Pardes Faculty
Books by Pardes Faculty
Rabbi Elisha Ancselovits
Faculty Member, Advanced Talmud
Rabbi Ancselovits received advanced rabbinic ordination from Yeshiva University, holds a MA in Modern Jewish Studies from Touro College, and studied Medieval Jewish History at Yeshiva University,'s Bernard Revel Graduate School. Rabbi Ancselovits teaches the Semikha Kollel at Yeshivat Maale Gilboa. He also teaches Halakhic Thought and Ethics at Maale Gilboa and at Midreshet Ein HaNatziv. Rabbi Ancselovits has published a number of articles in Israeli journals that develop his method of Halakhah as rigorous common sense, and is a coordinator of the Beit Midrash le-Tzedek Hevrati in HaiMdrasha of Oranim, a college of education that is part of the secular kibbutz movement.
Rahel Berkovits
Faculty Member, Mishna, Talmud, and Halakha
Ms. Berkovits holds a BA in Religion from Barnard College, studied at Midreshet Lindenbaum as a Bruriah Scholar, and participated for seven years in the Shalom Hartman Institute's Beit Midrash program. She is currently finishing a MA from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Ms. Berkovits is an active member of Kolech, The Religious Women's Forum, and has lectured and written for the Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance in New York. She also teaches for Ta Shma, a pluralistic learning environment where educators from different denominational backgrounds co-teach diverse groups of students.
Dr. Bernstein holds a BA and MA in History and a PhD in Religious Education from New York University. He also attended Yeshivat HaMivtar. Dr. Bernstein has been the Dean of Pardes since 1998. Previously, he was the director of Midreshet Lindenbaum, popularly known as Brovender's, for 12 years. Dr. Bernstein was a Jerusalem Fellow at the Mandel School for Jewish Education in Jerusalem from 1996-1998. Before making Aliyah in 1984, Dr. Bernstein was the director of informal education at the Ramaz Upper School in New York City, where he created and taught an integrated course in world and Jewish history.
"At the end of the year, we asked students to take the same placement exam that they had taken at the beginning of the year. For each student, there was a dramatic improvement in his or her ability to deal with classic texts."
Avital Campbell Hochstein
Faculty Member, Talmud
Ms. Campbell Hochstein has a BA from the Hebrew University in Talmud, and participated in the Humanities Honors program. She is currently doing graduate work in Talmudic literature. Ms. Campbell Hochstein's special interest is the nature of the Talmudic argument, and the culture of the rabbinic sages. She is a Young research fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute, and has been in adult Jewish education for close to 15 years, focusing mainly on teaching Talmud. In addition to Pardes, Ms. Campbell Hochstein has also taught at the Shalom Hartman Institute and Kolot: The Center for Women's and Gender Studies.
Levi Cooper,
Faculty Member and Director of Advanced Programs
Rabbi Cooper holds an LLB and LLM from Bar Ilan University, and is a member of the Israel Bar Association. He studied with Chabad, as well as in the Shaalvim Hesder Yeshiva, and received rabbinic ordination from the Beit HaDin HaRabbani HaGadol in Jerusalem. Rabbi Cooper served in the Israel Defense Force's Golani Brigade, and is an active member of the Tzohar rabbis organization, which strives to create positive relationships between rabbis and the broader Israeli public. Rabbi Cooper is the author of numerous articles in Judaic studies, has written various workbooks and other educational materials for use in high schools, and publishes a weekly column in the Jerusalem Post entitled , "World of the Sages," which is distributed in a weekly Pardes email newsletter. He also teaches at Midreshet Lindenbaum, and is a historian and educator with university-age yeshiva students on Heritage Seminars in Poland. Rabbi Cooper is the rabbi of the Kehillat HaTzur VeHaTzohar synagogue in Tzur Hadassah, a mixed religious and secular neighborhood outside Jerusalem. He teaches Talmud, Philosophy of Halakha, Tanakh, and Hassidut at Pardes.
