|
Hello Friends of Aging Together and Mishpachah,
Welcome to our Fall ‘25 edition! While you’re adjusting to the cooler weather and chilly political climate, we’ll keep you company. On Monday, November 10, drop by Mishpachah Monday at 5:00pm ET for a visit with Lynn Paltrow. Then at 7:00pm ET, you’ll have the opportunity to learn Everything You Wanted to Know About Medicare* (But Were Afraid to Ask). Details below.
Read on for November and December Aging Together and Mishpachah events, social action you can take wherever you are, and a lot of useful resources.
| | |
Medicare Update for 2026
with Gilbert Kunken, Medicare consultant for NYC Department for the Aging’s Health Insurance Information, Counseling, and Assistance Program (HIICAP)
Monday, November 10 | 7:00–8:30pm | Zoom | Register
Whether you’re new to Medicare or already enrolled, get the latest updates on Medicare and related health insurance before the 2026 Open Enrollment period (Oct. 15 – Dec. 7, 2025) ends. The session will include information on Medicare Part A and Part B, Medigap/Medicare Supplement insurance, Medicare Advantage/Medicare Health Plans, and Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage along with programs that help with Medicare costs.
The session is applicable to anyone who is Medicare-eligible living in the US.
Need Medicare information before Open Enrollment closes? Get your Medicare questions answered by HIICAP (Health Insurance Information Counseling and Assistance Program) administered through NYC’s Dept for the Aging. HIICAP certified specialists provide free and impartial counseling on Medicare and related health insurance.
| | |
The Benefits of Connection for Our Mind, Body, and Spirit with Dasha Kiper, Director of Caregiver Support at Renewal Memory Partners, and author of the book Travelers to Unimaginable Lands: Stories of Dementia, the Caregiver, and the Human Brain
Monday December 8 | 7:00–8:30pm | Zoom | Register
Program Description:
Discover how meaningful human connection nourishes every part of who we are—mind, body, and spirit. In this engaging and accessible session, we’ll explore the fascinating physiology and brain science behind why connection is vital to our well-being—and what happens when it’s lost.
Through real-world insights and practical tips, we’ll uncover how everyday interactions—many of which we might overlook—play a powerful role in reducing stress, boosting resilience, and supporting both emotional and physical health. Participants will leave with a fresh perspective and simple, actionable ways to build stronger, more fulfilling connections in daily life.
Highlights:
-
Understand the science of connection and how it shapes our health and happiness.
-
Learn how even small moments of connection can have profound effects.
-
Gain practical tools to nurture connections in your relationships, work, and community.
-
Reframe what “connection” means—discovering that it’s not just nice to have, but essential for thriving.
Those who register and attend the presentation will be eligible to win one of three copies of Dasha Kiper's book, Travelers to Unimaginable Lands: Stories of Dementia, the Caregiver, and the Human Brain, published to wide acclaim both in the U.S. and abroad, that interweaves stories, case histories, and brain science to illuminate the neurological challenges facing family caregivers.
| | |
Aging Together gatherings in 2026:
January 12
February 9
March 9
April 6
May 11
June 8
All at 7:00–8:30pm on Zoom - see the weekly CBST eNews for details.
| | |
Ongoing — Mishpachah Monday Online Shmooze, Learn, and Fun. 55+, All Are Welcome!
5:00–6:00pm | Zoom
| |
Mishpachah (Family) is CBST’s weekly online meetup for conversation, learning and fun. Mishpachah is a great way to meet and talk with new and familiar people. Monday meetups are lightly facilitated by Judy Ribnick, LCSW, and Chair Sharon Golub, along with Mishpachah participants and guests. No need to register, just join us here:
Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/513521023
Meeting ID: 513 521 023 | Call-in: +1 646 876 9923 (New York)
With Lynn M. Paltrow
Monday, November 10
Lynn Paltrow, J.D., is the Founder of National Advocates for Pregnant Women (now “Pregnancy Justice”) and served as Executive Director from 2001 until 2023. She is currently on the Executive Committee of BeaconForDemocracy.org.and is a 2025-26 New York University School of Law Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Fellow in Residence. Lynn has worked on numerous cases challenging restrictions on the right to choose abortion as well cases opposing the prosecution and punishment of pregnant women seeking to continue their pregnancies to term.
With Bonnie Pollack – Ner Tamid
Monday, November 17
Bonnie Pollack will discuss CBST’s Ner Tamid Legacy Giving Society and the ways that you can ensure that the CBST community continues for many future generations.
Bonnie is a CBST Board member and past co-chair of L’dor Vador, CBST’s 40s-50s+ group, as well as a standing member of the Hospitality Team and Ending Mass Incarceration Team. Bonnie is also a former Board Member of The Circle of Strength, a local fundraising organization formed by her and others for ovarian cancer research.
With Sharon Golub and Judy Ribnick
Monday, November 24
Sharon Golub, MEd., MMus., MSIT., is Chair of Mishpachah and CBST Chesed; Judy Ribnick, LCSW, MA, is CBST’s Director of Aging. Join Sharon and Judy for a “Day of Giving Thanks, a Friendsgiving”
With Nancy Wolitzer
Monday, December 1
Nancy Wolitzer is an award-winning artist whose pen and ink and scratchboard pieces have been shown in many galleries. Her work has also been published in art journals and reproduced on book covers. She is currently working on a series of ancient synagogues.
