Israel at War 2023: Updates from Pardes

Torah and Community: Lights Shining through the Darkness

On October 7, 2023 Hamas terrorists entered Israel from Gaza, committing devastating atrocities that have horrified the world. Many, including children and elderly, were murdered while hostages were taken, including Hersh Goldberg-Polin, the son of Pardes staff member Rachel Goldberg. Active soldiers and reservists have been called to the front, many of them related to the staff and faculty at Pardes. Across the world, Jewish communities are shocked, in pain, and feeling terror for the safety of their loved ones. 

Yet, despite this fear, we have not been silent, hiding ourselves away. Instead, Jewish communities and organizations have been coming together, gathering in solidarity and support for one another.

Since October 7 and throughout the ensuing war, we have seen a beautiful outpouring of love from the Pardes family, as alumni and friends reach out to those of us in Israel and gather for Torah learning and support. In Israel, the Torah learning at Pardes continues uninterrupted, with students of our Year Program filling the Beit Midrash, celebrating Rosh Hodesh, and doing great deeds to help others during this time of darkness.

Still here,
Still learning,
Still together.

Come Together

Pardes alumni across the world are coming together as a community to find strength in studying Torah and support one another during the current crisis.

If you are interested in organizing an alumni gathering, please contact Jordyn Steifman.

Prayer List

We are praying for all those civilians and soldiers who have been injured to experience a complete healing.  We also pray for the brave members of the Israel Defense Forces called to serve, and particularly have in mind the following soldiers who are a part of our extended Pardes family.

View our prayer list here.

Send Notes of Chizuk

Our staff and faculty in Israel have been deeply touched by the outpouring of support they have received from Pardesniks across the world. We have created a form to better facilitate the sending of notes to them. If you’d like to send a note, please use the form below. 

Send notes to the Pardes Israel team.

Bring Hersh Home

On October 7, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, son of Pardes staff member and alumna Rachel Goldberg and Jonathan Polin, was taken hostage by Hamas during the attack at the Nova Music Festival near Kibbutz Reim in Southern Israel. During the attack, Hersh was injured, losing a portion of his left arm, and he is in dire need of medical attention. Pardes stands with Rachel and Jonathan during this difficult time.

Learn more about the campaign to bring Hersh home.

Listen to an interview with Rachel on “What Matters Now.”

Watch Rachel’s powerful speech to the United Nations.

Uninterrupted Torah Study

At Pardes, we believe that Torah study can be a source of strength and comfort during a crisis.

The Pardes Beit Midrash is still illuminated with the voices of Torah study as Year Program students and faculty continue to study Torah. Alumni and friends are also learning together, both with alumni gatherings and through online learning opportunities.

Video Messages

Our Existential Fear
R. Leon Morris

On Trauma
R. Brent Chaim Spodek

Is God with Us?
R. Brent Chaim Spodek

Email Signoffs During Crisis
R. Jess Minnen

Wisdom on Survivor’s Guilt 
Faith Leener

Articles

Thanks for Asking… 
Judy Klitsner
In a letter to a friend, Judy Klitsner responds to the question so many in the Diaspora are asking, “How can we help?”
Read Now

Holy Darkness
Rabbi Dr. Levi Cooper
While acknowledging the challenge in doing so, Rabbi Dr. Levi Cooper invites us to seek the glow of holiness in darkness, with a Hasidic perspective on winter.
Read Now

Tell the World I Will Not Go
Jackie Frankel Yaakov
Pardes Director of Leadership Gifts Jackie Frankel Yaakov shares her personal and emotional account of being an Israeli-American in Israel during this time.
Read Now

The Shock of a Dark Shabbat That Should Have Been Joyful
Sophie Gregoire Weill
Current Pardes student Sophie Gregoire Weill recounts her experience of preparing for Simchat Torah just as the news begin to hit.
Read Now

Embracing Our Soldiers
Rabbi Dr. Levi Cooper
While acknowledging the challenge in doing so, Rabbi Dr. Levi Cooper invites us to seek the glow of holiness in darkness, with a Hasidic perspective on winter.
Read Now

Podcasts

Torah for Tough Times: A 3-Part Series
Rabbi Dr. Levi Cooper
While left reeling from the pain of this tragedy, many of us are wondering, how do we pray during a time such as this? What guidance does the Torah have for us during such tough times?
Listen Now

We Are at War
Rav Mike Feuer
Rav Mike has a conversation with Rav Aaron Leibowitz to discuss  some of the questions raised by the war in Israel. How did we get here, how do we handle it, and where are we headed?
Listen Now

Healing, Vision, and Action
Rav Mike Feuer
Rav Mike and the Virtual Rabbi, Rabbi Johnny Solomon, discuss how we can be there for one another and provide support to those who have experienced tragedy.
Listen Now

Pidyon Shvuyim: Redeeming Captives
Rabbi Dr. Levi Cooper
As the Jewish world waits and prays for news of the over 200 hostages held by Hamas, the Maggid of Melbourne takes an in-depth look into the mitzvah of pidyon shvuyim, redeeming captives, in a new podcast series.
Listen Now

Torah as a Light Lecture Series

The Torah as a Light Lecture Series is an online opportunity for the Pardes community to gather on Mondays and Thursdays to study Torah together throughout the crises.

