2009-2010
Annual Report
Message from the Director For almost forty years Pardes has been bringing together men and women from diverse backgrounds to study classical texts and contemporary Jewish issues in an open and challenging environment. We enable young Jews to spend a life-changing year in Israel, during which they deepen their relationship with Judaism, strengthen their connection to Israel and build Jewish peoplehood by forging relationships with Jews of all backgrounds. Our faculty inspires students to build their Jewish knowledge and ask challenging questions as they continue their journeys as young Jewish adults. Notable achievements over the past year include: • Educating more than 150 academic year students, plus more than 130 summer students, including 32 day school teachers who are at the beginning of their careers. • Graduating 9 new day school teachers from our Educators Program in June 2010, bringing the total number of program graduates to 99 since 2002. • Providing more than 950 young adults with exciting text engagement experiences as part of Birthright, Hillel, Otzma, Young Judea and other group visits to Israel. • Engaging Jerusalem residents in dynamic Jewish text study, serving 300 people through community education and another 200 people through holiday events. • Running vibrant specialized learning tracks for students interested in focusing their Jewish studies
around particular issues, including social justice, conflict resolution and spirituality. • Leveraging social networking tools, viral media campaigns and dynamic videos to cost-effectively publicize Pardes programs. • Inspiring graduates to be passionate and skilled lay and professional leaders. Pardes has more than 920 alumni working professionally in the Jewish community. • Embarking on a process of institutional review and capacity building, involving an external facilitator, students, alumni, faculty, staff and board members. • Updating our website to better engage stakeholders and improve communications, in conjunction with updating the Pardes brand, logo and marketing materials. Pardes provides an unparalleled opportunity for dynamic text study among diverse young Jews, producing engaged Jewish adults and impressive lay and professional leaders. I hope you enjoy this annual report, which highlights our recent accomplishments. Please visit us soon in Jerusalem to experience Pardes yourself – either for the first time, or again!
Rabbi Daniel Landes, Director Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies Annual Report 2009 – 2010 www.pardes.org.il
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“I have the privilege of studying Torah and other Jewish texts full time, every single day – and it has been life changing for me. Pardes faculty encourage all students to voice their views, regardless of their backgrounds and philosophies, and teachers incorporate student feedback into their lessons. I have honestly never encountered anything like it in my life.”
Table of Contents
Message from the Director…….....…………..…….2 What We Do..........................................................4 Pardes Programs...................................................5 Pardes Students....................................................6 Annual Highlights...................................................7 Spotlight on Pardes Alumni.................................10 Where Alumni Work.............................................11 Financial Summary..............................................13 Executive Staff and Board Members..................14
Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies Rabbi Daniel Landes, Director P.O.B. 8575, Jerusalem 91084, Israel T: +972 2 673 5210 E: dlandes@pardes.org.il www.pardes.org.il
— David Bogomolny, MPP, Rutgers University; BS in Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University. David is currently a Pardes Fellow.
Joshua Chadajo, Executive Director, North America 5 West 37th Street, Suite 802 New York, NY 10018 T: +1 212 447 4333 E: joshua@pardes.org www.pardes.org.il
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What We Do At the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem, young Jews of diverse backgrounds deeply engage with great Jewish texts and ideas, building a vibrant community with their peers. Learning together in a challenging and openminded environment nurtures a deep and personal connection to Judaism, a love for the Jewish people and Israel and a commitment to becoming leaders in the U.S. Jewish community. Since 1972, Pardes has enabled more than 5,000 young people to have profound encounters with Judaism in an intellectually rigorous and openminded environment. Built around the intense study of classical and contemporary Jewish texts, Pardes programs include community service projects, hiking trips, communal meals, holiday celebrations and special study tracks. Each year we serve about 300 students in our core programs plus an additional 1,500 people through short term programs, community education and special events.
one-year academic year programs, a two-year educators program, summer programs, short-term learning seminars, a curriculum workshop for day school teachers, community education classes and lectures for visiting groups from the U.S. Pardes’s year program is built around full-time, intensive Jewish text study, with class offerings including Bible, Mishna/Talmud, Midrash, Jewish Law, Rabbinics, Women and Jewish Law, Hassidic Thought and Jewish Thought. Pardes also offers learning tracks in which students can focus their Jewish studies around particular issues, including social justice, conflict resolution and spirituality.
