rated Jewish podcast series on iTunes. It has been published weekly ever since. In 2013 Pardes launched Elmad, a highly comprehensive online learning platform that has grown tremendously over the last seven years. Today, Pardes is excited to unveil Continue Reading »
After 16 Years of Service, a Difficult Farewell to Chef David Berman and Gail Kirschner
Posted on August 27, 2020
As we enter a new year fraught with unknowns, Pardes is sad to announce that our in-house food services, which have been led for 16 years by our chef extraordinaire, David Berman, will be discontinued. David Berman has always been far more than a chef. He has cultivated deep relationships with staff and students and Continue Reading »
eJewishPhilanthropy – Nurturing the Individual and the Collective: Lessons from a Summer of Mentorship
Posted on August 25, 2020
By Samantha Vinokor-Meinrath (PCJE ’14-’15, Lo BaShamayim Hee ’17) – Like all of my fellow educators, I had a to do list in mind for Summer 2020. I was going to sit on my floor surrounded by neon index cards and thoughtfully rework my leadership development content for the year to come. I was going Continue Reading »