The Congregation Children of Israel Seniors Group is loosely defined by age, but there are no clear boundaries; this is an inclusive group. There really is no age criteria, but, if you're 50(ish) you're a semi-senior, and 60(ish) and older, you're a senior.  We do invite all Jewish seniors and semi-seniors to participate.

Before forming, a survey was conducted to find out what activities would interest our congregational seniors.  High priority areas included intellectual, social, trips, religious matters, book reviews, yoga, health, bridge, bowling, etc.  (This is NOT a BINGO crowd!!)

Some Activities of Seniors program to date

February 6, 2001 - Inaugural luncheon at Temple

April, 2001 - "Fine Dining" Candlelight covered dish supper

Weekly/Ongoing Yoga Classes - Meet Wed. 9:30AM

Game Night - Currently inactive, but met Wed. eve. cards/bridge, etc.

Cooking Classes - Held every few months: So far we've had Challah/mandelbrot; Mediterranean/Brazilian/Knishes/Chinese. In addition to learning new cooking techniques, we socialize and eat all the food we prepare. Usually limited to 10-12 people.

Seniors Art/Luncheon - About 20 seniors displayed and sold some of their original artworks. About 40 people attended the show and luncheon. Among the art areas displayed were: hand-painted scarves, enamel, weaving, photography, painting, ceramics and quilting.  In addition to the exhibit and the delicious luncheon, Edmund Feldman, Professor Emeritus in Art History gave a most stimulating talk on "Art vs Craft".

Round Table Discussions - Held about every 6 weeks or so. Moderated by 2 members. Lively, informative discussions about the Middle East situation.

Museum Trip - We had a guided tour at the Georgia Museum of Art of the Treasures from Scotland exhibit and then went to Botanical Gardens for lunch.

Oral History Project - Burt Sparer is leading the charge to interview and record the histories of as many temple families as would like to participate. These oral recordings will then be transcribed. It's been a fascinating endeavor.

Speaker's Circuit - Abe Tesser gave a presentation about the NBC Dateline Show which spotlighted his research on "Envy." A video of the segment on Dateline was shown as was a video of the making of the show, followed by a very interesting discussion of his research on envy.

Health Seminar  -  An open discussion by 2 nutritional consultants, Barbara Grossman and Janie Sokol on "Eating Healthy after 50." Discussion included good food, deficiencies in seniors' eating, vitamins, etc. Foods were prepared to sample, recipes shared and other informative handouts.

Israeli Night An evening to socialize and learn from the Israeli families of our community about everyday life in Israel.  Foods of Israel and music will accompany the opportunity to learn about topics like: marriage, family, taxes, religion, the military, the effects on government from the ultra Right and Left. parenting, land, etc

STAY TUNED

Future seniors events and projects will hopefully include:

More Cooking classes (always a hit!)
Jewish Book Club (at participants' homes)
Trips and Tours (concerts, museums, plays, galleries, etc.)
More speakers
Card/game night
Entertainment (dinners with homespun musicians)