The Jerusalem Post - Education Supplement

THE ISRAEL EXPERIENCE - Educational supplement

Kibbutz Lotan Pardes Bar Ilan University A Still Small Voice Ascent Empire University of Haifa Livnot U'Lehibanot Nishmat Boston University Ulpan Akiva Rothberg International School of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies

	For over 25 years, the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem has set the standard of creative Jewish learning by offering a mix of intellectual openness, rigorous textual analysis and opportunities for personal spiritual growth. Pardes provides adults from a wide variety of backgrounds with the tools to gain access to the classic texts of the Jewish tradition and fosters the desire to claim this tradition for themselves. What Makes Pardes Exceptional? Excellence: Our philosophy is rigorous Torah study for its own sake. Our focus is not degrees, credits or grades. But we will give you the skills to encounter your Tradition, and take part in a conversation spanning almost 4000 year. Learning in traditional havruta (study pairs) you will engage classic texts while acquiring the language of your ancestors. Openness: Pardes is not affiliated with any denomination. We encourage the creative tension between traditional and innovative trends in Judaism. We create a safe haven for students to hear and test new options, feeling their way toward their own synthesis of Jewish life without feeling judged or pigeonholed. Coeducation: Pardes fosters an environment of intellectual and spiritual equality for men and women of differing backgrounds. Together, we share as students and as teachers in the classroom, beit midrash and at the Shabbat table. Community Service: Although learning begins in the beit midrash, it doesnít end there. Our students volunteer one afternoon a week, doing serious acts of community service. Our service projects help integrate you into Israeli society by having you share in the responsibility of tikkun olam (healing the world). Zionism: Viewing Israel as a fundamental component of contemporary Judaism, Pardes students tour the land, encounter Israelis and attend seminars exploring vital issues facing the State. Pardes is dedicated to strengthening Israel-Diaspora ties. Quotes about Pardes "By setting a standard of religious sensitivity and textual study, the impact of Pardes is felt way beyond its walls". Rabbi Danny Landes, Director of Pardes "Pardes presents Judaism with a refreshing intellectual honesty - the difficult parts are not rationalized or avoided, and as a result the depth and power can be fully experienced." Daniel Hoffman, Klezmer violinist, Berkeley, CA "The Jewish studies at Pardes not only heightened my sense intellectually, but have also prepared me for entering the business world. I have never encountered such a love for learning combined with an honest pursuit of truths as I did at Pardes." Richard Rabkin, Law Student, Vancouver Canada "I came to Pardes to study, and in one summer I learned the basics of how to study Jewish texts ñ a whole vocabulary, methodology and practical techniques to begin on a life long path of learning. " Michelle Wolfson, Doctoral Candidate in English, University of California at Berkeley "The Pardes faculty have been the most extraordinary teachers, in the truest sense of the word, that I have encountered throughout my education, which has included attending the finest preparatory schools and a top-rated liberal arts college in America." John Fishman is studying in the Rabbinical program of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies P.O. Box 8575 91084 Jerusalem, Israel tel. 972-2-673-5210, fax 972-2-673-5160 email: pardesinst@netmedia.net.il American Pardes Foundation 136 East 39th Street New York, NY 10016 tel. 212-447-4333 fax 212-447-4315 e-mail: pardesusa@aol.com http://www.pardes.org.il
	Back to previous page...