CONGREGATION PRI EITZ CHAIM OCEAN AVENUE JEWISH CENTER AND OU TO PRESENT FREE ADVICE PROGRAM TO THE “SANDWICH GENERATION,” FEBRUARY 10 AT THE SYNAGOGUE
Congregation Pri Eitz Chaim Ocean Avenue Jewish Center and the Orthodox Union, concerned with the difficulties facing “the sandwich generation,” will present a joint program at the synagogue, 2600 Ocean Ave, on Saturday, February 10, at 8:15 p.m. Admission is free.
The sandwich generation refers to those who have simultaneous commitments of raising their children and helping elderly parents as they deal with the issues of later life. Ever-alert to developments affecting their constituencies, the synagogue and the OU together will offer this first-time program. Pri Eitz Chaim is an OU member congregation.
The OU is also presenting an online community discussion from January 7-21 on its website, www.ou.org, to give sandwich generation members from the website’s worldwide audience the opportunity to communicate with other generation members, and to receive advice from professionals in the field.
The OU sandwich generation effort also includes a slideshow, Raising Up Bubbie, by Kevin Unger, which was part of the website’s Shabbat Shalom features for the week of January 7, and is now archived on the website; a segment of the Around the Dining Room Table program of OU Radio, in which OU President Stephen J. Savitsky discusses the situation with Dr. David Pelcovitz Ph.D and Rabbi Menachem Goldberger; and When Illness Strikes and Decisions Have to Be Made audio workshops on OU Radio. The Pri Eitz Chaim synagogue program is intended to serve as a model for similar events in other communities.
“A lot of us find ourselves in the sandwich generation and have issues that arise taking care of parents and in-laws,” explained synagogue President Mitchell Hill. “I myself have older parents and in-laws as well as and a one-year-old baby, among my seven children. There are issues that come up and it would be interesting to find out how other people deal with them and to have suggestions from experts.”
Mr. Hill noted that the synagogue called on to the OU to develop a program for them. “We utilize the OU a great deal for our needs,” he explained. “If anyone could make the information available, it would be the Orthodox Union.”
Rosa Roberts LCSW, will be the guest speaker at the Pri Eitz Chaim event. Mrs. Roberts is Coordinator of the Orthodox Senior Adult program in Washington Heights sponsored by the Jewish Board of Family and Children’s Services (JBFCS). Until last year she was Coordinator of Ezrat Chayim, a Queens Orthodox mental health service of JBFCS and formerly administrative supervisor of the JBFCS Boro Park Clinic. She speaks on a variety of topics including parenting and marital relationships, communication and the elderly.
Topics she will touch on will include:
•Impact on the family;
•The demands of the sandwich generation;
•Challenges generation members face;
•How to juggle family responsibilities;
•How to prepare for the future;
•Available resources;
•Balancing your family’s needs;
•Implication for the child, parent and the marital relationship; and
•Taking care of yourself.
For further information, contact the synagogue at 718-743-5533.