The global economic downturn has led to an increased interest in bringing Mesila’s counseling and educational services to communities outside Eretz Yisroel. Many families are under constant pressure to cover their daily expenses, and it is not uncommon for people to resort to borrowing from multiple gemachim to stay afloat.

 

Held in conjunction with the Jewish Community Council of Gateshead (JCCG), the four-session training course in Gateshead was organized by Rabbi Dov Oppenheimer, strategic advisor to JCCG. The program came about after ongoing discussions that took place during the past year between Rabbi Oppenheimer and Mesila’s chairman, Shmuli Margulies, to discuss the creation of a Mesila branch in Gateshead. The fifteen men and five women who attended the training program were invited to participate based on their interest and community involvement.

 

While the Gateshead session was a product of a year of ongoing dialogue, the training program in Manchester was relatively unplanned. Originally intended as a gathering to plant the seeds for a Manchester branch, the meeting generated such an overwhelming response that a training session was immediately organized by local activist Mochi Halpern. The trainees in Manchester comprised a younger group of about twelve businessmen, active in their community.

 

Zvi Silver, Mesila’s Family Division Director, is the senior trainer for the organization and flew in from Eretz Yisroel for the sessions. Taught in Hebrew, the courses were extremely well-received and generated considerable positive feedback. Some of the attendees shared the sentiment that they wished they had access to such a program before they got married. Participants felt that the lessons of the training sessions should be available to a greater audience through an educational workshop for the entire community.

 

During his presentation, Silver explained that the job of the counselor is not to tell people what to do or to assume responsibility, but to give people the tools and confidence to handle the situation themselves. The counselor’s role is to empower the members of the family to change their thought patterns and habits, and look for solutions on their own, gradually working towards financial independence.

 

The Gateshead Rav, Rabbi Zimmerman, addressed the participants at the closing of the final session and discussed Yaakov Avinu’s return for his pachim ketanim. The Rav explained that we see both that Yaakov Avinu valued all his possessions, including the insignificant ones, and that he could account for all of them. He had an acute awareness of what he did and did not own. This high level of accounting for one’s possessions does not apply only to tzadikim, as some may suggest. Rabbi Zimmerman cited the Gemara in Bava Metzia that states that if a person finds money, he may keep it since we assume the one who lost it is misya’aish; he is aware that he had the money and lost it.

 

Mesila believes that awareness is key to achieving financial stability, and Mesila’s counseling program begins with the counselor helping the family members reach a clear awareness of their financial situation. The stages of Change and Maintenance complete the three-step program, which is outlined in the Counselor Training Handbook used during the sessions.

 

The Handbook and course materials were developed from the combined experience of hundreds of Mesila volunteers from across Eretz Yisroel over the course of ten years. It was recently translated into English for use at training sessions held for Mesila branches in Lakewood and Baltimore, and was now distributed to the participants in sessions in Gateshead and Manchester.