ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — Jewish Family Service of MetroWest has been awarded a grant by the Healthcare Foundation of New Jersey to administer a Wise Aging initiative in the MetroWest communities. The program, which is a partnership with 12 local synagogue groups plus the JCC MetroWest, will help Jewish people in their second adulthoods, their 60s and 70s, to discover their intellectual and spiritual potential through Jewish and secular texts. The groups will help seniors view aging as a time of wisdom and self-realization. Each group will be led by two volunteer facilitators trained by the Institute of Jewish Spirituality to lead Wise Aging peer groups locally at the synagogues and at the JCC. JFS MetroWest will provide administrative support and the guidance of a social worker to the volunteer facilitators throughout the program.
Participating synagogues include Temple B’nai Jeshurun in Short Hills, Temple Beth El in Hillsborough, Congregation Agudath Israel in Caldwell, Congregation B’nai Israel in Millburn, Temple Shalom in Succasunna, Temple B’nai Abraham in Livingston, Temple Ner Tamid in Bloomfield, Temple Sharey Tefilo-Israel in South Orange, Temple Sholom in Bridgewater, Congregation Shomrei Emunah in Montclair, Congregation Kehilat Shalom in Belle Mead and B’nai Keshet in Montclair.
“With seniors living longer and healthier lives, it is important to help them to continue to find fulfillment and joy. It is a perfect fit for JFS MetroWest since we strive to meet the needs of individuals and families at each life stage,” Reuben Rotman, executive director of Jewish Family Service of MetroWest, said in a press release.
For more information on JFS MetroWest, call 973-765-9050 or visit www.jfsmetrowest.org.