Reaching out to boomers

Jewish Federation offering programs

Jewish baby boomers may be giving up on synagogues, but the Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County isn’t giving up on them.

Federation members have brainstormed an assortment of programs they hope will impress boomers enough that they will reconnect with the organized Jewish community.

The programs, including film nights, social-problems discussions, Sabbath dinners and seminars on healthy aging, are designed to help boomers have substantive conversations and begin meaningful volunteer work, which they said in a recent survey were important priorities.

Researchers questioned more 1,500 Jewish Palm Beach County residents, born between 1946 and 1964, and found they want to connect with other Jews through forums other than synagogues. Many are looking for one-time or short-term programs where they can make new friends or learn something useful.

“People are looking for connection, not necessarily membership,” said Stuart Himmelfarb, CEO of B3/The Jewish Boomer Platform, which con ducted the survey. “We think these programs have a good chance of reaching more people.”

Five groups generated ideas they thought would intrigue the age group. The federation has been sharing information about the programs on Facebook and through its mailing lists.

The first program, a showing and discussion of the film “Rosenwald,” about philan

thropist Julius Rosenwald and the donations that created 5,000 schools for African-Americans in the early 20th century, attracted more than 200 people in November.

Rabbi Anthony Fratello of Temple Shaarei Shalom west of Boynton Beach, which has been working with the boomer panel, said most members of his Reform congregation of 560 families are either young couples with children or retirees in their 70s and 80s, leaving a gap for the baby boomer demographic.

“The challenge is that things that motivated my parents’ generation are not the things that motivate boomers,” said Fratello, 44. “They are generally healthier, more active and affluent than the generation before.”

The survey and awarding of $25,000 in grants to implement the ideas are part of a three-year project sponsored by the Jewish Federation, which covers communities from Boynton Beach north to Jupiter. The federation is a central distribution point for money and assistance to an assortment of agencies, including a Jewish day school, two Jewish community centers and a social-work service.

Ellen Wedner, whose film series “Reel Matters” received a $5,000 grant from the initiative, said she chose films with relevance to contemporary social issues.

The next film, on Feb. 21 at the Mandel Jewish Community Center west of Boynton Beach, will be “Not The Last Butterfly,” which tells the story of The Butterfly Project. The project memorializes the 1.5 million children who died in the Holocaust with ceramic butterflies around the world. Cheryl Price, an artist and the project’s director, will lead a discussion after the film.

“Many of us were concerned with social issues, then life gets in the way,” said Wedner, 69, who is also director of the Palm Beach Jewish Film Festival. “Then you get to the point where you can slow down a little. As a boomer myself, I knew this was something they would love to see.”

Other events include a discussion of mental health issues on Jan. 20 at Temple Israel in West Palm Beach and a series of seminars on longevity beginning Feb. 13 at the Jewish Community Center in Palm Beach Gardens.

Go to JewishPalmBeach.org for more information.