Faculty travel
Pardes faculty teach, lecture, and lead learning experiences in communities around the world throughout the year. Whether at synagogues, conferences, schools, universities, retreats, or special events, our scholars bring the depth and openness of the Pardes Beit Midrash to learners wherever they are. Explore upcoming opportunities to study with our faculty in person and discover when a Pardes educator will be teaching near you.
- Rabbi Deborah Anstandig
- Gila Fine
Rabbi Deborah Anstandig
Rabbi Deborah Anstandig is the Educational Director of Engagement at Pardes, where she also teaches Midrash. Originally from Detroit and now living in Jerusalem, Deborah began her Jewish education career through the Pardes Educators Program nearly twenty years ago. She holds degrees from Yeshiva University, Hebrew College and the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and received rabbinic ordination from Hebrew College in 2025.
Deborah has taught and mentored at SAR High School and The Heschel School in New York. She also served the Kehillath Israel and Temple Emunah communities and completed chaplaincy training at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Deborah’s passion is teaching Torah that speaks to today’s challenges, most notably communal polarization. In her free time, Deborah enjoys biking, swimming, and singing.
Monday, Feb 2 – Wednesday, Feb 4
Association of Reform Jewish Educators Conference
Wednesday, Feb 4
Is Repair after Severing Possible?
In a time of deep division and growing distance between “us” and “them,” the biblical stories remind us that these struggles are enduring. Join us as we dive into Genesis Chapters 16 and 21 to explore the tangled relationships between Sarah, Abraham, Hagar, and God—and what they reveal about belonging, empathy, and moral responsibility. Through close reading and feminist biblical scholarship, we’ll uncover the possibilities and limitations these ancient narratives offer as we navigate a complicated world.
Wednesday, Feb 4
Jews and Brews @ Pyres Brewing – with Beth El Synagogue
What Shipwrecked Rabbis Can Teach about Resilience
Sometimes it feels as though we are living our lives through storms—times of uncertainty when the world feels out of control. In this class, we will explore rabbinic texts and contemporary voices that offer diverse approaches to navigating chaos, cultivating resilience, and finding ways not only to survive, but perhaps even to thrive.
Email DeborahA@pardes.org.il to RSVP.
Shabbat, Feb 7
Lunch & Learn
What Shipwrecked Rabbis Can Teach about Resilience
Sometimes it feels as though we are living our lives through storms—times of uncertainty when the world feels out of control. In this class, we will explore rabbinic texts and contemporary voices that offer diverse approaches to navigating chaos, cultivating resilience, and finding ways not only to survive, but perhaps even to thrive
Sunday, Feb 8
Anshe Sholom B’nai Israel
The View from Over Here is Not the View from Over There
Understanding the intentions of others can be a risky—and deeply human—endeavor, especially when suspicion clouds our judgment. In this text-based shiur, we’ll delve into a dramatic episode from the Book of Joshua in which a potential civil war is narrowly averted. Through close reading and discussion of classical and contemporary commentaries, we’ll reflect on what this story teaches about misunderstanding, communication, and the dangers of jumping to conclusio
A light breakfast will be served. RSVP here.
Sunday, Feb 8
Skokie Valley Agudath Jacob Synagogue
The View from Over Here is Not the View from Over There: Israel and Diaspora in the Book of Joshua and Today
RSVP here
Monday, Feb 9
The View from Over Here is Not the View from Over There
A light dinner will be served.
Contact DeborahA@pardes.org.il if you would like to attend.
Tuesday, Feb 10
Lunch & Learn
What Shipwrecked Rabbis Can Teach about Resilience
Sometimes it feels as though we are living our lives through storms—times of uncertainty when the world feels out of control. In this class, we will explore rabbinic texts and contemporary voices that offer diverse approaches to navigating chaos, cultivating resilience, and finding ways not only to survive, but perhaps even to thrive.
Wednesday, Feb 11
The Ethics of Empathy: Dispelling the Myth of Us and Them
First drink on Pardes!
RSVP Here
Thursday, Feb 12
The View from Over Here is Not the View from Over There
Thursday, Feb 12
The View from Over Here is Not the View from Over There
Contact DeborahA@pardes.org.il if you would like to attend.
Shabbat, Feb 14
What Shipwrecked Rabbis Can Teach about Resilience
Tuesday, Feb 17
What Shipwrecked Rabbis Can Teach Us about Resilience
Wednesday, Feb 18
Beth Am University Welcomes Pardes
Deborah will be teaching during Session I:
The View from Over Here is Not the View from Over There
Understanding the intentions of others can be a risky—and deeply human—endeavor, especially when suspicion clouds our judgment. In this text-based shiur, we’ll delve into a dramatic episode from the Book of Joshua in which a potential civil war is narrowly averted. Through close reading and discussion of classical and contemporary commentaries, we’ll reflect on what this story teaches about misunderstanding, communication, and the dangers of jumping to conclusions.
Gila Fine
Gila Fine teaches rabbinic literature at Pardes. She also teaches at Shalem College, the Tikvah Scholars Program, the Nachshon Project, and the London School of Jewish Studies, exploring Talmudic narratives through philosophy, literary criticism, psychoanalysis, and popular culture. Gila is the author of The Madwoman in the Rabbi’s Attic: Rereading the Women of the Talmud, winner of the National Jewish Book Award and the Rabbi Sacks Book Prize.
Previously, Gila served as editor in chief of Maggid Books, where she published numerous works of contemporary Jewish thought, working closely with scholars such as Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz and Rabbi Jonathan Sacks. Gila’s own work has been featured in media outlets including the BBC, Haaretz, and The Jewish Chronicle, which selected her as one of the ten most influential Brits in Israel. Gila is the recipient of the Maimonides Award for Excellence in Jewish Education.