September 2025 – May 2026 Virtual & Hybrid Cohorts
Applications Now Open through June 15
This program is for people aged 64+ who want to explore their identity as an elder and reflect on what to do with “this one precious life” during their next phase of life. We believe there is a difference between being old or elderly, and being an elder—a role of continuing personal growth and service to one’s community. In this program, we hope to support you to find ways to fulfill your potential in this stage of life. It is for people who identify as Jewish or are connected to Jewish life and want a program in a Jewish context.
Becoming an Ancestor in Training with Rabbi Tirzah Firestone
“The elder aims at becoming an ancestor. It is his or her next status….The elder is an ancestor in training.” —Malidome Somé
We Jews have accrued great wisdom and depth throughout our long history, and a great deal of wounding, as well, due to centuries of adversity. Epigenetic research now demonstrates what we may have intuited: that traumatic life events leave physiological imprints that can be transferred to future generations. As we enter our sage years, we must discern which of our ancestral legacies we wish to nurture and pass on into the world, and which ones must be faced, felt, and dissolved in the light of awareness.
Each of us comes into this world with specific tasks — sacred repair work that is paradoxically connected to our wounds and the challenges that have befallen us and our bloodlines. By exploring and understanding the legacies that we carry, we can better accomplish this sacred work—to honor our soul’s calling and step into our own spiritual clarity, health, and wisdom. This prepares us to enter the role of being a helpful ancestor and ally to those who come after us.
In our time together, we will
Learn the five foundations of ancestral healing.
Create family maps to explore the resources and ruptures that are our ancestral legacies.
Enter into the Olam ha’Avot, the ancestral realm, by means of a guided visualization, to connect meaningfully with wise and well ancestors and spiritual allies.