News and Updates

David Ben Moshe, alumnus of the Pardes Year and Summer Program, describing why he loves Pardes.

I’m a Black Ex-Felon. I Have a Message About Cancel Culture

Posted on July 9, 2021

David Ben Moshe (Year ’17-’18, Summer ’17), bravely shares reflections on his personal life story in Newsweek Magazine.

Alum Merissa Nathan Gerson (Year ’10-’11) Publishes New Book

Posted on July 8, 2021

When I attend­ed yeshi­va at the Pardes Insti­tute for Jew­ish Stud­ies it was for one rea­son, and one rea­son only: I was an advice colum­nist, Ask Your Yen­ta, writ­ing about sex and dat­ing and I had no idea about what Judaism had to say on the top­ic. I spent a dif­fi­cult and amaz­ing year neck-deep in Jew­ish text study, and emerged Continue Reading »

Dean Bernstein’s Closing Words on the Final Day of Classes

Posted on July 5, 2021

The following inspirational words by Pardes Dean, Dr. David I. Bernstein, were delivered to Year Program students on the final day of classes, May 27, 2021. As I said on our very first day back in September: we believe the Torah is given not only to the rabbis, or to Kohanim, or to the Orthodox, or to Continue Reading »

Mahloket Matters Fellowship Update: Meet the Fellows of the Covenant Leadership Cohort

Posted on June 24, 2021

Our Jewish tradition upholds the principle that constructive disagreement for the sake of heaven (Mahloket L’Shem Shamayim), is not only imperative but the holy work needed to repair what can feel like irreconcilable differences that permeate within our Jewish communities. Guided by the belief that Jewish texts and their diverse interpretations can empower us to Continue Reading »

The Jewish News – ‘The New Jew’ shows Israelis how Judaism works in the U.S.

Posted on June 23, 2021

Written by Rabbi Leon Morris (President of Pardes, Summers ’92, ’93, Year ’95-’96) and Rabbi Josh Weinberg – A new Israeli government has brought a renewed focus on repairing ties between Israel and the Diaspora. Yair Lapid, a key part of the new coalition, has emphatically stated, “Jews from all streams, Reform, Conservative and Orthodox, Continue Reading »

eJP – To help teens navigate antisemitism, we must teach compassionate disagreement

Posted on June 15, 2021

Rabbi Dr. Daniel Roth (Director Emeritus of the Pardes Center for Judaism and Conflict Resolution and an adjunct faculty member) has inspired the leaders at Moving Traditions to incorporate his teachings about mahloket l’shem shamayim (the debate for the sake of heaven) into their programming. This feature article is from eJewishphilanthropy.

Jerusalem Post – Bake sale to combat antisemitism draws Jewish food, but few allies

Posted on June 13, 2021

Whitney Fisch (Hillel Summer ’05, Year ’08-’09) and the sale’s other organizers said they are pleased by the turnout among Jewish food personalities, who will sell or auction baked goods and other products to benefit an Ohio Holocaust museum. Fisch, a longtime food blogger who is one of the organizers, said she knows of only Continue Reading »

The Forward – Antisemitism video explainer from UC Berkeley aims to cool campus debate

Posted on June 10, 2021

Ethan Katz (Hourly ’16-’17), Steven Davidoff Solomon (Summer ’06) and Sarah Lefton (Summer ’09) created and directed an 11-minute video for college students, university staff, and administrators aimed at combating ignorance of Jewish history, improving the discourse on issues related to Israel, and improving the campus climate for Jewish and pro-Israel students.

TalentEducators – Fostering New Talent in Jewish Education

Posted on June 10, 2021

PCJE alumna Tova Messer (Cohort 19) wrote this article as a guest blogger on the TalentEd site. TalentEd is an organization that Pardes works with very closely to place novice Judaic studies teachers in day schools…According to Breisheet, when God created the world, the land was “unformed and void, with darkness over the surface of Continue Reading »

Introducing the Inaugural Cohort of the Senior Educator Learning Fellowship

Posted on June 2, 2021

We are excited to share with the community our inaugural cohort of our Senior Educator Learning Fellowship! This brand-new 13-month fellowship provides enrichment and professional growth for congregational school principals and senior teachers, and we are thrilled to introduce these 22 incredible Jewish educators. To read their full bios please click here.