Yaffa Epstein,
Faculty, Director of Overseas Education
Yaffa Epstein is pursuing a Masters Degree in Talmud from Bar Ilan University, And has studied in the Pardes Advanced Scholars Program and the Advanced Talmud Institute at Matan. Ms. Epstein holds a Law Degree from Bar Ilan University and has been a member of the Israeli Bar since 2003. Ms. Epstein teaches Rabbinics, Prayer and Contemporary Halakha courses at Pardes and at the Muss Institute for Israel Programs SIACH, and is part of the Distance Learning Program of the Lookstein Center and a member of the faculty at Ta Shma. She has taught on the Shalem Program at Young Judaea and as a Scholar in Residence for Hillel.
Rabbi Baruch Feldstern
Senior Faculty Member, Tanakh and Midrash
Dr. Feldstern holds a BA in Philosophy and Psychology, an EdM in Philosophy of Education from Temple University, and an MHL, PhD in Midrash and rabbinic ordination from the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York. Rabbi Feldstern's doctorate was on a thirteenth-century commentary to the book of Genesis produced in the illustrious Jewish community of Aleppo, Syria. His dissertation straddled the fields of Midrash and medieval Biblical exegesis, which are among the subjects that he teaches at Pardes.
Rachel Furst
Faculty Member, Talmud
Rachel Furst is pursuing doctoral studies in Medieval Jewish History at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. She received a BA from Barnard College and an MA from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and is a graduate of the Advanced Talmud Institute at Matan. Ms. Furst teaches Talmud at Pardes, Matan and Ulpanat Amit-Noga.
Hindy Ginsberg
Faculty Member, Tefilah
Hindy Ginsberg holds a B.A. from Bar Ilan University in Education and Talmud, as well as a teacher's certificate in Oral Law. She is currently pursuing her Masters degree in Talmud at Bar Ilan University, where her thesis explores the differences in Halakhic positions on the usage of birth control in Israel and the United States. She has learned at Torah institutions all over Israel, and is currently studying in Matan's Advanced Talmud Program. Ms. Ginsberg teaches Daf Yomi at Matan and Tefillah at Pardes.
Rabbi Reuven Grodner
Faculty Member, Talmud
Rabbi Grodner was ordained by Yeshiva University's Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary, where he studied under Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik. He served for over 18 years as a pulpit rabbi. Rabbi Grodner is the author of several books including Shabbat: A Day of Delight, and The Spirit of Mishnaic Law: Tractate Berachot. In addition to teaching at Pardes, he is the director of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem's Beit Midrash program.
Rabbi Zvi Grumet
Faculty Member, Tanakh and Pedagogy
Rabbi Grumet holds a BA in Computer Science from Brooklyn College, a MA in Jewish Education and a Specialist's Certificate in Educational Administration from Yeshiva University's Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration, and rabbinic ordination from Yeshiva University's Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary. Prior to his Aliyah, Rabbi Grumet taught and was an administrator in American yeshiva high schools for 18 years. He has published numerous articles on education and Tanakh, and lectures in a wide variety of adult-education programs. Rabbi Grumet is also the Tanakh coordinator at Yeshivat Eretz Hatzvi, and a member of the educational team at the Lookstein Center of the School of Education at Bar Ilan University.
Dr. Meesh Hammer-Kossoy
Faculty Member, Talmud, and Director of Admissions
Dr. Hammer-Kossoy has an AB in Near Eastern and Judaic Studies from Brandeis University, and a MA and PhD from New York University. Her dissertation explored the courageous manner in which the rabbis of the Talmud created a new criminal punishment system. Dr. Hammer-Kossoy is also a graduate of NATIV, Pardes, Midreshet Lindenbaum, MaTaN, Drisha, and ATID. She has received many fellowships including Lady Davis, National Foundation for Jewish Culture, Memorial Foundation, ATID. Dr. Hammer-Kossoy has also taught at NYU, Drisha, and Midreshet Lindenbaum, and currently teaches Talmud at Pardes.
