On Wednesday May 30th, Rodeph Sholom Social Worker Ruth Kobrin and Caring Community Members Val Coleman and Helen Levine attended a meeting at Dorot called “Community as Family,” a program dedicated to addressing the growing number of childless seniors that were disappearing from synagogues because many feel they no longer belong. The gathering, which included clergy, social workers and volunteers from Reform Jewish synagogues in NYC, focused on how shuls take the following actions to support solo agers.
1) Create space for un-familied singles and couples to meet
2) Increase and develop ties to the Temple
3) Convene a self-advocacy group to look for resources
4) Develop a community as family team
Rodeph Sholom’s Caring Community is meeting to discuss how we can serve our solo ager. In meantime we recommend Essential Retirement Planning for Solo Agers: A Retirement and Aging Roadmap for Single and Childless Adults, by Sara Zeff Geber, as a wonderful resource to learn more. There will be a limited number of copies of this book available in the Rabbinic suite library.
Pictured: CRS Social Worker, Ruth Kobrin and Caring Committee members Val Coleman and Helen Levine