“I had never taken part in such intense text study before and the experience was invaluable. Because of Pardes I became a lot more knowledgeable and confident in my abilities to teach others…I can access so much more meaning when unpacking Jewish texts, and that makes me a much better teacher.”
— Josh Laurence, BS in Communications, Florida International University. Youth Activities Director at Temple Beth Am in Pinecrest, FL.
Pardes attracts young adults who span the spectrum in terms of Jewish background, beliefs and education. Graduates leave Pardes strongly connected to both Judaism and to Israel, and they are passionately committed to klal yisrael, the entire Jewish community. They go on to lead engaged Jewish lives and inspire, educate and motivate other Jews in their home communities. Pardes has facilitated the Jewish odyssey of young leaders by nurturing its students with unique learning encounters and a state-of-theart educational curriculum. Our offerings include Annual Report 2009 – 2010 www.pardes.org.il
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Pardes Programs
YEAR PROGRAM Year or semester option: • Classic Jewish text study • 7 levels to suit all backgrounds • Specialty tracks: Social Justice Peace & Conflict Self, Soul & Text Foundations of Judaism Career development internships • Tiyulim (educational trips) • Community service program
SUMMER PROGRAM Only have a few weeks? Still looking for serious learning? • Three-week sessions in July & August • Classic Jewish text study • Hebrew language ulpan • Trips around Jerusalem • Practical workshops • Evening & Shabbat programs
EDUCATORS PROGRAM
Interested in a career in Jewish day school education? • Two-year program • Classic text study alongside innovative teacher training • Individualized Hebrew ulpan • MA in Jewish Education from Hebrew College • Student teaching in North American day schools • Fully subsidized Pardes tuition + generous living stipend
SHORT TERM PROGRAMS Visitors to Israel and local residents are invited to experience Pardes throughout the year:
“The speakers in the Pardes social justice track helped me figure out how I want to interact with Israel in the future…As we become adults, love for Israel must encompass the poor, agunot (women unable to get a religious divorce), the disabled and all those suffering within its borders. It is no longer enough to sing songs and go on Birthright. We must fight for those who are not heard in this society.”
— Jessica Simon, MS in Education, University of Pennsylvania; BA in English and Textual Studies and Policy Studies, Syracuse University. Educator and Poet.
• Community Education Program (Weekly classes) • January Learning Seminar • Executive Learning Seminar (July) • High profile guest speakers and lectures Annual Report 2009 – 2010 www.pardes.org.il
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Pardes Students Pardes attracts a diverse group of bright, motivated and well-rounded college graduates. Some of our students are in Israel for the first time, while others have previously been in Israel on educational programs and family trips.
“After Pardes I don’t have separate ethical and Jewish values: I live my life according to Jewish values. I also have the tools I need to explore my Jewish identity…Without Pardes, I couldn’t have gotten to where I am today.”
Most of our students come to Pardes to learn more about Judaism for personal development, whereas others want to build their knowledge base for careers in the rabbinate, in Jewish education and in the Jewish organizational world. Our specialized summer programs and curriculum development workshops have attracted a variety of Jewish professionals, including informal and supplementary school educators, day school teachers and Hillel professionals. By participating in classes, community service projects, trips, communal meals and holiday celebrations, Pardes students build a strong and vibrant community that lasts long after they leave Pardes.
— Rebecca Karp, BA in Graphic Design, University of Pennsylvania. AJC Assistant Chapter Director for Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey; Moishe House leader.
