About Pardes
Pardes is an open, inclusive, and intellectually challenging Jewish learning community rooted in Jerusalem with programs worldwide.
The following mission and vision statements shape everything we do and guide where we are headed.
Mission and Vision
Many voices. Shared learning.
At Pardes, exploring diverse perspectives is encouraged. Honest dialogue and respectful disagreement is how we come closer to truth. We give value and dignity to every unique voice – including yours.
Torah is a craft you can learn.
At Pardes, you learn Torah through acquiring foundational and advanced text skills. You practice these techniques under the guidance of master teachers, receiving direction and refining your abilities until you yourself master the art of Torah learning.
Lead to the fullest.
Pardes is an incubator for confident, courageous Jewish leaders. Since 1972, Pardes has given future changemakers deep grounding in Jewish text and tradition, sharpening their ability to apply Jewish core values to a dynamic reality. Pardes alumni lead and inspire communities and organizations around the world.
Torah for every Jew. Everywhere.
Every Jew deserves a personal connection to Judaism’s vast spiritual treasures. Pardes is where anyone can take a fearless, intellectually honest look at what Torah has to say about life’s big questions. If you seek, you belong.
The Pardes formula
A diverse community of learners bringing their full selves to the process
Join us for one or two sessions in Jerusalem
Direct engagement with classical Jewish texts
Learning designed to advance each student’s development
A relational learning environment that encourages multiple perspectives and voices in conversation
Respect for the conclusions that emerge from skilled, honest Torah study
Our story
Founded in 1972 in Jerusalem, Pardes began as a one-year, non-denominational Beit Midrash created by Michael Swirsky (Director 1972–1973) to provide access to serious Jewish text study for post-college students. Opening with 25 students and early faculty including Adin Steinsaltz, David Hartman, and Eliezer Schweid, Pardes established a Beit Midrash that combined traditional learning with academic and religious openness.
Leadership continued under Rabbi Dov Berkovits (1973–1977), Rabbi Levi Lauer (1977–1994), and Rabbi Daniel Landes (1995–2016), during which Pardes expanded its programs to include summer study programs, multi-year fellowship opportunities, community education in Jerusalem, and major educator training initiatives. Pardes developed a North American presence beginning in the 1990s. Since 2017, Rabbi Leon Morris has led Pardes, guiding its continued growth in immersive learning, educator training, and global lifelong learning.
Nuance. Depth. Diversity. Israel.
Pardes is a Zionist institution affirming the Jewish state as a cultural and spiritual center of Jewish life. We provide space for a wide range of Zionist commitments, even when those perspectives are in tension with one another. Through honest, nuanced engagement with Israel’s achievements and challenges, our Beit Midrash fosters inquiry, respectful dialogue, and meaningful, enduring relationships across difference.
