How 'yearning' can be translated into 'learning' was one of the questions posed at Phone and Learn's first tutor training seminar on Sunday evening. The event, which saw Seed's Rabbi Yosef Grunfeld and a host of other speakers address an audience of approximately 50 men and women at the Ner Yisrael Beis Hamedrash in Hendon, was geared towards both current and potential PaL tutors.
Welcoming the attendees, PaL Chairman Mr Dov Harris gave a brief outline of the organisation's origins and remit. Born from the seed of an idea planted by Rabbi Paysach Krohn, who spoke at the hesped for Mr Sammy Homburger z"l back in December 2004, PaL aims to match as-yet-unaffiliated Jews with appropriate tutors from the community, for weekly one-hour telephone learning sessions. The UK programme is based on and closely linked with the highly successful American 'Partners in Torah' organisation. In recent months, PaL has also become involved with Rabbi Krohn's 'meoh brochos' project, distributing thousands of CDs and wall charts to schools and shuls across the UK.
Following Mr Harris' introduction, kiruv veteran and PaL committee member Mr Jonny Rabson led a 40-minute workshop on effective communication. Mr Rabson asked the audience to consider some possible scenarios arising from PaL sessions and come up with ways to deal with them. In the case of telephone learning discussions, for example, participants have to be aware that there are no visual clues as to how their partners are enjoying or reacting to what they're learning. Suggested strategies to combat this difficulty included taking the time to get to know your partner on a personal level, learning to listen to them more carefully and using open questions as much as possible to encourage them to participate.
At the workshop's conclusion the audience was treated to a 'behind the scenes' look at PaL given by programme coordinator Siobhan Newman. Miss Newman explained how tutors are carefully matched with their learning partners after an in-depth interview and with the help of the organisation's unique database. The PaL office remains available to offer help and advice once the partnership has been set up, drawing on the wisdom of a bank of outreach and community Rabbis.
Following a short break for refreshments, the session's keynote speaker Rabbi Grunfeld was introduced. Described as "the father of Jewish outreach in the UK"?, he was invited to speak about the "power and privilege of kiruv".
Rabbi Grunfeld began his impressive shiur by outlining the current profile of Anglo-Jewry. In a population of approximately 250,000 Jews, some 57% affiliate themselves with mainstream Orthodoxy but tragically, around 40% of Jews who choose to wed in the UK, marry out. On the bright side, he commented, more than 50% of Jewish children today attend Jewish schools, so while it is something of a battleground out there, we are also being presented with a unique opportunity to make contact with those less committed and knowledgeable than ourselves. Rabbi Grunfeld proceeded to explain the enormous achrayus upon each and every one of us to reach out to these 'lost' Jews. Quoting the Chofetz Chaim, he explained that if we come into contact with non-religious Jews and do not try to show them the Torah way to live, their aveiros will be transferred over to us. Conversely, if we do choose to get involved, we will receive a great deal of zechus from the mitzvos they do in the future.
Rabbi Grunfeld concluded by looking at a variety of situations that could arise, offering hints and tips for responding to difficult questions. What is vital, he explained, is to be sure to listen to the question properly - for example, if someone asks, "why can't I turn on a light on Shabbos"?, he may be saying "turning a light on is not work, therefore I should be able to do it"?. On the other hand, his question could be quite different - "does G-d really care if I turn on the light on Shabbos?"? In the first instance, the correct answer would include an explanation of precisely what the term melocho refers to. In the second instance, however, one would have to explain how the minutiae of hilchos Shabbos are there to protect the day for our own sakes.
PaL already has more than 50 people currently learning over the phone each week and has plans to hold further training seminars.
