OUR COMMUNITY
20 | JUNE 3 • 2021
W
hat do you get when you bring
a class of students who have
never known life without
computers together with a group of older
congregants who remember when color
television was brand new?
Two years into a four-year grant
from the Better Together program, the
Adat Shalom-Beth Achim Learning
Community, under the direction of edu-
cator Dr. Melissa Ser, is discovering the
power of intergenerational learning.
The Better Together program goals are
intended to be simple and meaningful: to
sensitize students to the challenges of the
elderly and incorporate Jewish learning
and values in their interactions with the
elderly.
Through the program’s focused lessons,
students learn Jewish traditions and eth-
ics they can actualize in their daily lives.
Students develop a relationship with a
senior and are sensitized to what an older
person might need. Students are instilled
with a sense of obligation and responsibili-
ty to care for their elders.
Most importantly, students learn that
they have as much to gain from the seniors
as they have to give, all while gaining
confidence and acquiring communication
skills.
“Better Together is truly what it is,” said
Roberta Wolf of Farmington Hills. “I’m
grateful to have learned so much from this
exuberant group of teens.”
At first, it was challenging to bring
everyone together on Zoom. The tech-
nology was new for the seniors, and the
students were just getting the hang of
Zoom themselves. Rena Tepman of West
Bloomfield noted that “every time we got
together, we learned something from the
students about how the technology could
work better and, at the same time, we
shared the information that we knew. We
worked together to complete activities, and
I think the program was very successful.”
Alexis Migliore, 11, of West Bloomfield
said, “One of my favorite activities was
the virtual escape room where we and the
community members had to find clues
about Judaism and answer the questions! It
was so much fun!
“But the part that truly changed the way
I view life was the interviews,” she added.
“We asked the seniors questions about
their lives and the feeling you get from that
is truly indescribable.”
SWEET STORIES
Yonatan Ser, 11, of West Bloomfield notes
that the similarities between the students’
lives and those of the seniors are palpable.
“But you don’t see them,” he notes. “You
don’t read them. You hear them. You feel
them. Ask an older person a simple ques-
tion, like, ‘What is your favorite dessert?’
and you get an entire story about why it’s
their favorite dessert and some memories
of it, and you are there.”
Creating these opportunities for connec-
tion, for bringing students and older adults
into each other’s lives and memories, is a
crucial part of the program.
Mallory Columbus, 11, of Commerce
was the winner of the school’s Better 2
Write Essay Contest. She wrote: “The
Better Together program is good for both
the students and the elders as we shared
stories, memories and laughter together.
During COVID-19, many seniors have
been sad and unable to see their grand-
children. The program was a great way
for the elders to meet us online and spend
time with young people who they miss so
much. I can’t wait to share my memories
with my grandchildren one day.”
The student winner in each school
receives a generous camp or gap-year
scholarship in addition to a gold medal-
lion awarded at the school’s end-of-year
ceremony. Participating students receive a
silver medallion.
The program continues to grow as it
moves into its third year. In 2021-2022,
both sixth- and seventh-graders will par-
ticipate in the monthly program, joining
together once per month in person, on
Zoom, or in a combination of the two for
learning about each other and Judaism.
The students and seniors will have more
opportunities to figure out what they share
in common and what they can learn from
one another.
Adat Shalom members who remember
when telephone numbers began with a
street name are invited to apply to partici-
pate in the program for 2021-2022.
Adat Shalom youth pair up with older
adults for intergenerational learning.
Better Together
SUSIE STEINBERG SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS
Better Together in action as students and adults
learn about each other. Top row: Ariel Stollman
(teacher), Leslie Blaharski, Julia Blaharski, Lily
Novetsky. Second Row: Roberta Wolf, Yonatan
Ser, Mallory Columbus, Ben Wasser. Third Row:
Ariana Norber, Emily Aidenbaum, Rena Tepman,
Alexis Migliore. Fourth Row: Gene Richmond,
Jordan Manela (madrich), Julia Nothstine and
Isaac Smolitsky. Not Pictured: Jacob Black,
Eliana Shulkin, Talia Hill (students); Max
Weinraub (madrich); Claire Richmond, Gene
Perlman, Shelley Perlman.