They are leading and creating organizations and businesses of all kinds, responding to humanitarian crises, writing novels, educating at all levels, creating works of art, and so much more! In celebration of Pardes’s 50th, we are highlighting 50 standout alumni whose accomplishments exemplify the rich texture of the Pardes community worldwide.
This week, we are celebrating a couple who attended Pardes together, Rachel Barenbaum and Adam Kleinbaum!
Rachel Barenbaum is a critically acclaimed and award-winning writer based in Boston. Her novels include A BEND IN THE STARS and ATOMIC ANNA. They focus on Jewish characters navigating immigration, language, and assimilation among other themes.
Learn more about Rachel and her writing here.
Adam Kleinbaum is a professor at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, where he teaches leadership and organizational behavior.
WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE CLASS AT PARDES?
Rachel: My favorite class wasn’t really a class. It was the trips we took with Meir, and I loved them because he taught me to truly see the layers that make Israel the incredible place it is. They are messy layers but they are also beautiful and his passion for them truly inspires me.
Adam: Through my Talmud class with Aryeh Ben David, I went from seeing the Talmud as something magical that was not accessible to me to seeing it as magical and accessible.
CAN YOU SHARE A PARDES MEMORY?
Rachel: In 1998, I was part of a class discussion on the moment Eve offered Adam the apple. The teacher asked something approximating: “Why do so many people think it was bad to leave Eden?” As a class we then talked through how to think about and reframe the story, to think of it as the best thing that ever happened; that Eve was the one who had the courage to recognize that she and Adam needed to grow up and change. She was the leader. Adam needed help. The moment I heard that, my understanding of Torah, of text, and of religion changed.
Adam: The Pardes tiyyulim were a huge highlight for me. Meir Schweiger was an amazing madrich.
He showed us incredible things, and, most of all, his love for the land of Israel.
WHAT IS SOMETHING YOU DID FOR THE FIRST TIME AT PARDES?
Rachel: The first time I studied Jewish text was at Pardes.
Adam: Serious havruta learning.
WHAT DOES THE JEWISH WORLD NEED MOST RIGHT NOW?
Rachel: Jewish communities need to be discussing the rise of anti-Semitism and what that means for our children, our futures, and for Israel.
Adam: Pluralism. And not only the Jewish world needs it!
IF YOU COULD HAVE ANY SHABBAT GUEST, WHO WOULD IT BE?
Rachel: Hannah Arendt, Gertrude Stein, and Gloria Steinem.
WHAT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF IN YOUR WORK?
Adam: Through a travel course that I pioneered, I’ve brought nearly 200 MBA students from all over the world to visit Israel for the first time. They’ve seen the good, the bad, and the ugly (including the massive pro-democracy / anti-government protests during our last visit in March,) but invariably came away seeing Israel as more than the headlines they were familiar with in the international newspapers.
HOW DOES PARDES CONTINUE TO AFFECT YOU TODAY?
Rachel: My year at Pardes really taught me to love big, loud Shabbat dinners and they have become my favorite part of the week.
Adam: My time at Pardes helped me figure out how to incorporate Shabbat observance into my life in a serious, meaningful way. I think about that and appreciate it literally every week.