When Lia’s mom first asked her if she wanted to be a part of The Jewish Agency’s Partnership2Gether (P2G) program One2One English, the 17-year-old from Pardes-Hanna was nervous about saying yes but ultimately agreed. Then Lia met her partner, 81-year-old Joan from Nashville, Tennessee, and from their first video call, the two hit it off.
Launched in July 2020, One2One English is a P2G program designed to increase abilities and confidence in speaking, reading, and writing English for school-age children in grades 6-12 in the Hadera-Eiron region of Israel. Each student is assigned an educator from one of the P2G Southeast Consortium communities for one-on-one learning sessions tailored to the student’s current English level.
“During our first call, we just talked and Joan taught me a little English but it was mostly about getting to know each other and making me feel comfortable because I was very anxious,” recalled Lia. “And by the time we had our last scheduled meeting, when Joan asked if I wanted to continue to talk, I was pretty quick to tell her I wanted to keep being in touch and since then, we’ve been in contact every week.”
Lia and Joan continue to meet on Zoom and talk for hours about books, music, family and more. They have gotten to know a lot about each other and come to care deeply about one another. On birthdays, they’ve even sent each other gifts and their families and friends know all about their connection, and some of them even come on Zoom to say hello.
“I’ve really enjoyed getting to help someone else using skills that I have and also gaining this friendship and a new family in Israel,” said Joan. “We both look forward to our weekly get-togethers.”
“I wanted more confidence in my English — and just talking to someone helped me so I’d recommend that if other Israeli students want to practice their English, they should definitely be part of this program,” added Lia. “It’s also a great way to get to know Jewish people around the world and It’s meaningful to hear other people’s stories. Plus, the connection you make is really amazing.”
After graduating high school next year, Lia and her family are planning to go to the U.S. and during their visit, Lia will meet Joan in-person.
“To get together with Joan in the U.S. will be great,” Lia shared. “After speaking for so many hours on Zoom for all this time through One2One, I know it’ll be extra special to actually meet for real.”
