“Pardes has been so much more than a school or a educational institute for me. In my classes I have learned a lot about Torah, Talmud, Halakha, and Jewish life, but, even more so, Pardes has become my community and helped me to figure out how I want my Jewish life to look. One clear example for me is being a part of the egalitarian minyan at Pardes. This has been a particularly powerful part of my experience as it has given me both great comfort and so many opportunities for growth- from reading Torah last year for the first time in twelve years to being one of the gabbaim for the minyan this year and beginning to lead t’filah. The feelings and experiences that I have in the minyan are a microcosm of the challenges, but also the community, warmth, dedication and learning, that I experience within Pardes as a whole, as well as within the larger Jewish community.”
I grew up in Madison, Wisconsin with two older sisters. Although we attended the reform syagogue, our practice at home was a blend of Conservative. Throughout college I became more involved with the Jewish community and began to increase my observance. I studied physics and astronomy at the University of Iowa before changing career paths and coming to Pardes. I am hoping to attend Rabbinical school and work in a Conservative or halakhic egalitarian community.