With Laurie Hanin and Jennifer Johnson
Monday, December 8
Laurie Hanin and Jen Johnson have been active members of CBST for 28 and 15 years respectively. They have participated in a variety of ways for the past 13 years, most especially attending Limmud with their 13-year-old twin boys. Jen is a special education teacher currently at Townsend Harris High School in Queens, and Laurie is the Executive Director of the Center for Hearing and Communication in Manhattan.
With Sharon Golub and Judy Ribnick – Mishpachah hosts CBST Hanukkah candle lighting and fun!
Monday, December 15
Sharon Golub, MEd., MMus., MSIT., is Chair of Mishpachah and CBST Chesed; Judy Ribnick, LCSW, MA, is CBST’s Director of Aging, and serves as the cantor of the Park Slope Jewish Center. Join Sharon and Judy for CBST’s 2nd night of Hanukkah with candle lighting, singing and Hanukkah games!
With Andrew Ingall
Monday, December 22
Andrew Ingall has been a member of CBST for a quarter century. He’s the husband of Neal Hoffman. They are the parents of Shirley, now a college sophomore and part of CBST’s Gen Z “gayby boom”. Andy has been working in arts, culture, and community engagement for over twenty years as a curator, scholar, writer, performer, and producer. At CBST in 2023 he presented Warlé, a project using genealogical research, archival documents, photography, artifacts, oral history, dance, and creative nonfiction to “re-member” ancestors he never met and to spark conversations on LGBTQ+ aging and caregiving. He currently serves as an Ambassador for the Foundation for Social Connection and as Director of Virtual Public Programs for Reimagine.
With Sharon Golub and Judy Ribnick – Ring in the New Year!
Monday, December 29
The New Year is our guest! Join Sharon and Judy for a look back and forward with fun in between!
| | Mishpachah Dinner at CBST | | |
Friday, December 19, 5:00pm | In person at CBST, 130 W. 30th St.
Join us for a pre-service meal and shmooze at CBST.
| | CBST Chesed—Making Connections | | |
Chesed, the Hebrew word for kindness or compassion, is the central Jewish value that centers CBST's Chesed Team. This intergenerational team focuses on providing community support and care to other CBST community members. Join our efforts to care for ourselves and each other, provide mutual support, and share in each other's joys and milestones. CBST Chesed creates connections between members of all ages.
Please add Chesed@cbst.org to your safe sender list to enable you to receive Chesed email.
| | |
Beginning Again (and Again): The Spiritual Journey of Growing Older
With Rabbi Dayle Friedman, spiritual guide, social innovator, chaplain, scholar, and pioneer in the development of a Jewish spiritual vision for aging
How can we grow deeper and wiser as we age? Kabbalah, the Jewish mystical tradition, points the way for us by helping us to understand that all of life is a succession of shattering and renewal. This framing offers us a way of holding the challenges of aging, as well as the new beginnings and possibilities we can find amid them. We will apply the concept of shattering and repair to our journeys in aging and will offer spiritual tools to help us foster our resilience along the way.
Rabbi Dayle Friedman’s book, Jewish Wisdom for Growing Older: Finding Your Grit & Grace Beyond Midlife.
| | Take Action from Your Own Neighborhood! | | |
The Beacon Weekly Vigil for Democracy
Thursday evenings | multiple locations
CBST is proud to be one of the faith community partners of The Beacon’s Thursday evening vigils. Some vigils will be shifting earlier due to the time change, so check with your group! Contact Rabbi Marisa James to get connected to a Beacon vigil near you or learn how to start one.
| | Articles and Resources of Note | | |
You can find good “Tech Tip” video tutorials on a variety of topics from Senior Planet from AARP. Senior Planet has many online resources as well as in-person classes in locations around the US.
Thanks to Wendl Kornfeld, a New York City-based advocate for solo agers, for sharing this very useful article about
Getting Out of Free Trials, Auto Renewals and Negative Option Subscriptions. You may be surprised (and relieved) about what you learn.
The Shomer Collective leverages Jewish wisdom to transform communal culture around death and dying, fostering proactive planning and robust support systems for end-of-life moments. The Shomer Collective Resource Library has a wealth of resources guided by Jewish values. Here’s a link to many online programs.
We shared this in the last issue, but it bears repeating:
If you live in Manhattan* and would like access to free transportation to medical appointments, synagogue, older adult centers, shopping, theater, and more, contact Project CART.
*Eligibility: Older adults age 60 and over, including those with wheelchairs, living in Manhattan Community Districts #1 through #8 (from the southern tip of Manhattan to 96th Street on the East Side and 110th Street on the West Side).
| | |
We hope that you’ve enjoyed this issue of CBST’s Aging Together/Mishpachah newsletter.
If you’d like to support the work of Aging Together and Mishpachah, donate here, select “Donate to Another Specific Program," then choose "Aging Together." We appreciate all your contributions to our community.
| | |
L’Shalom,
Ora, Sharon, and Judy
Ora Ezrachi, PhD.
Chair, Aging Together
Sharon Golub, MEd., MMus., MSIT.
Chair, Mishpachah and CBST Chesed
Judy Ribnick, LCSW, MA
Director, CBST Aging Together
JRibnick@cbst.org
(917) 310-4656
| | We are grateful to our Aging Together Funders: | | | | |