Annual Report 2009 – 2010 www.pardes.org.il
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Annual Highlights The past year has been full of dynamic student activity, both within and beyond the walls of the beit midrash (study hall). Core studies were built around seven different levels of Bible and Mishna/ Talmud instruction, ranging from beginners in level aleph to very advanced students.
We have examined different types of conflicts and various examples of conflict resolution through the stories of Aaron, Amalek, the Purim narrative and more, and are constantly asked to relate what we’re reading to contemporary issues and personal experiences.”
Learning Tracks: Social Justice, Self, Soul & Text and Peace & Conflict
Community Service
This was the second year that Pardes offered specialized learning tracks, including Social Justice (fall semester), Self, Soul & Text (fall semester) and Peace & Conflict (spring semester). Each track is built around text study, lectures by Israeli experts, field trips, group discussions and special projects initiated by the students. Pardes created these tracks to enable interested students to focus their Jewish learning around issues to which they were deeply committed. All three tracks were very well received by participants, many of whom were yearning for a more practical or “hands on” aspect to their learning. Rebekah Steinfeld, an educator and theater artist originally from Tacoma, WA, participated in the Peace & Conflict track. She commented, “The Peace and Conflict track was a huge factor in my decision to study at Pardes this semester. It is so inspiring to use Jewish texts to explore tactics for peace-building.
Pardes continued to invest in its community service program this year, strengthening our relationships with new and existing program partners, arranging speakers from local organizations, assisting students with their volunteer placements and dedicating additional staff time to increase student participation.
“At Pardes I have gained skills that I can take with me for the rest of my life. I believe Pardes has given me the ability to lead a fully engaged Jewish life, where I feel I can keep up with conversations in almost every stream of Judaism. I am so thankful for the year I spent delving into Judaism and my Jewish identity at Pardes.”
— Jolene Price, BA in Political Science and Linguistics, UCLA.
The goal of the community service program is to expose our students to a variety of Israeli organizations and enable them to help at-risk youth, people with disabilities, recent immigrants, the elderly, low-wage workers, low-income families and refugees in Jerusalem and surrounding areas. Program activities include weekly volunteering, group service opportunities, lectures and learning sessions focused on current needs in Israel and how to be agents of change in society. The
student
activities
coordinator
connected
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students to volunteering placements in a wide variety of areas, including: • Tutoring and mentoring at-risk youth. • Supporting the elderly and people with cognitive disabilities. • Advocating for marginalized groups. • Advancing peace and dialogue initiatives. • Helping refugees. • Cleaning up the environment. “I volunteered with the Yaakov Maimon organization at the Mevaseret Zion immigrant absorption center because I really wanted to get to know Ethiopian Israelis. Also, I’m an elementary school teacher and sorely missed being surrounded by kids. Every week I visited the same family, played games with the kids, helped them with their homework and sang songs with them. We also taught each other English, Hebrew and some Amharic. It was a very meaningful experience - I feel like I really got to connect with this family during the year. I was always late for the group ride home because I lost track of time!” Danna Grunwald, Masters in Education, University of Pennsylvania. Elementary School Teacher at Hyde Leadership Charter School in the Bronx, NY.
Mahloket (Disagreement) Matters- Engaging with Conflicts in the Community A small group of Pardes students established a
successful new framework this spring to create space for difficult but important discussions within the Pardes community. Titled “mahloket (disagreement) matters,” the program is comprised of monthly small group discussions on pre-selected topics. In order to create a productive and safe forum for dialogue, the students crafted a set of guidelines that are employed during each of the discussions, which are led by trained student facilitators. These sessions engaged students, staff and faculty in thoughtful and open exchanges on a variety of topics, including the role of Jewish law in the Jewish world today, issues surrounding Israeli settlements, philosophical and theological approaches to revelation, and inclusion and exclusion in the Jewish community. Yoni Ashar, one of the founders of the initiative, commented: “The goal of “Mahloket Matters” is for students to personally engage each other on burning issues facing the Jewish world. This both enables individuals to formulate their own thinking on critical issues, and allows the Pardes community to model an honest and diverse Jewish community.”
