Laura Geller
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
For 20 years, Rabbi Laura Geller has encouraged congregants to discover holiness in their lives, and to fulfill Temple Emanuel of Beverly Hills’ mission statement, which reads: “We honor each individual’s unique Jewish journey at every stage of life.” Recently she led the congregation and the wider L.A. Jewish community to honor a new stage of life, between midlife and frail old age. It has led to an extraordinary transformation in the lives of many individuals as we explore what it means to understand that there is less time ahead of us than behind. Along with other congregational leaders, Rabbi Geller spearheaded the Next Step Boomer and Beyond Initiative. Over 200 members aged 50-75 met to reflect on such questions as: What does this stage of life mean to you? What keeps you up at night? What gets you up in the morning? What do we need to do in our community to help us make meaning and purpose out of the time we have left? These conversations led to a new focus on spirituality, building community, giving back, and supporting each other through attention to health care issues, end of life choices, and economic challenges. Rabbi Geller is leading the way to help us use our accumulated wisdom to make a difference in the world.
— Julie Beenhouwer
This is a moment of great uncertainty. Here’s what you can do about it.
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news this Passover. All donations are being matched by the Forward Board - up to $100,000.
This is a moment of great uncertainty for the news media, for the Jewish people, and for our sacred democracy. It is a time of confusion and declining trust in public institutions. An era in which we need humans to report facts, conduct investigations that hold power to account, tell stories that matter and share honest discourse on all that divides us.
With no paywall or subscriptions, the Forward is entirely supported by readers like you. Every dollar you give this Passover is invested in the future of the Forward — and telling the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
The Forward doesn’t rely on funding from institutions like governments or your local Jewish federation. There are thousands of readers like you who give us $18 or $36 or $100 each month or year.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
