6 March 7 • 2019 jn The Jewish News aspires to communicate news and opinion that’ s useful, engaging, enjoyable and unique. It strives to refl ect the full range of diverse viewpoints while also advocating positions that strengthen Jewish unity and continuity. We desire to create and maintain a challenging, caring, enjoyable work environment that encourages creativity and innovation. We acknowledge our role as a responsible, responsive member of the community. Being competitive, we must always strive to be the most respected, outstanding Jewish community publication in the nation. Our rewards are informed, educated readers, very satisfi ed advertisers, contented employees and profi table growth. To make a donation to the DETROIT JEWISH NEWS FOUNDATION go to the website www.djnfoundation.org The Detroit Jewish News (USPS 275-520) is published every Thursday at 29200 Northwestern Highway, #110, Southfield, Michigan. 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Subscriptions: 1 year. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $85 2 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$153 3 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$204 1 year out-of-state . . . . . . . . . . .$125 2 years out-of-state . . . . . . . . . .$225 Per year foreign . . . . . . . . . . . . .$300 Detroit Jewish News 29200 Northwestern Highway, Suite 110 Southfi eld, MI 48034 ©copyright 2019 Detroit Jewish News views T he Jewish community is con- stantly trying to figure out how to engage the next generation in terms of their Jewish identity, Israel, in-marrying, donating to communal institutions, raising Jewish families and con- necting to community. Rightfully so. This group is our future. If we want to ensure a strong Jewish community 10, 20, or 30 years down the road, we need to make sure the next generation — whether they are teens or in their 20s or 30s — are connected in some man- ner to their Jewish community. Many realize this group will not engage with traditional Jewish institutions. They have multiple identities and being Jewish may be only one of many and a lot of think- ing is going into trying to meet the next generation where they are. A lot of energy, focus and funding is directed to the young adult population, offering low cost or minimal participa- tion fees from participants. Everyone is searching for the magic formula to engage Millennials, Generation Y-ers and Generation Z-ers. Maybe it is connecting young adults to Israel/Jewish identity with a free trip to Israel. There is a free 10-day trip through Birthright Israel for those age 18-26 and more recently for those age 27-32. There is Honeymoon Israel, a nine-day trip for young couples 25-40, or highly sub- sidized trips to Israel through Onward Israel for college-aged students, just to name a few. Maybe it is a cheap place to live and have gatherings for your friends and social network. There is Moishe House for young adults in their 20s offering subsidized housing for putting together peer programing or One Table for folks in their 20s and 30s to either host or experience Shabbat dinners where they can “step back, connect with others, have moments of mindfulness and enjoy great meals on a Friday night. ” Maybe it is involving young adults through service opportunities. There is Repair the World which, “makes mean- ingful service a defining element of American Jewish life. ” These are all wonderful and important programs. Each has a goal and seems to be successful. Many are helping young Jews explore and develop a Jewish iden- tity, meet others their own age and find a sense of community. These are just a few national and international programs. In addition, a lot is being done in individual communities trying to target the next generation of young adults, whether it is through a federation, JCC, synagogue or other local program. What is interesting is that so much effort is focused on the next generation, that those age 45+ seem to be a forgotten constituency. According to the American Jewish Population Project, 63 percent of American Jews are over the age of 45. There isn’ t a whole lot of investment in this older group. While those over age 45 may have younger kids, many have kids that are finishing high school or are off at college or are empty nesters. It seems this is a missed opportunity on many levels. Many in this population may have no more bar/bat mitzvah lessons, no more frequent synagogue attendance in preparation for a life-cycle event, no family Shabbat dinners because the kids are out of the house. It seems that living a Jewish life is easier if one has children living at home. Holiday programming and celebrations seem to be geared to families, and more so for those with younger children. If one is single, divorced, widowed, one can feel excluded. I have found that being divorced and an empty nester makes it much harder for me to feel part of a larger Jewish community. I have many friends in a similar situation; they often ask me why don’ t synagogues have Shabbat dinners for empty nesters? Why doesn’ t federation have programming for singles over 50 and only have singles events for those under 40? Why do the volunteer service opportunities target families with children or young adult professionals? From a communal perspective, maybe we should be paying more attention to those asking these questions. There are also many people who are not affiliated with synagogues, especially if they do not have children living at home or never had children. Those in this demographic are often at a successful stage in their careers, have a professional network, have the time to engage and get involved with different organizations, and may have the dispos- able income to be investors in our com- munities. We should be trying to engage and connect this group with their Jewish identity. The average life expectancy of adults in the U.S. is 76 years for men; 81 years for women. Many people live well into their 80s and 90s. Many seniors face mental health issues, loneliness or social isolation. Thank goodness there are some programs like congregate meals sites or senior programming that help seniors retain a sense of community. What if we try to create a sense of Jewish community for people while they are in their mid-life? If they develop a network, find a way to connect and remain con- nected to the Jewish community, maybe they won’ t need as many services when they age. There is so much talk about inclusion in the Jewish community. What about making those over age 45 feel included? Of course, it is difficult to meet all the needs in a community, especially when financial and human resources are lim- ited for many of our Jewish communal organizations. Ensuring the future of the Jewish community is of key importance. One way to enhance life for many in the Jewish community would be to offer programs geared at those that belong to the 45+ demographic that has been neglected since most everyone is focus- ing on the next generation. ■ Dahlia Bendavid is the Israel and overseas direc- tor of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation. This essay was first published on ejewishphilathropy.com. commentary Over 45 and Invisible Dahlia Bendavid