A Conversation On Aging That We Still Ignore
As so many of you know, the news media has been all over the varying types of perceptions that have followed the recent Biden-Trump debate. I will leave the political discussion to the so-called pundits because the post debate talk has made many of us somewhat uncomfortable. Articles in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post and others spoke to the challenges they perceived of aging. These conversations are needed, but, they triggered something in me that we continue to ignore and so, maybe, as a result of some of the secular discussions, our community can wake up to some of our realities.
According to the 2020 Pew study, 49 percent of the contemporary Jewish community was seen to be over 50 years of age. Now, several years after the data was crunched, we can easily make the case that the number is at least 50 percent. It is true that our community is aging faster than the general United States population. Those statistics are also enlightening, for the government tells us that, as of now, 10,000 people turn 65 every day, and that within the time a child born today will stand for their Bar or Bat Mitzvah, the number of people over 65 will exceed those 18 and under. Now, add the fact that this wave of aging Boomers are now accessing Medicare and Social Security and you have a challenging recipe for social change. As our generation of Boomers age, we plan to remain active, spiritually, and intellectually concerned for many years, despite what for some will be physical and mental concerns.
Now here is the problem: the organized institutional Jewish community/establishment just does not seem to get this reality. On the one hand, we are seeing a rise in the awareness and organizations that are looking at life’s end. Yet, we are living longer and living better than any generation in Jewish history. The accumulated life experience is often ignored. We are often looked at through the prism of fund raising rather than a wealth of lived experience that can be tapped for the benefit of the next generations. Our legacy has to be more than money! How many congregations have revised their programs for elders that seek to challenge and engage on issues that we are facing; from family dynamics to the challenges of dealing with loss and our on-going search for meaning?
So, maybe this discussion of Presidential aging can spur some serious conversation on the part of our community on the health and wellness of this ever challenging generation of which we are a part. Jewish Sacred Aging® is ready to be part of this conversation. We are in the process of harvesting the lives we have lived. It shall be interesting to see how our community sees us as we live the third and fourth stages of our life. I would be very intersted in your comments and thoughts, and if your congregation or organization has begun to re-invent their inreach to elder members. If you wish to share, please send those thoughts to RabbiAddress@JewishSacredAging.com
Shalom,
Rabbi Richard F Address
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