Michael Hattin
Faculty Member, Chumash
Michael Hattin holds a BA in Architecture from the University of Toronto, and is completing Semicha at Yeshivat Har Etzion Advanced Talmudic College, Alon Shvut. Michael Hattin is also a lecturer in Halacha at Midreshet Lindenbaum in Jerusalem, and authors the weekly online publications Introduction to Parasha and Lessons on Prophets for the Virtual Beit Midrash of Yeshivat Har Etzion, reaching a combined readership of several thousand people. Prior to making Aliyah, he served as Director of Adult Education/Outreach for Golf Manor Synagogue of Cincinnati, Ohio, and he continues to lecture as a scholar-in-residence at various synagogues and Jewish organizations in North America.
Rabbi Zvi Hirschfield
Faculty, Talmud
Rabbi Hirschfield holds a MA from Harvard University in Medieval and Modern Jewish Thought, and has studied at Yeshivat Har Etzion in Israel. He was the director of Judaica at the JCC of Cleveland, and an instructor at the Cleveland College of Jewish Studies for many years. He also serves as the director of education for the Nesiya Institute.
Rabbi Alex Israel,
Faculty, Tanakh
Rabbi Israel has a BSc from the London School of Economics a PGCE from London's Institute of Education, and is working on a MA in Talmud at Bar Ilan University. He studied and taught at Yeshivat Har Etzion Advanced Talmudic College and received rabbinic ordination from the Israeli Rabbinate. Rabbi Israel has taught at Midreshet Harova and Midreshet Lindenbaum. He currently teaches at Pardes, Yeshivat Eretz Hatzvi, and Michlelet Emunah. He is a Rabbi of Tzohar, an organization promoting dialogue and improved relations between religious and secular Israelis. He blogs and sends weekly Parsha emails to many hundreds of readers around the globe
Rabbi Jonathan Kelsen
Faculty Member, Talmud
Rabbi Kelsen, a graduate of the Pardes Advanced Learning Seminar, received rabbinic ordination from R. Zalman Nechemyah Goldberg of the Beit HaDin HaRabbani HaGadol in Jerusalem. He holds a BA in History from the University of Pennsylvania, and is pursuing a Master's degree in Jewish Studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He has taught Torah in formal and informal contexts in Israel, North America, and the Former Soviet Union.
Rabbi James Jacobson-Maisels
Faculty, Jewish Mysticism
Rabbi James Jacobson-Maisels holds a BA in Philosophy and Judaic Studies from Brown University and an M.St. in Modern Jewish Studies from Balliol College the University of Oxford. He studied at the Conservative Yeshiva, the Hartman Institute of Jewish Studies, and in the Advanced Learning Seminar at Pardes and received rabbinic ordination from Rabbi Daniel Landes. He is currently pursuing a PhD at the University of Chicago in Jewish Studies specializing in Jewish mysticism. He has taught in a variety of settings in America and Israel on Judaism and Jewish Mysticism.
Rabbi Jacobson-Maisels is the Blaustein Scholar at Pardes during the spring 2008 semester. He is teaching a course on Kabbalah during this spring, and during fall 2007 he taught a course that explores three foundational models in medieval Jewish thought. The Blaustein Scholars Program was established by a generous grant from the Jacob and Hilda Blaustein Foundation of Baltimore to support scholars and courses that reflect a liberal approach to Jewish sources.
Judy Klitsner
Senior Faculty Member
Ms. Klitsner is a senior faculty member at the Pardes Institute for Jewish Studies, where she teaches courses in Bible and Biblical Exegesis. Judy has inspired students since 1990 with her love and enthusiasm for the Biblical text, and has empowered them with the skills needed to interpret the text independently. Many of her students - now teachers themselves - apply her methods in schools across the United States. Ms. Klitsner is the author of several articles on Biblical themes, and is currently working on a book based on her original insights into the Bible. Ms. Klitsner lectures to diverse and multi-denominational audiences in Israel, the U.S., and Great Britain.
