Articles & Studies
Explore active aging, aging in Jewish life, cultural trends and organizational developments.
A library of important articles, reports and findings. (If that description fits something you’ve written or read, please send it to us to share!)
Featured Active Aging Articles & Studies
By Rabbi Laura Geller, Professor David Elcott and Stuart Himmelfarb
Read this recent article from eJewishPhilanthropy about our recent Active Aging Convening entitled “The Challenges and Opportunities of Longevity — A Jewish Communal Response.” It captures the growing interest among a wide range of Jewish organizations in understanding the impact of longevity and learning about new models of engagement in Jewish life.
Read it here.
A recent community study revealed that younger Jews were more engaged in Jewish life than older respondents. One local leader expressed shock. In this article, we explain why it was no surprise to us. Explore the risk of “elsewhere” when communities and organizations don’t explore—and address—the needs of Jews as they move from mid-life careers into retirement. Read it here.
David Elcott conducted the first national survey and analysis of Jewish Boomers and encore careers. Its findings provided the impetus for creating B3. Read it here.
from Synergy/UJA Federation of New York (2016); Elcott and Himmelfarb, Principal Investigators; article in eJewishPhilanthropy by Cantor Adina Frydman and Andi Rosenthal. Read it here.
Check out B3’s national study of attitudes, activities and beliefs among boomers and the other adult cohorts. This comprehensive report explores both Baby Boomers themselves and where they fit among the other adult cohorts. Find it here.
All Articles & Studies
Older Generations Are Reclaiming Rites of Passage
A recent article in The New York Times reported on rituals that can make participating in Jewish life more meaningful as people age—and add to the traditional rites of passage which can be separated by decades and seem to be infrequent among older adults. Check it out here and consider these ideas in your plans for active aging engagement. New ideas are being developed in religious, spiritual and civic/secular settings—and all are linked by the meaning they bring to individuals and communities.
Older Jews less engaged? We knew it all along.
A recent community study revealed that younger Jews were more engaged in Jewish life than older respondents. One local leader expressed shock. In this article, we explain why it was no surprise to us. Explore the risk of “elsewhere” when communities and organizations don’t explore—and address—the needs of Jews as they move from mid-life careers into retirement. Read it here.
An Improved State of Aging in America (PRB)
Older adults in the United States are functioning better on their own and a shrinking share are living in nursing homes and assisted living settings than a decade ago, new data show. The COVID-19 pandemic’s profound impact on the lives of many older Americans is reflected in 2020 NHATS data, which show a steep drop in activities such as visiting with friends, volunteering, participating in clubs, and attending religious services. Read it here.
Four Ways to Age-Integrate National Service
By Marc Freedman and Phyllis Segal (Stanford Social Innovation Review)
National service programs can bring together older and younger people to serve side by side, producing a windfall of human and social capital, plus much-needed generational and cultural connections. Read it here.
The Key to Marketing to Older People? Don’t Say ‘Old’
By Corinne Purtill
The New York Times Deal Page tries to understand how to reach older people. Great quote: “The idea is to market not to a name and not to an age, but to the stage of life or vibrancy.” Read it here.
Organizational change: How the pandemic is transforming our community
by Steven Windmueller, Ph.D. (eJewishPhilanthropy)
During this pandemic, there has been an explosion of new resources available to organizational leaders concerning institutional governance and management. The underlying thesis of these many prescriptions argues that there is a fundamental shift underway in organizational practice resulting from the COVID experience. Read it here.
The Seven Habits That Lead to Happiness in Old Age
By Arthur C. Brooks (The Atlantic)
Your well-being is like a retirement account: The sooner you invest, the greater your returns will be. Read it here.
Boom or Bust for Jewish Community
From the New York Jewish Week.
Gary Rosenblatt writes about B3's conference on Boomer engagement. Read it here.
Jewish Americans in 2020
U.S. Jews are culturally engaged, increasingly diverse, politically polarized and worried about anti-Semitism. Check out Pew’s latest survey of the American Jewish population. Read it here.
Why Ageism in the Workplace Still Seems to Be Okay
By Richard Eisenberg (Next Avenue). A chat with a researcher who found the younger people are, the more likely they hold ageist views of workers. Read it here.
After Corona Game Plan
B3 and Rabbi Laura Geller have created an “After Corona Game Plan” for Boomer engagement in the Jewish community. Check it out here.
Baby Boomers, Public Service and Minority Communities: A Case Study of the Jewish Community in the United States (2009)
David Elcott conducted the first national survey and analysis of Jewish Boomers and encore careers. Its findings provided the impetus for creating B3. Read it here.