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Growing Older

An elderly woman joyfully jumps in a garden, with sunlight and trees in the background.

Several generations ago, a woman got married in her early 20s, had children immediately, and by the time she was finished having children, she was well on the way to being a grandmother. And life was shorter. Today, most of us can hope to enjoy many years when our focus shifts back to our own goals and purposes, much as it did in our 20s. Questions of meaning and purpose again present themselves. At the same time, we have acquired the wisdom of years, and some of us long to have that recognized and celebrated within our communities. Other important events characterize this time of life: our bodies change, some of us become grandparents, some of us retire from long-established careers, and at some point we may move out of our homes and downsize, or even move in with children or into a facility. All of these changes present opportunities for ritual.

Latest Rituals

How Rosh Chodesh ceremonies enable nursing-home residents to live in a cycle of significant moments
older woman face in profile

Go forth to a place I will show you, a land you don’t know

Four people in profile walking with the sunset behind them

Questions for an intergenerational Thanksgiving conversation

a person kisses an elder person on the cheek

A moving prayer in which the author, working off the traditional kaddish, mourns her inability to birth a child

women pictured from behind staring at mountains

The Reconstructionist Network

Serving as central organization of the Reconstructionist movement

Training the next generation of groundbreaking rabbis

Modeling respectful conversations on pressing Jewish issues

Curating original, Jewish rituals, and convening Jewish creatives

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The Reconstructionist Network