
Boomers and Beyond, Sacred Aging Monthly Conversations for the Third Act of Life
With Rabbi Vicki L. Axe and Friends
Dates: November 4, December 2, January 6, February 3, March 2, March 30, May 4, June 1
Congregation Shir Ami of Greenwich, CT is offering monthly conversations for Boomers and Beyond to discuss “sacred aging” while facing the reality of our own mortality.
“How we view our mortality,” notes Rabbi Vicki L. Axe, “impacts the way we live our lives. Human existence has a beginning and an end, and I believe that if we can accept the raw truth that life as we know it is finite, that, at the appointed time, we will die, then we can live more fully.” Rabbi Axe will facilitate all conversations with speakers invited to share their wisdom and expertise on a variety of topics that impact the “third act” of life.
Rabbi Richard F. Address, who will speak December 2, is the Founder and Director of www.jewishsacredaging.com. This project on Sacred Aging has been responsible for creating awareness and resources on the implication of the longevity revolution with emphasis on the aging of the baby boom generation and its impact on all aspects of Jewish communal and congregational life.
With Rabbinic Ordination (1972), Honorary Doctorate (1997), and Doctor of Ministry (1999), all from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR), as well as a Certificate in Pastoral Counseling from the Post Graduate Center for Mental Health, Rabbi Address has served as rabbi for congregations in Los Angeles, Carmel and Cherry Hill, NJ, and Director the URJ Pennsylvania Council before becoming full-time Director of the URJ Department of Jewish Family Concerns which he founded.
Rabbi Address has authored numerous articles, book chapters and books related to the issue of aging, and contributes articles for web sites on spirituality and aging. He co-chairs the Committee on Spirituality and Diversity for C-TAC (Coalition to Transform Advanced Care), serves as Rabbinic Advisor to Men of Reform Judaism, and hosts a weekly radio show in Philadelphia called “Boomer Generation Radio.”
Todd Marschall who will speak March 2, is a financial advisor specializing in Life Insurance, Disability Income, and Long Term Care Planning. With a double degree in Economics and Business, and Government, Todd’s mission is to help people attain financial security for themselves and their families. Knowing that no one can predict the future, his goal is to help prepare for the best and worst case scenarios and create a long-term relationship based on quality service and integrity. Speaking before colleagues and lay people alike, Todd motivates and inspires confidence in seeking solutions to the challenges that life brings.
Jeff Graham, who will speak March 30, is founder and past president of Transplant Support Organization. Started in 1997, TSO is a Westchester based support group for transplant patients and their families, caregivers, donor families, interested individuals, and professionals. A life-saving transplant recipient, Jeff is very active in spreading the word about the need for organ, eye and tissue donors. He spends two days a week speaking to high school health classes, and speaks regularly to wide variety of civic and religious groups.
Nancy Collamer, who will speak May 4, is an author, coach, speaker and recognized expert on second-act careers, semi-retirement and boomer career trends. With a BA in Psychology and MS in Career Development, Nancy is the author of Second-Act Careers: 50+ Ways to Profit Your Passions During Semi-Retirement and a contributor to Not Your Mother’s Retirement and 65 Things To Do When You Retire. Writing twice-monthly career blogs for the PBS web site NextAvenue.org and Forbes.com, Forbes recently named her website, MyLifestyleCareer.com, one of the “Top 100 Websites for Your Career.”
Nancy has also written columns about lifestyle-friendly careers for a number of major websites, including AARP, NextAvenue.org, and Job-Hunt.org, and her advice has been featured in numerous media outlets, including NBC Nightly News; the New York Times; CNN; the Wall Street Journal; Redbook; Ladies’ Home Journal; More; O, The Oprah Magazine; and Fortune. Nancy enjoys sharing her expertise with live audiences, both large and small, and has spoken at venues ranging from Harvard Business School to the California Governors’ Conference on Women.

Rabbi Vicki L. Axe, who will facilitate all conversations, is the founding Spiritual Leader of Congregation Shir Ami in Greenwich, CT. She was ordained as a cantor by Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR) in 1983 and ordained as a rabbi by the Rabbinical Academy of America in 2008. Bringing joy, warmth, and caring to Jewish life and practice, Rabbi Axe has taught at HUC-JIR and Academy for Jewish Religion (AJR), visited many congregations as scholar-in-residence and is currently studying for her Doctor of Ministry in Pastoral Care at HUC-JIR.
A national leader in the Reform Movement, Rabbi Axe was the first woman president of the American Conference of Cantors (ACC), served on the National Board of the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ), and currently serves on the School of Sacred Music Advisory Board. She also serves her community as a member of the Jewish Educators Council of Greenwich and Stamford, the Greenwich JFS Health and Healing Center Advisory Council, co-chair of the Greenwich Hospital Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) Professional Consultation Committee, and is a past officer of the Greenwich Fellowship of Clergy. Known for her caring and warmth on and off the bima, it has been said that she “invites an awakening of the Jewish heart and the human spirit.”
All are welcome to these monthly conversations. For more information visit congregationshirami.org
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