Dov Laimon
Instructor, Scribal Arts
Rabbi Laimon has a BA in English Literature from the University of Saskatchewan, rabbinic ordination from the Bostoner Rebbe, and is a Certified Sofer (scribe). Rabbi Laimon was born and bred in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan in Canada. He teaches a course in Scribal Arts that combines mystical insight, legal requirements, and traditional calligraphy.
Rabbi Daniel Landes
Director and Rosh HaYeshiva
Rabbi Landes has been described as a "remarkable teacher who weaves the insights of his students together through a group process, in order to discover fascinating new meanings in age-old texts." As Director and Rosh HaYeshiva of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies, he heads a team of outstanding scholars who are well-known for their use of unique educational methodology that combine independent thinking and deep understanding with sensitivity to contemporary relevance.
Rabbi Landes was a founding faculty member and Director of Educational Projects at the Simon Wiesenthal Center, and a professor of Ethics and Values at Yeshiva University of Los Angeles. He taught Jewish Law at Loyola Law School, and was a faculty member at prominent think tanks such as The RAND Corporation, and major Jewish educational institutions such as the Brandeis-Bardin Institute and CLAL. Rabbi Landes remains a long-term faculty member of the Wexner Foundation and serves on the educational advisory committee of Taglit-birthright Israel.
Rabbi Landes has lectured at the rabbinic seminaries of all major denominations. He is well-known for his struggle to create Jewish unity. In America his synagogue in Los Angeles, Bane-David Judaea, was known for Jewish inclusiveness, feminism, social action, and Halakhic observance. Rabbi Landes has written widely in the area of social ethics, theology and mysticism, and is the Jewish law commentator for the recent series, My People's Prayerbook, a multi-denominational effort.
"By setting a standard of religious sensitivity and textual study, the impact of Pardes will be felt way beyond its walls."
Rabbi David Levin-Kruss
Faculty Member and Director of Special Programs
Rabbi Levin-Kruss holds a BA and Teachers' Certification in English Literature and Jewish Thought from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, attended Pardes, and has rabbinic ordination from the Joseph Strauss Rabbinical Seminary. Previously, he served as the director of the overseas department at the Melitz Centers for Jewish Zionist Education, and as the community director of Stanmore Synagogue, in northwest London. Rabbi Levin-Kruss teaches Mishna and Jewish Thought at Pardes, and sees himself as a bridge between Jewish heritage and those seeking to connect or reconnect to that tradition.
Dr. Judy Markose
Director, Pardes Educators Program
Dr. Markose studied at JTS as an undergraduate, earned a BA from Barnard, an MSW from Hunter College School of Social Work, and an EdD from the University of Toronto. Her doctoral thesis studied teachers in a Jewish day school in Canada.
Dr. Markose served as the Director of the Ramah Israel Seminar for eight years, supervising 300 students and 50 staff members. Previously, she spent five years as the Director of High School Division of Ramah Programs in Israel, creating academic programs and interfaced with Jewish day schools in North America. Before making Aliyah, Dr. Markose was the principal of a congregational school, and Director of Camp Ramah in Canada.
Shulie Mishkin
Tour Guide and Educator
Ms. Mishkin is a renowned tour guide and educator with a MA in Jewish History. She gives tours and classes in Jerusalem and all over Israel for families and institutions.
