DOROT – To formalize the organization’s B’Mitzvah Experience as a cohort-based program that brings together youth and older adults for an intergenerational journey of Jewish learning, communal service, and meaningful engagement.

How do you navigate the multigenerational dynamic within this project?

DOROT’s B-Mitzvah experience is all about building an intergenerational Jewish community. That means we think of all participants as people of consequence, each with unique needs, strengths and life experiences. We do provide a bit more support and orientation to the younger generation before the cohort meets for the first time. This has less to do with their age than the fact that many younger B-Mitzvah volunteers are coming to DOROT for the first time through this program and benefit from some coaching on how to make connections and what to expect. Our older adults are often seasoned volunteers with plenty of experience in other intergenerational programs.

What inspired your intergenerational initiative?

At DOROT we believe in the power of intergenerational connections, and it is baked into everything we do. The B-Mitzvah Experience is no different, it is an opportunity for generations to come together around a big milestone. The coming-of-age theme that is inherent in the B-Mitzvah moment lends itself perfectly to intergenerational work, with Jewish elders welcoming the youth into Jewish adulthood and exploring together the meaning of this transition in their individual lives.  

What’s an example of one of your interactive activities?

We try to innovate and adapt in response to each cohort, so our activities include all sorts of variations! One example of a past activity involved reflecting on the story of Honi the Circle Maker and the Carob Tree, by creating ‘trees’ with construction paper and colored pencils as a group. We each planted seeds, representing what we’d like to start now; trunk and branches, showing our goals for the future; and fruit, reflecting hopes for the world beyond our lives.