“While at Pardes I have been exploring different aspects of my life and how they relate to Judaism. I approached Pardes about bringing in an expert on the Torah’s perspective on animals, and now we are in the middle of the resulting five-part lecture series. I feel blessed that Pardes enables students to bring in outside speakers and initiate new classes on topics close to our hearts. I honestly cannot imagine another learning environment that provides this kind of support and freedom.”
— David Bookbinder, BA in Religious Studies, U.C. Santa Barbara. Pardes year program student.
Marc Adam Kraus, another founder of the initiative, added: “With “Mahloket Matters”, the elephants in the room are finally being addressed. The forum allows for the discussion of issues by faculty and students Annual Report 2009 – 2010 www.pardes.org.il
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that have previously been deemed by some as ‘too divisive’ or ‘too sensitive’ to be discussed. It has shown that our Pardes community is more receptive and more resilient than anybody thought.”
Exploring the Jewish Past and Present in Poland Faculty member Rabbi Levi Cooper led 39 Pardes students on an intense, weeklong trip to Poland in January. This is the largest group Pardes has ever brought on such a trip, and it included 17 students studying in the Pardes Educators Program (PEP). PEP Director Dr. Judy Markose and faculty member Rabbi Zvi Hirschfield also participated in the trip, which was subsidized by the Conference on Material Claims Against Germany and run in partnership with Heritage Seminars. The trip was designed to expose participants to the richness of Jewish life, learning, and culture that existed before the Holocaust, to sites of death and destruction and to the contemporary renaissance of Jewish life in Poland. The packed itinerary included visits to synagogues, educational institutions, concentration camps, cemeteries and museums. Participants reported that the trip was an extremely powerful experience, including these two anonymous student reflections: “In Poland, I learned what it means to be Jewish in ways I never have before. I understood the fear
of the Jew who is hated by his gentile neighbors. I realized that Jewish communities have been forever heterogeneous, representing a gamut of religious and political ideologies. I did more than learn from what I saw around me. I felt a real connection to real Jewish lives. In Poland, I experienced grief and loss associated with the suffering of my people. I developed pride and admiration in our accomplishments despite difficult circumstances. These connections will remain with me through life.” “We, too, must keep moving, even when the world reveals itself to be an inexplicably terrible place. This doesn’t mean that we should simply accept things as they are…It is our job to educate people about the Holocaust, and to work in whatever ways we can to fix the world. We need to remember what happened, and to honor the memory of the millions of men, women and children who suffered. Yet ours is also the difficult task of moving forward. We must continue to dance, and to spread joy and light in the world, even in the face of despair.”
Annual Report 2009 – 2010 www.pardes.org.il
“Pardes was simply the ideal fit for me. My experiences at Pardes have given me a greater sense of hope for a united Jewish people, one that is not driven apart by religious differences. Furthermore, this experience has helped me understand how I can help create a better Jewish future.”
— Ariel Berkowicz, BA in Psychology, University of Maryland. Rabbinical school student at Yeshivat Chovevei Torah.
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Spotlight on Alumni Pardes has a world-renowned reputation for excellence. Our more than 5,000 graduates are a diverse and impressive group of lay and professional leaders who perpetuate the Jewish people by inspiring others and strengthening creative Jewish expression in North America and around the world. Among our alumni, more than 920 are top professionals who work throughout the Jewish community. Our graduates include: • 81 Hillel professionals working in 21 states and 4 foreign countries, including 24 executive directors and directors.
New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., Chicago, San Francisco and Jerusalem. • Members of, and leaders at, major philanthropic, health advocacy, anti-poverty, anti-hunger, refugee support, and arts and cultural organizations, as well as activists across the political spectrum. • Senior leadership at major Jewish institutions, including the Wexner Foundation, AVI CHAI, the Steinhardt Foundation for Jewish Life, AJWS, AIPAC, AJC, and Jewish Federations and Community Centers across the country.
• 287 ordained rabbis, plus another 89 rabbinical school students, across all movements as well as multi- and post-denominational programs. 132 of these graduates currently serve as pulpit rabbis. • 300 Jewish educators, including 145 day school teachers and administrators in 76 different schools in 24 U.S. states and in Toronto and Montreal, Canada, working mostly in community day schools as well as in schools affiliated with the Conservative, Orthodox and Reform movements.
“In the middle of my year at Pardes, I suddenly realized that I could pick up a Hebrew bible and learn from it, whereas in the fall I could barely tell you who the commentator Rashi was. I am so excited to have the skills to read and learn about the Torah, no matter where I am. After studying at Pardes, I deeply understand the value of taking time off from a professional path to spend time learning about Judaism.”
— Abigail Gilbert, MD, Vanderbilt University Medical School; BA in Math and Judaic Studies, Brown University. Internal medicine and pediatrics resident in Maine.
• Outstanding professionals in finance, law, academia, journalism, business, medicine and the arts. • 111 Wexner Graduate Fellows (28% of all Fellows) and 162 Dorot Fellows (54% of all Fellows). • Founders and leaders of independent and nondenominational communities and minyanim in Annual Report 2009 – 2010 www.pardes.org.il
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Where Alumni Work 14th St. Y in NYC 92nd Street Y Bronfman Center for Jewish Life in NYC Abraham’s Vision
Bibleraps
Hillel (chapters across the U.S.)
Bikkurim: An Incubator for New Jewish Ideas
Hillel International
Birthright Israel NEXT
JCC Association
Academy for Jewish Religion
AIPAC
CLAL:The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership Conservative Yeshiva
ALEPH: Alliance for Jewish Renewal
Drisha Institute for Jewish Education
American Jewish Committee (AJC) American Jewish University
American Jewish World Service (AJWS) Andrea & Charles Bronfman Philanthropies
AVODAH: Jewish Service Corps
JDub Records
JESNA
Florence Melton Adult Mini-School Foundation for Jewish Camping
Jewish Federations of North America
Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage in Poland
Jewish National Fund
Genesis at Brandeis
Anti-Defamation League (ADL) AVI CHAI
JDC Joint Distribution Committee
Jewish Reconstructionist Federation
Hadassah International Jewish Theological Seminary Hazon JOFA Hebrew College
B’nai Brith Youth Organization
Hebrew Union College Annual Report 2009 – 2010 www.pardes.org.il
Joseph & Harvey Meyerhoff Charitable Funds
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JTA: Jewish Telegraphic Agency Reconstructionist Rabbinical College
The Steinhardt Foundation for Jewish Life
Keshet Repair the World Makom: Creative Downtown Judaism Mandel Center for Studies in Jewish Education Mayyim Hayyim Living Waters (Mikveh Center in Boston)
Mechon Hadar
Melitz
Moishe House
Nativ - Jewish Teen Seminars
Rita J. and Stanley H. Kaplan Family Foundation, Inc. The Wexner Foundation Taube-Koret Center for Jewish Peoplehood The Bronfman Youth Fellowship
The David Project
The Jerusalem Post The Leo Baeck Centre for Progressive Judaism
UJA-Federation of New York
Union for Reform Judaism (URJ)
Uri L’Tzedek
Yad Vashem
The Nathan Cummings Foundation
NCSY
The Nesiya Institute
NFTY
The Partnership for Jewish Life and Learning
OTZMA
The Washington Institute for Near East Policy
The Shalom Hartman Institute
Annual Report 2009 – 2010 www.pardes.org.il
Yeshiva University
Yeshivat Chovevei Torah
Young Judaea
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Financial Summary (For the fiscal year ended August 31, 2010) Income for Capital Campaign Expenses 4% Tuition Income 6%
Income Interest and Other Income 1%
Recruitment 2% Addition to General Reserves
6%
Jewish Agency & Educational Ministry
Expenditures
2%
PEP Alumni Support Project
Educators Program (PEP) 27%
8%
10%
Professional Foundations 42%
Program Expenses 10%
Board Contributions 17%
Development 13%
Administrative 17% Program Salaries 16%
Individual Contributions 19%
Professional Foundations 1,774,451 Individual Contributions 797,341 Board Contributions 720,159 Jewish Agency & Educational Ministry 419,129 Tuition Income 261,660 Income for Capital Campaign Expenses 180,562 Interest and Other Income 41,860
Total Income
Restricted (PEP & PEP Alumni)
$4,195,162
Educators Program (PEP) Administrative Program Salaries Development Program Expenses PEP Alumni Support Project Addition to General Reserves Recruitment Restricted (PEP & PEP Alumni) Total Expenditures
1,114,655 700,409 658,702 538,911 437,705 332,584 236,137 90,114 85,945 $4,195,162
“Pardes gave me ownership of my tradition. I could walk into any Jewish bookstore and have a frame of reference for the sea of shiny gold spines that had previously looked so foreign to me. After Pardes I was able to categorize these myriad volumes in my mind, and I realized that I, too, am a part of this chain of Jewish tradition. Discovering meaning from these books was no longer left to men with long beards sitting by candlelight hundreds of years ago. I own these texts and this tradition just as much as anyone.”
— Carrie Bornstein, MSW, Boston University; BA in Social Work, Skidmore College. Mikveh Center Director at Mayyim Hayyim Community Mikveh in Newton, MA.
Notes: • A full listing of Pardes donors appears in our annual Havruta newsletter. • The above figures have not been audited yet. Annual Report 2009 – 2010 www.pardes.org.il
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Board Members and Senior Staff (As of December 2010) Executive Staff Rabbi Daniel Landes, Director Dr. David I. Bernstein, Dean Joel Weiss, COO, Israel resident P Thomas K. Barad Vice President Deborah Shapira Treasurer Neil Schechter Secretary Michael Rosenzweig* Dr. Giti Bendheim Board - Israel Chair John H. Corre Secretary Michael Gillis Debbie Abramowitz Toby Ticktin Back Charlotte Blumenfeld Ian Brown Ruth Cummings* Barbara Elstein Daniel Gamulka Brian Glenville Rachel Goldberg Jerry Goodman*
Mirta Eifer, Director of Finance, Israel Joshua Chadajo, Executive Director, North America Board - North America
Jack Bendheim Rabbi David Gedzelman Abbie Greenberg Dr. Monica Handler Penner Francine Gordon Immerman* Michael Jesselson Larry Kluger Daniel Krasner Darell Krasnoff Mark Levenfus* Avi Lewittes David Lonner
Julie Potiker* Rae Ringel Selig Sacks* David Shapira Karen Shapira z”l Michael Stein Rabbi Lewis Warshauer * Past President
Solomon H. Green Jordan Herzberg Ida Hoffmann z’’l Zvi Inbar* Vicki B. Phillips Sherwin B. Pomerantz Larry Roth z”l Marsha Roth Matthew Schein Audrey Kaplan Scher* Suzanne Fried Singer Leslie Wagner Libby Werthan* Moshe Werthan* David Winick
Toni Wiseburgh Fred Worms * Past Chair
Honorary Board Member Senator Joseph Lieberman
“When I discovered Pardes, I was both relieved and amazed by its mission, and its relevance to my personal, spiritual and intellectual goals. I was comforted by the idea of a place where I could learn Torah in an environment that respects Jewish law and was open to anyone Jewish, whose sole mission was to educate and empower its students through knowledge, acceptance and awareness.”
— Ariel Berkowicz, BA in Psychology, University of Maryland. Rabbinical school student at Yeshivat Chovevei Torah.
Audit Committee Jeff Broide Edward Cohen Tzvi Katz Legal Advisor Richard Aron Founder Michael Swirsky Annual Report 2009 – 2010 www.pardes.org.il
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