Click here to learn more and register to attend an upcoming session. 

Torah as a Light

Please note: The Community Education Fall series will be holding classes online through Zoom during the current crisis. Please contact Debra Weiner at ce@pardes.org.il for more information.

Dating back to the days of Ezra, the Jewish people have gathered as a community on Mondays and Thursdays to share in words of Torah. Embracing this tradition during a time where community is so vital, we will be gathering each Monday and Thursday for Torah learning.

Each gathering will begin with a brief update from Pardes in Jerusalem, followed by learning dedicated to the loved ones of members of our community who have been called into army service.

Learn more and sign up for upcoming sessions

Standing Together as a Community

Pardesniks are gathering together as a caring community to support one another during these difficult times. In Jerusalem, students are coming together to pray in the Pardes Beit Midrash while giving each other strength, while also engaging in a variety of community service activities. Abroad, Pardes alumni and friends have been organizing gatherings to hold space for one another and, of course, engage in Torah study. 

Follow Pardes on Facebook or Instagram to see more pictures, watch videos, and read stories of how the Pardes family is coming together as a community.

If you would like to organize an alumni community gathering, please contact Jordyn Steifman at jordyn@pardes.org.

Praying With Our Feet

Over a quarter million people from across North America gathered in Washington DC on Tuesday for the March for Israel.

We were touched to see the many Pardes staff, faculty, board members, and alumni who came out to stand in solidarity with Israel and against antisemitism. 
Pardes students visited Tzur Hadassah for the second time to help families of miluim soldiers.

Students helped by playing with kids, making dinner, folding laundry, doing dishes, and creating art projects.
Group volunteering at the nursing home neighboring Pardes has again picked up; the intergenerational singing and dancing lifted the spirits of all those present!
Several of our students are quietly and steadfastly continuing to run point on key projects in service of larger communal needs.

One student receives a daily list of items needed for evacuees from the south. With the help of a dedicated faculty, she makes frequent drop-offs to those in need.
Families of our staff took part in the creation of a hands-on public art piece, designed to raise awareness around soldiers fighting to restore Israel's safety and security.
Students in Judy Klitsner and Nechama Goldman-Barash’s classes prepared the Post Hotel for evacuees arriving from across Israel.

Nechama gave an impromptu class on art and the akeida, embodying our effort to bring the Beit Midrash wherever we go!
Levi Cooper's students visited Zur Hadassah to help families with parents called up to reserve duty. They played with kids, chopped veggies, tutored English, and even brought gifts!

They ended with dinner, divrei Torah, and singing led by Spencer Garfield.
When Gila Fine and students went to clear a miklat in a building filled with seniors who were uncomfortable using the shelter, they went above and beyond.

Together, they cleared the miklat, cleaned out 2 gardens and gathered 10 bags of trash from the premises.
Pardes students, staff, and family invited local kids to join us in transforming a dreary elementary school shelter into an ocean wonderland!

We had so much fun painting, and we’re so glad to give this school a cheerier safe space!
In the midst of crisis, our Year Program students are stepping up to help those in need. Many of our students volunteered to make food packages and to deliver them to those in need.

Supporting One Another

Happy Birthday Meesh!

We are so grateful for the opportunity to be together for life-affirming smachot, and appreciated the chance to show some hakarat hatov for the tremendous, unfathomable leadership that Meesh has shown in holding up our learning community with such care, during such trying times.
Magen David Adom volunteers led a class at Pardes on the basics of CPR, how to apply a tourniquet, and how to stop bleeding.
On October 26, students Alden and Sophie hosted a beautiful evening of poetry writing and reading, with guided meditation and writing prompts.
While the majority our students are in Jerusalem learning in our Beit Midrash, a group in London has gathered to connect, share, eat and continue learning Torah via Zoom.
In the US, alumni and friends gathered at the home of Professor Deborah Barer to study, be in community, and bake cookies together.

Another gathering occurred in Atlanta at the home of alumna Falynn Schmidt.
For Rosh Hodesh Cheshvan, students gathered for learning over breakfast and to pray together as a community and sing Hallel.
More than 160 alumni gathered online on the Monday following the attack to read Tehillim, study Torah, and hold space for one another.

