Directory
Active Aging Organizations and Leadership
Developing programming or looking for assistance to help you get started in active aging? We’re here for you! Browse our directory below.
Wimberley, Rachel
Shalom Austin
Stage: Active Aging activities in place
Shalom Austin proudly introduces Inspired Aging, an innovative program offering enrichment, social services and fitness experiences for adults ages 60 and older. We focus on providing social, spiritual, cultural, and wellness offerings for adults ages 60 and over. Our goal is to help folks live their most fulfilling 3rd act. Adult Programs works closely with JFS, Health and Wellness, and all areas of Shalom Austin to provide integrated and robust offerings. This integrated wellness model provides opportunities for older adults to live their best life.
Contact: rachel.wimberley@shalomaustin.org
Marcus, Michael
Generations United
Stage: Looking at options / planning
Michael is a founder and a past board member of Grantmakers in Aging, as well as a former board member of the American Society on Aging. He currently serves on the boards of Generations United, Generations on Line, Citizens Planning and Housing Association, and the Mount Royal Improvement Association, as a member of the Baltimore Commission on Aging, and on the Board of Overcoming Poverty Together, an international microfinance organization working primarily in Indonesia, among many other boards and public commissions.
Contact: (847) 571-1802 & mmarcus@communityresources.guru
Salzman, Susan
OneTable
Stage: Looking at options / planning
OneTable Together encourages midlife adults to explore the celebration and enduring practice of Friday night Shabbat dinner as an opening to Jewish meaning, joy, and connection. Our Shabbat dinner hosts and guests benefit from our personalized support, on-demand DIY tools, and Jewish learning resources to elevate their Friday nights. Through peer-led Shabbat dinners and our signature digital platform, we make community accessible, inclusive, and meaningful for all. Join us to explore a whole new way to build community.
Contact: (310) 929-0976 & susan@onetable.org
Biale, Rachel
New Lehrhaus
Stage: Active Aging activities in place
The mission of New Lehrhaus is to bring students and teachers together in dialogue to explore Jewish sources, traditions, and arts, sustaining and enriching the vibrant spirit of Jewish civilization. Lehrhaus is the Bay Area’s non-denominational lifelong Jewish learning institution dedicated to academic excellence, open inquiry, contemporary relevance, and cultural and religious pluralism.
Contact: rachelbiale@gmail.com & (510) 414-2055
Giles, Barbra
Jewish Senior Life of Metropolitan Detroit
Stage: Active Aging activities in place
JSL offers a variety of senior living options for older adults. All of our communities are enriched with active adult programming. We also offer a variety of services and programs to the general community. Our mission it to nurture a sense of community and enrich the lives of older adults, while embracing Jewish values and celebrating life. We welcome people of all beliefs and faiths.
Contact: (248) 592-5029 & bgiles@jslmi.org
Hodin, Renee Markus
Jewish Family & Children's Service--Boston
Stage: Active Aging activities in place
I am the Director of the Services for Older Adults (SOA) division of Jewish Family & Children's Service of Greater Boston (JF&CS). Within SOA, we help people find support, connect with others, and live well as they grow older. Our approach provides people with expert information and responsive programs they can use to solve problems and improve the quality of their lives. It is distinguished by innovation, thought and practice leadership, and the expertise we bring to a broad range of aging issues. These include having one of the largest aging life care management practices in Greater Boston, responsibility for half of the state’s guardianship program, specialty areas in mental health and senior housing, creative arts and chronic illness, and spirituality and aging resources. We also focus on building strong partnerships within JF&CS and in the community.
Contact: (781) 693-1353 & rmhodin@jfcsboston.org
Baskin, Eliot
Shalom Park Nursing Home Elder Care Community
Stage: Active Aging activities in place
Elders and Care Partners work together and empower each other to experience the rhythm of daily life.
Contact: (303) 918-1558 & Eliot.Baskin@shalomcares.net
Azoulay, Nadine
Cummings Centre
Stage: Active Aging activities in place
As the hub of Montreal’s 50+ community, the Cummings Centre touches the lives of 10,000 people on an annual basis. In keeping with the ever-changing needs of this demographic, Cummings has evolved into a multi-dimensional membership-based community organization offering programs and services in person at its main campus site at 5700 Westbury Avenue in Snowdon and various off-site locations throughout Montreal and online. The Cummings Centre’s mission is to empower and enhance the quality of life of adults age 50 and over by providing dynamic and innovative programs, social services, and volunteer opportunities in a vibrant, respectful, inclusive and compassionate environment. Building on its Jewish heritage, Cummings embraces people from all ethnic, cultural and socio-economic backgrounds.
Contact: nadine.azoulay@cummingscentre.org & (514) 343-3510
Malane, Cassie
The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation
Contact: cmalane@hjweinberg.org & (443) 421-2575
Friedlander, Rivka
United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism
Stage: Active Aging activities in place
Founded in 1913, USCJ (United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism) is the network of nearly 600 Conservative Jewish communities that ensures there are thriving centers of Jewish practice across North America, Israel, and beyond that celebrate both tradition and contemporary life. Together, we demonstrate what an authentic and dynamic Judaism looks like, inspire people to be a part of it, and advance its critical role in the world. Our work strengthens synagogues by providing visionary leadership training, creating opportunities for Jewish of all ages to learn and grow, sharing essential resources, and seeding innovative ideas.
