Sacred Aging Institute (SAI)

Our Mission

The Sacred Aging Institute (SAI) of Temple Beth Emeth is devoted to engagement and enrichment for those who identify as seniors in our congregation. We offer a variety of opportunities for learning and connection, including class series, group discussions, guest speakers, and more. We seek to foster growth and mutual support for older adults as we create a sacred community within our larger TBE family. Working together, we can uplift and appreciate the divine in each other.

Our vision is driven by the interests, wisdom, and skills of our seniors. Many SAI initiatives will be guided by lay leaders, as we rely on this community's wealth of life experiences and expertise to inform our programming and direction. All are encouraged to bring their passions, talents, thoughts, and questions to the fore.

Download our digital brochure here

Mussar Group, led by Judy Freedman

Tuesday 1:15-2:30pm on 9/10, 9/24, 10/15, 10/29, 11/5 and 11/19 - TBE Chapel or Zoom

Have you ever felt like you missed the mark? We are accustomed to using this language around Yom Kippur, but Jewish tradition encourages us to engage in self-reflection throughout the year. Mussar is a valuable practice that sheds light on our personal behaviors, with guidance on how to refine them compassionately. This 6 week course will focus on both Mussar history and personal practice; we will use the book Everyday Holiness by Alan Morinis and supplemental materials. Beginning before the High Holy Days and continuing for several weeks after, our time together can help you become more prepared and intentional in the year ahead.

Writing Your Legacy Letter: Life Lessons and Stories to Share, led by Debbie Merion & Ann Epstein

Tuesday 12-1:30pm on 9/17, 12-1pm on 9/24 and 10/8 - TBE Adult Lounge or Zoom

Do you peek in the mirror, salute your fleeting youth, and yearn to pass on to those you care about something more valuable than your Great Aunt Olga’s silver samovar? Do you want to contemplate and share what you value in this world — a.k.a. an ethical will — and recount stories about the people, ideas, and events that shaped you — a.k.a. a life review? The hands-on class “Writing Your Legacy Letter” will fulfill that wish. During class, we’ll brainstorm and use creative methods and writing prompts to add playfulness to the process and take the stress out of writing. Our goal is to have fun while completing a project you’ll be proud of during three lively sessions.

Listening and Learning: A Discussion Group based on Rabbi Address’s Sacred Aging Podcast, led by Cantor Annie and Rabbi Chelsea

Sunday 4:30-6pm with R Chelsea on 9/22, 10/6, 10/20 and 11/3 - TBE Adult Lounge or Zoom

Thursday 12-1:30pm with C Annie on 9/26, 10/10, 10/24 and 11/7 - TBE Adult Lounge or Zoom

In preparation for Rabbi Richard Address visiting TBE as a Scholar-in-Residence in November, we will discuss several episodes of his wonderful podcast "Seekers of Meaning." Each meeting will center on 1-2 episodes that participants listen to in advance, with instructors providing additional sources during class time to deepen our conversation. All episodes relate to the aging experience, and specific sub-themes include: caretaking relationships, medical concerns, environmentalism, and storytelling. Please note that Cantor Annie and Rabbi Chelsea will be using the same materials. The two sets of dates are offered so each participant can find the one that is most convenient each week.

Tell Your Story: Poetry as Solace, led by Ellen Stone

Thursday 7-8pm on 11/7, 11/14, 11/21 and 12/5 - TBE Adult Lounge or Zoom

Join Ann Arbor poet, educator, and TBE member Ellen Stone for a generative poetry reading and writing workshop. Through guided prompts and poetry examples, participants will learn how writing poetry can be a tool to cope with hardship and loss. We will explore poetry as a unique genre to discover our voice on the page. There will be time provided to discuss and share work. This class is open to participants of all skill levels and experiences; whether you have written poetry extensively, just a few times, or never before, we invite you to join!

Register Here

Renaissance Group

The Renaissance Group, TBE's social group for those 55 and over, plans social events throughout the year. Leadership of the programs rotates. In the past the group has attended theater productions and sporting events, held game nights and volunteered at Food Gatherers, gone on a winery tour, visited the glass exhibit at the Toledo Museum of Art and also organized a trip to the Frederick Meijer Gardens in Grand Rapids. New ideas and new people are always welcomed. Please check the weekly announcements for details prior to scheduled events.

Visit their web page for more information and events. Renaissance Group.

WISE Aging Services

Rebecca Nieubuurt, LLMSW has served the Temple Beth Emeth Community as the Congregation-based Social Worker since 2020. Rebecca brings with her 15 years of experience as a geriatric social worker in the Jewish community. As an employee of Jewish Family Services of Washtenaw County in their WISE Aging Services program, Rebecca offers TBE members open access to all of JFS's many services. As a mental health professional, she specializes in anxiety/depression, grief support, isolation and loneliness, and cognitive changes. Her work as a community-based social worker is focused on caregiver support, end-of-life planning, care planning, and accessing community supports and programs. Within our temple community Rebecca offers social opportunities, small group work, and supporting clergy and office staff in engagement with individual congregants. Rebecca is here to help with a multitude of aging related issues, she connects congregants to resources for in-home care, grocery, meal and pharmacy delivery, financial assistance, one-on-one supportive counseling, and ensuring that members maintain access to Temple services. She can be reached at rebeccan@jfsannarbor.org or (734)219-5354