An octogenarian yoga instructor in Israel and a young dance researcher from California are approaching five years of weekly Torah study together, their “fifth learniversary,” proving that personal connection and Jewish learning can transcend age, geography and background.
Susie Rosenfeld, 80, who has taught yoga for 55 years and lives in Beit Shemesh, Israel, and Brianna Lopez, a dance educator now living in New York City, connected in August 2020 during the early months of the COVID pandemic through the Partners in Torah initiative, which pairs individuals for one-on-one Jewish learning via phone, internet video calls or in person.
“She’s like a sponge, curious, open and eager to absorb it all,” Rosenfeld said of Lopez. “She’s a huge part of my life, and I am accomplishing something I never thought possible. I’m taking large amounts of time out of my schedule to prepare what to study with Brianna, pretty much weekly, for these Sunday chats.”
The partnership began when Lopez, who was visiting Israel at the time, responded to persistent online advertisements for Partners in Torah, which recently became a division of AISH. Though hesitant at first, she completed her profile and was matched with nine potential partners. Rosenfeld, meanwhile, had finally responded to emails from the organization that she had previously ignored. In both cases, it was the quiet persistence of digital nudges that led them to sign up.
“I call her my Naomi, and I’m her Ruth,” said Lopez, referring to the biblical relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. “She’s my spiritual mother. Our phone calls aren’t just about learning. They’re transformative.”
Though Lopez is the same age as Rosenfeld’s grandchildren, the significant age gap has been a bridge, not a barrier. Lopez specifically sought an older learning partner, saying, “I wanted to feel like I was learning from someone who’s lived a life and knows what she knows and knows it well.”
For Rosenfeld, whose children are not yet observant, the partnership created an opportunity to channel her decades of Jewish learning into teaching. “At the time I was introduced to the program, I had to ask myself: ‘Do I want to be the student or the teacher?’” she explained. “I’m a trained teacher. I have a degree in education. So I decided that I would challenge myself to be the teacher and share from my own knowledge. This gave me something that I was lacking.”
Their study sessions began with preparations for the High Holidays and expanded to weekly Torah portions, prayerbook basics, and now, in-depth study of Genesis. The pandemic, which drastically reduced Rosenfeld’s yoga teaching schedule, provided the time needed to prepare lessons.
Studying the weekly Torah reading and preparing notes to share with Lopez became a deeply exciting process. “I grew tremendously in my Torah learning through teaching,” Rosenfeld said. “I think that was like the crowning moment of my life, to be able to have that intensity of Jewish learning.”
The partnership has been transformative for Lopez, who grew up in a secular home with no exposure to Judaism. Her interest in Judaism began during her first research trip to Israel in 2017, where she was studying the Israeli dance form “Gaga.”
“Something happened to me spiritually on that trip, something really opened my eyes and my heart,” Lopez recalled. “There’s something there that’s profound and deep. Experiencing my very first Shabbat in Israel was beyond magical. The energy was palpably different, and it moved me deeply. I remember thinking, ‘Here is something ancient and alive, something that reaches all the way back to the beginning of Judaism, and it’s still vibrant today.’ It was then that I decided to explore my own Judaism. I started taking classes, learning Hebrew and eventually joined Partners in Torah, where I met Susie.”
The impact extends beyond religious knowledge. “Because of my relationship with Susie and the learning that we’ve done together, my relationship to God has risen,” Lopez said. “I feel closer to God than ever. I feel closer to myself than ever. I feel like a more grateful person, and my heart is more open. I am more careful about who I let into my life, but those I choose to let in, I do so with more warmth and feeling than ever before.”
The two have met in person several times when Lopez visited Israel, creating what Rosenfeld called “magical” experiences that allowed Lopez to experience her teacher’s religious lifestyle firsthand.
“We have this very, very deep relationship based on shared Torah,” said Rosenfeld, who noted that the partnership provides an outlet to discuss Jewish teachings she cannot share with nonreligious family members.
Rabbi Eli Gewirtz, founder and international director of Partners in Torah, said, “We are continuing to connect study partners such as Susie and Brianna worldwide, in an effort to foster Jewish learning and create meaningful relationships across generations, backgrounds and geographical distances.”
As they approach their fifth study anniversary, both women express gratitude for the program that brought them together. “I often reflect with Susie on how special we were to have been handed this gift, this relationship, and study partner. I think to myself, ‘How is it that we were so lucky to have been selected and paired together?’ From the thousands of people who receive those ads, to have found one another was incredibly lucky, and I know that we are both very grateful for it,” Lopez said.
“In truth, if it wasn’t for the persistence of Partners in Torah, and the time given to both of us by the COVID pandemic, our relationship would have never happened,” Lopez said, noting Rosenfeld’s typically packed schedule. “I feel like my soul is completely changing. It hasn’t just changed my life; I’ve become a different person. The Jewish wisdom I’ve learned and shared with Susie has touched every part of who I am.”