Tovah Leah Nachmani
Faculty Member, Chumash
Ms. Nachmani holds a BA in Judaic Studies from Indiana University and Certification in Tanach and Jewish Thought from the Michlelet Herzog Seminary in Gush Etzion. Ms. Nachmani teaches Mishna at Pardes and guides an experiential learning program for mothers and daughters of Bat Mitzva age at the Women's Beit Midrash in Efrat, where she previously taught Tefila and Jewish Thought. Ms. Nachmani was involved in Jewish education for many years with her husband Gabi in "Livnot U'Lehibanot" (To Build and Be Built) in Tzfat and Jerusalem. They co-edited the widely-used song book "Zemirot from Livnot".
Neima Novetsky
Faculty Member, Tanakh
Ms. Novetsky holds a BA in Religion and a Certificate in Language and Culture from Princeton University, and an MA in Bible from the Bernard Revel Graduate School of Yeshiva University. Prior to making Aliyah from New York, Ms. Novetsky founded and directed the Advanced Tanakh Beit Midrash Program at Lincoln Square Synagogue. She has taught at Midreshet Lindenbaum, the Ma'ayan Institute for Women, and the Princeton University Hillel, and has lectured on Biblical topics in various synagogues in both Israel and the States.
Leah Rosenthal
Senior Faculty Member, Talmud
Ms. Rosenthal has a BA in Talmud and Jewish Philosophy from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, where she is currently a MA candidate in Talmud. She is highly regarded by Talmud students for her meticulous examination of the structure of the Talmudic argument. She also teaches at the renowned Kerem Seminar of Humanistic Jewish Studies.
"For me, entering the world of serious Jewish learning is to discover how the demands of tradition and existential need have been reconciled in the past, and how we can begin to apply this understanding productively to our own world. The challenge and stimulation of making entryways into the world of Talmudic thought is invigorating and frustrating at once. The skills gained - and the process one undergoes while gaining them - cannot leave one unchanged and unaffected."
Rabbi Daniel Roth
Faculty Member, Chumash
Rabbi Roth studied for eight years at Yeshivat Har Etzion, where he received rabbinic ordination. He holds a BEd in Jewish Philosophy and Talmud from Herzog Teachers' College. Rabbi Roth is currently completing a MA in Talmud at Hebrew University, and working on his doctoral proposal on the relationship between Biblical and Talmudic conflicts and modern conflict resolution. He has been teaching Bible, Midrash, and Talmud at the Pardes Institute in Jerusalem since 2000.
Rabbi Meir Schweiger
Senior Faculty Member and Mashgiach Ruchani
Rabbi Schweiger has a BA in Mathematics and Physics from City College in New York. He did his advanced Jewish studies at Yeshiva University, Yeshivat Kerem B'Yavneh, and Yeshivat Har Etzion, receiving ordination from Rabbi Zalman Nehemiah Goldberg of Jerusalem. Rabbi Schweiger has taught at a number of men's and women's post-college institutions in Jerusalem. He has been a full-time faculty member at Pardes since 1977, and has taught more hours and classes than any one else on the staff. Rabbi Schweiger is a dynamic and inspiring speaker, known for his keen and profound insights into the text. He has taught Bible, Mishna, Talmud, and Halacha on every level, in addition to Parshat HaShavua in both English and Hebrew. In his role as Mashgiach Ruchani (Spiritual Guide) of Pardes, he is responsible for all extra-curricular programs and activities in the one-year program. Rabbi Schweiger has been the driving force of prayer services at Pardes, has planned and participated in almost every hike and Shabbaton, and is a constant presence in the Beit Midrash. For many alumni, he is the "heart and soul" of Pardes.
"Torah learning, first and foremost, should address the human personality and cultivate values and beliefs that will ultimately find expression in one's daily life."
Morey Shwartz is a graduate of Yeshiva University, with a Master's degree from the Bernard Revel Graduate School and ordination from the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary. Rabbi Shwartz teaches Mishna and History at Pardes and is the Curriculum Coordinator for the Hebrew University of Jerusalem Florence Melton Adult Mini-School Institute. Prior to coming on Aliya he served as regional director of the Upstate New York Region of NCSY and as rabbi of Congregation Beth Israel Abraham and Voliner, Overland Park, Kansas. Rabbi Shwartz is a licensed Mohel.