Assistant Director of Alumni Engagement and Activation

Start date: ASAP

We are seeking a charismatic, creative, and action-oriented Assistant Director of Alumni Engagement and Activation to lead this initiative. This individual will play a key role in bridging the gap between the immersive Jerusalem-based Pardes experience and the ongoing life-long learning opportunities we offer in North America.

Key Responsibilities:

  • Implement and Iterate Alumni Engagement Strategies:
    • Enhance the current “menu” of opportunities for Pardes alumni to both “give” to
      and “receive” from, Pardes.
      • Give: Empower alumni to take action, create initiatives, and leverage
        Pardes as a platform for leadership and innovation.
      • Receive: Encourage alumni to engage in continued learning through
        classes, retreats, Shabbatonim, cohorts, and other programs.
    •  Ongoing internal evaluation of efficacy of strategies and implementing iterative
      updates to enhance outcomes.
  • Program Development and Management:
    • In collaboration with the wider team, develop and implement ideas for online and in person classes, including holiday programs, one-off shiurim, and limited series.
    • Oversee the execution of programs including but not limited to: email
      correspondence and registration, coordinating with marketing, Zoom production,
      and post-program evaluation.
    • Ensuring cross-departmental collaboration specifically with the engagement and
      development teams
    •  Serve as the project manager for select alumni cohort learning programs,
      ensuring smooth operations and successful outcomes.
  • Community Building and Leadership:
    • Foster strong, relational connections with alumni, encouraging their active
      involvement in the Pardes community.
    • Identify and cultivate connections with key alumni leaders. Lead efforts to inspire alumni to take on leadership roles within their communities, promoting Pardes’ values and educational mission.
    • Cultivate and steward and existing external partnerships with organizations and
      initiatives as it relates to our Pardesnik engagement and activation work
  • Alumni Coaching and Mentorship:
    • Provide coaching and mentorship to alumni interested in developing initiatives, such as micro-grants or local events, and support them in realizing their ideas. This may include group coaching within cohorts.
  • Targeted Recruitment and Outreach:
    • Engage in focused recruitment and outreach efforts to involve specific alumni in relevant Pardes offerings.
    • Collaborate with the wider team to manage recruitment for various programs,
      including necessary follow-up and evaluation.

Qualifications:

  •  Proven experience in alumni relations, community engagement, or a related field.
  • Strong organizational and project management skills, with the ability to handle multiple tasks simultaneously.
  • Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with a talent for building and maintaining relationships.
  • Creativity and initiative in developing new programs and strategies to engage alumni.
  • Passion for Jewish learning and a deep connection to the mission of Pardes.
  • Ability to work independently and as part of a collaborative team.
  • Willingness to travel as needed to engage with alumni across North America.

Preferred Qualifications:

  • Pardes alumna
  • Experience working in Jewish education or community leadership.
  • Familiarity with the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies and its programs.
  • Based in New York City

Benefits:

  • Competitive salary commensurate with experience: $70,000-$85,000
    100% health insurance coverage for the employee (dependent coverage available)
  • 403b retirement plan with Nationwide with up to 5% contribution by employer
  • Paid time off & Paid holidays (Jewish and secular)
  • FSA
  • Group Life and Personal Accident Insurance
  • Parental leave
  • Remote and hybrid working option and flexible hours
  • Opportunities to travel domestically and to Israel to collaborate across the team
  • Opportunity to contribute to a dynamic and growing organization with a meaningful mission.

How to Apply:
Interested candidates should submit a resume and cover letter detailing their qualifications and passion for this role. All applications should be sent to Assistant Director of Programs at Monica at monica@pardes.org.

Cover letters should answer the following questions

  • What makes you passionate about this role and work?
  • What concrete professional or personal experiences have prepared you best for this role?
  • What is one project, strategy or initiative that this job description stimulates in you?
  • How do you ensure great teamwork and successful collaboration?
    PLEASE NOTE:

Applications are due by October 8th and interviews will be the week of October 28th. We thank all applicants for their interest; however, only those candidates selected for interviews will be contacted.

Pardes North America provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants in all organizational facilities without regard to race, color, religious creed, sex, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, pregnancy, childbirth, (or related medical conditions, including, but not limited to lactation), physical disability, mental and/or intellectual disability, age, military status or status as a Vietnam-era or special disabled veteran, marital status, registered domestic partner or civil union status, gender (including sex stereotyping and gender identity or expression), medical condition (including, but not limited to, cancer-related or HIV/AIDS-related), genetic information, or sexual orientation in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws.