Dennis Wolff

Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies

The Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies is an open, inclusive, diverse and intellectually challenging Jewish learning community based in Jerusalem with programs worldwide. Pardes cultivates a life-long love of Jewish learning, the Jewish people and Israel. Pardes inspires engagement in Jewish life — as communal and spiritual leaders, educators and active participants. Our Mission: -Provide an open, inclusive, diverse and intellectually challenging environment in Jerusalem which engages all Jews in the study of classic texts and ideas of their heritage. -Offer its students an intense experience of Jewish life and tradition. -Cultivate in its students a life-long love of Jewish learning, the Jewish people and Israel, inspiring them to engage in Jewish life as communal and spiritual leaders, educators and active participants worldwide. -Translate these immersive experiences in Jerusalem into programs throughout North America and beyond. Our Vision: -We envision a renewed Jewish life anchored in Jewish knowledge and literacy, which places the study of Jewish texts at the center of Jewish life with an eye toward contemporary relevance. -Through relationships with faculty, the community and Jewish texts, students leave Pardes with refined critical thinking, improved communication and interpersonal skills and more nuanced and sensitive perspectives. We Value: -We value the study of classic Jewish texts, both for their own sake and for the sake of personal and communal transformation. -We value personal and spiritual growth. -We value the crucial role of community and welcome multiple perspectives and constructive disagreement. -We value building deep connections between the Jewish people worldwide with the State of Israel at its center. The Pardes model has inspired almost five decades of Jewish leadership marked by openness, passion, Jewish literacy, knowledge and inclusivity, and continues to inspire new possibilities for Jewish communities worldwide.