LIGHT UP THE WORLD WITH PAL

INSPIRATION

LIGHT UP THE WORLD WITH PAL

Founded over fifteen years ago, PaL is a Phone and Learn organisation which partners up individuals who want to learn together. We asked the phenomenal PaL team Rivka Graham, Blima Bodner, Jessica Debson, and Tali Edwards to answer some of our questions on what PaL has to offer.

How did PaL start? Rivka: PaL – Phone and Learn, was set up in memory of Sammy Homburger o”h who, as many will recall, had a larger-than-life personality and was a real people’s person. Everyone who knew him truly felt that they were his best friend, and learning and connecting to people through Torah was extremely important to him. At a large public gathering to mark his sheloshim, Rabbi Paysach Krohn, a close friend, gave an inspirational hesped and suggested that we set up a telephone learning organisation in Sammy’s memory. That very evening, six members of the Northwest London community stepped up and responded to his call to establish PaL.

Our aim at PaL is simple: to connect Jewish people together by sharing the beauty of Torah learning. We believe that every person, no matter their level of observance, knowledge or location, should have the opportunity to learn about their heritage through Torah. Learning on the phone, skype or Zoom means that this can be done at any time and from the convenience of the home. Best of all, it is free of charge. Working closely with many of the educational and outreach programmes in the UK, our mission is as relevant and essential now as it was back in 2004 when PaL was launched.

What services does PaL provide? Blima: We offer a unique opportunity for both men and women to expand their Jewish knowledge. Our fantastic volunteer tutors are well versed in different topics, and are available at a range of times to learn and connect with their PaL partner. For the initial sign-up, we have a registration process where we build a unique profile. Following this, we find the best-suited person for each individual, and then put the tutor and partner in touch with each other. Once a pair are learning, we provide constant follow-up with support and encouragement to both tutors and partners in order to facilitate the best learning partnership.

We recently launched a library to loan books, which tutors and partners can use during the learning sessions. Our popular online tutor training sessions address various common questions that come up, and are an additional resource. PaL even cover the cost of any overseas calls, ensuring that no one is out of pocket. We are privileged to have Rabbi Yaakov Hamer, popular Rov of Bridge Lane Beis Hamedrash, available to answer any questions that arise; his knowledge, wisdom and insight are a massive asset to PaL.

What topics do people learn and how long are the sessions? Blima: Learning sessions take place weekly and range from anywhere between half an hour to an hour. Each partnership chooses the topics that they want to learn, which results in a wide range of topics covered. I would say that the most popular topics would be the weekly Parsha, Pirkei Avos, and improving Hebrew reading skills. Other common topics for men are Mishnayos, Gemara and Hashkafa. We even have a partnership exploring the Jewish approach to Reiki!

What’s the observance spectrum of your community? Jessica: Our PaL partners cover a full spectrum of different cultures, backgrounds and observance levels, for example, a tutor born and bred in an Ultra-Orthodox community may very well be matched up with a Jewish partner from a totally secular background. We recently received a phone call from a lady in West Sussex, England who had just found out a few days prior that she was halachically Jewish. She is now learning with a South-African born tutor who herself grew up in a secular home and became Orthodox later on in life.

At the other end of the spectrum however, we also have a large repertoire of partners signing up post-yeshiva or seminary. At this point, they are about to enrol in their university or start their working career, but want to stay connected with a tutor that is on a similar observance level to them (known as a ‘chavrusa style’ partnership). Similarly, middle-aged men or women who have worked their way up in their careers and are yearning for a boost of inspiration and connection to their Judaism may very well be partnered up with someone of a similar academic or career background. While they come from totally different observance backgrounds, they unite for a 30-minute learning session during their lunchbreak. These partnerships add a weekly inspiration and spiritual boost during the busy routine of everyday life, irrespective of the observance levels of either partner or tutor. We absolutely love the richness of the large spectrum of observance and cultural backgrounds and marvel at what this diversity brings to each unique learning partnership.

With the advent of technology, have PaL learning partners moved to zoom, facetime and other forms of online communication? Tali: Over time, especially since Covid, people have become more accustomed to using Zoom, WhatsApp, Facetime and Skype. Some of our older members who originally used to learn only over the phone now do some sessions online, allowing them to have a virtual face-to-face connection.

