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.