Contact: rfriedlander@uscj.org & (646) 519-9322
Tomasovitch, Shaindel
Rabbinical Assembly
Stage: Looking at options / planning
Communications and Social Media Specialist for Rabbinical Assembly (network for Conservative rabbis) - no experience around age affinity groups or orgs! We are open to ideas - we could add them to our affinity group events.
Contact: stomasovitch@rabbinicalassembly.org & (734) 934-9333
Falck, Roni
JFCS Minneapolis
Stage: Looking at options / planning
We are very much in the infancy of trying to determine how to best engage, connect, support and utilize active adults.
Contact: rfalck@jfcsmpls.org & (952) 542-4822
Turner, Judith
DOROT
Stage: Active Aging activities in place
DOROT has been at the forefront of alleviating social isolation among older adults for over 46 years. Our life-enhancing programs and services engage volunteers of all ages, bringing the generations together and creating meaningful relationships that benefit all. DOROT’s range of opportunities enrich the lives of older adults, connecting them to their peers and multi-generational friendships, and offering them access to supportive services, vital resources, and nutritious food deliveries on a weekly, monthly, and holiday basis. Our mission is to alleviate social isolation among older adults and provide services to help them live independently as valued members of the community. We serve the Jewish and wider community, bringing the generations together in a mutually beneficial partnership of elders, volunteers, and professionals. Our work provides an effective model for others.
Contact: jturner@dorotusa.org & (917) 441-3722
Gerhardt, Ailene
Independent Board Certified Patient Advocate, Certified Senior Advisor, Solo Aging Educator
Beacon Patient Solutions LLC & Navigating Solo Network
Stage: Looking at options / planning
I am a former Jewish Communal professional now independent patient advocate who offers an array of community education programs and groups ranging from navigating the health care system, patient safety and patient's rights, the unique needs of solo aging, planning for solo aging and more. You can view the list here https://www.beaconpatientsolutions.com/speaking. I have partnered with synagogues and Jewish organizations and am interested in ways to connect with organizations to further the reach of my work! As my advocacy practice has evolved, I have developed a specialty working with solo agers (an adult 55+ who, because of choice or circumstance, are without the support of adult children or close family members). In the fall of 2021, I launched the Navigating Solo Network: The Path to Dynamic Solo Aging Starts Here™ (navigatingsolo.com) which includes a national website, a growing network of members, and an online clearinghouse featuring resources specifically for Solo Agers.
Contact: www.beaconpatientsolutions.com & ailene@beaconpatientsolutions.com & (617) 651-2140
Rotman, Reuben
Network of Jewish Human Service Agencies
Stage: Active Aging activities in place
The Network of Jewish Human Service Agencies is an international membership association composed of 165 non-profit human service agencies in the United States, Canada, and Israel. The Network’s mission is to advance the Jewish human service sector through advocacy, best practices, innovation, and partnerships.
Our members are nonprofit agencies that provide a wide range of human services for the Jewish community and beyond, including health care, career, employment, and mental health services, as well as programs for youth, families and seniors, Holocaust survivors, immigrants, and refugees, persons with disabilities and caregivers. Network member agencies provide comprehensive care for individuals and families at all income levels and of all faiths with a special focus on serving older adults and those struggling with financial insecurity. Older adults and caregivers constitute more than 60% of Network member agencies’ client base.
Reid, Sarah
Jewish Grandparents Network
Stage: Active Aging activities in place
Please join us for a fun hands-on workshops with master theater arts educators like Jonathan Shmidt Chapman who present a range of activities that use creativity, drama, and play to activate Passover with children ages 3–8 as well as other holidays during the year.
Grandparents and families enjoyed Jonathan's brand-new and easy-to-follow Passover Discovery Kit, available to download for free this year from the Jewish Grandparents Network website.
Activities in the Passover workshop included ideas to bring the Seder to life — build Ancient Egypt out of matzah; design a scavenger hunt to find the afikoman; and explore the role of women in the Passover story. We will also include ways to use these resources on FaceTime or Zoom for grandparents at a distance.
Sign up even if you can’t make the date and we’ll send you the recording: https://secure.lglforms.com/form.../s/y7alhDpGL-3uQOwi1ssZLQ
And keep an eye out for more great activities and programs! Visit www.jewishgrandparentsnetwork.org or email me at sarah@jewishgrandparentsnetwork.org.
Geber, Sara Zeff
LifeEncore
Stage: Active Aging activities in place
I lead discussion and planning groups on Solo Aging. The groups can be synagogue based, JCC-based, Village-based, or general community-based. I define Solo Agers as anyone, married or single, who has no adult children AND those who are aging alone for other reasons without the support of nearby family. Among baby boomers, the percentage of Solo Agers is more than double what it has been for all previous generations. Planning for support and care in later life is necessary for all of us, but critical for Solo Agers.
Schectman, Amy
2Life Communities
Stage: Active Aging activities in place
2Life’s mission is to ensure that all older adults have an opportunity to live a full life of connection and purpose by providing a dynamic, supportive environment on all our campuses. We focus on affordability and advocate for changing the national conversation to highlight the benefits of aging in community.
We operate 6 campuses with 1600 residents. Our traditional focus has been on subsidized housing; Recently we’ve broadened our focus to older adults in the market gap—between qualifying for subsidized housing and affording high-end offerings in the marketplace. Middle class seniors are the largest cohort nationally, and very much so in the Jewish community.
Opus, our moderate income community, has a foundational idea of a kibbutz. Everyone volunteers at least 10 hours/month to keep the community affordable and vibrant. Our first Opus shares a campus with the Jewish Community Centers of Greater Boston.