Often, people are concerned about how they will build a learning connection without meeting their partner face to face. We therefore encourage tutors and partners to meet up initially, and even send them a coupon for a coffee and cake. Subsequently, when weekly sessions take place on the phone or online, many people find it easier to connect after having met up in person. On the other hand, we have tutors and partners who sign up and enjoy the element of anonymity when learning by phone, and feel more at ease to discuss personal issues in this mode. We’ve noticed that there is much more flexibility with the use of technology since the pandemic, and as far as PaL is concerned - whatever works for you is fine for PaL.

How long has your longest standing partnership lasted? Jessica: Fifteen years! Since PaL began over fifteen years ago we have a number of partnerships that have indeed been learning together every week since the very beginning! Let’s put these statistics into context. These partnerships to date have accumulated 15 years of weekly learning sessions and roughly over 700 hours of Torah learning per partnership!

Do you have any interesting testimonies, feedback, or stories? Tali: You are never too old to experience your first Shabbos! Douglas, one of our partners based in Glasgow, recently experienced his very first Shabbos at the age of 84 when he was invited to spend it with his tutor Micha in Manchester. Douglas loved every minute of it and has since been back to Micha’s home for more.

Jessica: Interestingly, the very first partner I had the privilege of signing up is a very memorable one. Jenny* was married to a non-Jewish man of Christian and Italian descent. Not long after giving birth to their daughter, the realisation of how important Jewish values were for her became increasingly evident. Specifically, although Jenny’s father was not Jewish, her mother and grandmother were halachically Jewish. The fond memories of her own childhood punctuated with traditional Friday nights and going to shul on High Holidays sparked her desire to pass on the same Jewish experiences to her own daughter. Jenny’s marriage unfortunately ended in divorce and soon after that, Jenny signed up with PaL, seeking to ‘start from scratch’ and learn the very basics of Judaism. Fortunately, we have a repertoire of exceptional tutors who volunteer their time for this very purpose. That is where the wonderful Sara stepped into Jenny’s life and began teaching her Jewish concepts that she had never had the opportunity to learn before. Sara and Jenny gelled so beautifully through their learning partnership that to date, Jenny has expressed to us how she very much feels part of Sara’s extended family. Before Covid, they met weekly at Sara’s house and learned a Jewish topic of interest, as well as discussing the running of a Jewish home and what a Jewish family represents. Apart from their weekly meetings, Sara has also invited Jenny for Shabbos and a Seder night. Jenny’s daughter is now enrolled into Jewish education and is beginning her very own journey in Judaism.

Blima: Recently I was speaking to one of our partners to check in on their partnership. He lives in London and his tutor lives in Gateshead. He told me they were due to meet up in the Lake District over the weekend as they both enjoy hiking and exploring nature. It was so special to hear how this learning connection has developed into such a strong friendship – something we are hearing more often from many of our tutors and partners.

Why do people love learning through PAL? Tali: People love that they can have their own customised learning session at a time of their convenience. With schedules so busy, being able to do a weekly learning session from the comfort of one’s home is key. Each learning partnership also has their own dedicated Partnership Manager who is there to help develop and nurture the learning.

Although the world is changing and technology is filling so many people’s lives, we are observing that many are still keen to connect in a meaningful way, and yearn to feel part of a community. PaL has a wonderfully diverse community of hundreds of exceptional people, all united through sharing the beauty of learning Torah. An added bonus is that they build connections and often lifelong friendships with their study partners.

Rivka: As a community we are all responsible to encourage those who want to learn more and to enable them to reconnect with their heritage. So if you have a colleague, neighbour, friend or family member who is interested in doing some Jewish learning but is unsure or too nervous to take the plunge, direct them to www. phoneandlearn.org or +44 20 8455 3118 so that they too can be part of this wonderful, inspiring and growing community.

We are always looking for more female (and male) tutors so if anyone feels they want to give of their time and knowledge in a convenient and flexible way, contact us and join the many hundreds of dedicated tutors who are making such a wonderful impact.

In the words of partner Sophia and tutor Sara:

“My PaL tutor Sara is absolutely amazing. I've learned so much from her. She really goes out of her way to make the learning meaningful and sends me resources and extra information outside of our learning sessions as well. I can't praise her highly enough.”

“It has been an absolute pleasure and a privilege to learn with my PaL partner Sophia, and I have learned tremendously from her. I really enjoy her insightful and relevant thoughts on the material we learn together.”