Rabbi Arie Strikovsky
Senior Faculty Member, Talmud
Rabbi Strikovsky holds a BA in Economics from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, a MA and PhD in Bible from Yeshiva University, and rabbinic ordination from Yeshivat HaDarom in Hebron. Rabbi Strikovsky is the most senior teacher at Pardes. Israeli-born, he studied with the great teachers of the yeshiva world, especially at the Hebron Yeshiva, as well as with Hassidic masters. Rabbi Strikovsky has written on every conceivable rabbinic, philosophical, and mystical topic, and has edited numerous works.
Dr. Susan Wall
Faculty Member, Pedagogy, and Pardes Educators Program Alumni Liaison
Dr. Wall holds a BA in English Literature from Temple University, a MS in Library Science from Drexel University, a DHL in Jewish Education from the Jewish Theological Seminary, and was a Jerusalem Fellow from 1982-85. Dr. Wall worked in numerous venues in Jewish education in North America, including supplementary schools, day schools, camps, youth movements, and teacher-training frameworks. Before making Aliyah in 1992, she served as principal of Ezra Academy, the Solomon Schechter day school serving the greater New Haven, Connecticut area. Prior to joining the Pardes staff in 2002, Dr. Wall taught Jewish Education at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem's Rothberg International School, and directed the Ramah Israel Institute, Ramah's short-term trip division from 1995-2001.
Rabbi Gideon Weitzman
Faculty Member, Philosophy
Rabbi Weitzman was ordained by the Israeli Chief Rabbinate and has taught in a variety of educational institutions. He founded the Kansas City Community Kollel and served as the first Rosh Kollel. Rabbi Weitzman currently teaches and is the head of the English-speaking section of the Puah Institute for Fertility and Gynecology in accordance with Halakha. He is the author of Sparks of Light -- Essays on the Weekly Torah Portions Based on the Philosophy of Rav Kook and In Those Days, At This Time - Essays on the Festivals Based on the Philosophy of Rav Kook.
Rabbi Zvi Wolff
Senior Faculty Member, Halakha
Rabbi Wolff holds a BA in English Literature from Columbia University, a MA in Jewish Studies from the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, and rabbinic ordination from Yeshivat HaKotel in Jerusalem. He has taught at Pardes since 1974, and has a talent for making the arcane accessible and presenting the intricacies of Jewish law with a sense of humor and a smile.
"We must be at once uncompromising in what we teach, and undemanding of those to whom we teach it. . . . Chazal were surely right when they told us that teachers learn most from their students. At Pardes, however, this goes even further. Many of our family's closest friends today are former students whom we got to know first by having them in our home for Shabbat meals."
Dr. Avivah Zornberg
Faculty Member, Tanakh
Dr. Zornberg holds a BA and PhD in English Literature from Cambridge University and studied Advanced Jewish Studies at Gateshead Seminary and the Jerusalem College for Women (Michlala). She has been teaching a Parshat Hashavua (weekly Torah portion) class since 1980. Dr. Zornberg has developed an original approach to the learning of Torah, weaving literary, psychological, and philosophical elements into her reading of the Biblical and Midrashic narrative. The richness implicit within the text is drawn out, connecting with the existential condition of the reader.
Dr. Zornberg lectures widely in the United States, Canada, and England, and is the author of two books: Genesis: The Beginning of Desire (JPS), which won the National Jewish Book Award in 1995, and The Particulars of Rapture: Reflections on Exodus (Doubleday), as well as several articles. She holds a visiting lectureship at the London School of Jewish Studies, an associate institution of London University. Dr. Zornberg appeared on the PBS series, 'Genesis: A Living Conversation,' with Bill Moyers.
"Learning involves deepening one's understanding of the text and of oneself - using each to illuminate the other."