Trading shuffle board for treadmills and bingo for Trivial Pursuit is, conceptually, the goal of the community’s new Synagogue/JCC Joint Senior Adult Program. It will kick off on Thursday, June 28 at Congregation Beth Israel. A kosher lunch will be served at 11:45 a.m. followed by a program, “The Rabbi and the Newscaster,” at 1 p.m.
Rabbi Paul Kerbel of Congregation Beth Israel and Channel 12 anchorman Jerry Taff will share stories in common.
“This new joint project is what a program for senior adults should be — a community-wide effort that provides a ‘2000’ stimulating environment in which all seniors can live fuller lives,” said Diane Sobel, project coordinator.
“Further,” she continued, “it is a wonderful example of a collaboration between the synagogues, Milwaukee Jewish Federation and the JCC which I hope will serve as a role model for future efforts within the Jewish community.”
Sobel also cite the Harry & Rose Samson Family Jewish Community Center’s long history of serving older adults with a range of needs and abilities. The center’s activities are held both at the JCC Senior Center on Prospect Ave. and at the Karl Campus in Whitefish Bay.
In addition, Jewish Family Services has supplied staff to two long-standing synagogue groups — Yachad at Congregation Shalom and Shalom-Beth Israel Seniors, which met at Congregation Beth Israel.
“When JFS chose to no longer staff these programs,” Sobel said, “the JCC offered assistance.”
At that point, members of the Wisconsin Council of Rabbis and staff from the Milwaukee Jewish Federation and JCC met to develop a cooperative program to serve senior adults. “It was felt that a joint program between the JCC and interested synagogues would best serve the senior adult population in a more efficient manner,” Sobel added.
Six shuls
Participating synagogues are Beth El Ner Tamid Synagogue and Congregations Beth Israel, Emanu-El B’ne Jeshurun, Menorah, Shalom and Sinai. JCC staffers Mona Cohen and Debbie Zemel will work with Sobel in overseeing the program.
Funding for the current fiscal year has been secured from the Jewish Community Foundation, the federation’s endowment development program.
Plans call for the group to meet twice a month for lunch and a program, with the synagogues and JCC rotating as hosts. Transportation will be provided as needed.
Sobel said the challenge will be “to offer programs that will balance substance and lighter fare, from political awareness to musical entertainment,” to attract the most participants. Content will include social, religious, health and current events.
Demographic studies, according to Sobel, show that the senior adult population is the fastest growing group in the North Shore area, and that Glendale specifically has the largest percentage of seniors in Milwaukee County.
“These people are aging in place and are in need of increased activities and services. Also, they are the most synagogue-affiliated group in the Jewish community, so reaching out through the synagogues is a logical approach,” Sobel said.
She credits Rabbi Paul Kerbel of Congregation Beth Israel with fueling the expanded program. “When JFS withdrew its funding for our program and Shalom’s, I tried to get other rabbis together to meet this growing need. We met with Jay Roth at the JCC who was willing to staff the program.
“This new program is going to be phenomenal. To enlarge the pool of the resources from two to six synagogues and have the JCC, too, is great. There is a need for seniors in the community to be active and we should provide as much interaction as we can. And to combine a system that goes beyond individual synagogues is important for the community as a whole.”
Although Congregation Emanu-El B’ne Jeshurun has not recently offered a specific program to its seniors, Rabbi Marc Berkson said, “I’m excited to participate in this partnership because I think it’s important to expand the activities for this growing population. This offers our congregants an opportunity to get involved in interesting programs and our congregation an opportunity to get involved in the community. I feel the more things we can do together as a community the better.”
Attendees will be charged $4 to defray the cost of the lunch. At this point no membership dues are planned.
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