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J E R U S A L E M I T E S

An occasional series of interviews with notable veteran olim
who make their homes in Jerusalem.

David Olivestone

PEARL BOROW

Rebbetzin Pearl Borow is one of the most beloved teachers
in Jerusalem’s Anglo community. She made Aliyah in 1999
when her husband, Rabbi Aaron Borow, retired from his
shul in the USA. Although now in her upper 80s, Rebbetzin
Borow continues to enthusiastically teach several weekly
classes on Navi and other topics for the OU Israel Center,
Emunah Women, and Tovei Ha-Ir, amongst others. Elegant,
dynamic, and highly articulate, she describes herself as
a “people person”, a characterization that is validated
whenever she speaks.

If I may say so, you’ve reached quite You must have had an extensive to do with me. She introduced me to
an advanced age. Do you have any Jewish education. poetry at a very early age, the most
plans to slow down? Believe it or not, I had to fight for it. amazing poetry, and I really think that
that was what led me to navi, with the
My father was a rav in Brooklyn, NY, feeling of words fitting together in a
I do think about it once in a while… the sound of learning Torah filled our
but I love teaching and I’d rather you home, and I was very much attracted to certain rhythm of speech, conveying
suggested that I give up making challah it. However my parents didn’t think it the magnificent ideas and messages
every week than to give up teaching. was necessary for me to have a formal of the nevi’im.
Jewish education because I was a girl.
Over the years you must have given So I started in public school, but I Where did you go to high school?
many thousands of shiurim. Surely wasn’t happy. I kept saying I have to My father said, “It’s enough, you know
you don’t have to spend any time learn how to daven, so at six years old how to daven”, so he registered me
I campaigned to switch to the Crown
preparing now? in a public high school, but I fought
Heights Yeshiva, which I soon did.
like crazy once again and in the end
But I love to learn! Whenever I give a Did your father take more notice of I went to the Yeshiva University High
parashat haShavua shiur, there’s always School for girls. From there I went
something new to discover. When I you after that? on to Brooklyn College and I also
teach navi, my delight is to find some No, those were the times when girls’ took evening courses at the Brooklyn
peshat or angle that I haven’t thought of education simply wasn’t important division of YU’s Teachers Institute,
before. So on the days when I’m giving a in families like ours. But my mother which was the only place where a
class, I do work on it for several hours. became my champion. She tried to keep young woman could continue to learn
There is simply no end to learning. me busy, because she didn’t know what in those days.

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