A grant from the Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles to the USC Davis School of Gerontology will support Zekenim, an intergenerational art program designed to illuminate the life stories of Los Angeles’ Jewish elders.

Based on Migrantas, a German program aimed at giving voice to the experience of migrants, Zekenim will guide Jewish older adults in sharing and sketching pivotal experiences from their life stories. Thematic analysis of the life stories by a research team, led by USC Davis assistant professor and lead project investigator Tara Gruenewald, will serve as the basis for art created by Jewish teens and young adults.

The foundation’s support will allow us to continue our efforts to identify best practices for creative engagement.

Pinchas Cohen

Zekenim art will be shared with the community through recognition receptions, exhibitions and print and electronic media. Zekenim aims to strengthen connections and understanding between the generations as people of all ages and backgrounds gain new insights into the life experience of older individuals, recognize similarities in their life experiences or modify their own perspectives.

“Zekenim’s trifecta is the ability of the program to illuminate and honor elders’ life experiences, strengthen intergenerational connections and create an enduring legacy of art that can transmit wisdom across time and culture,” Gruenewald noted. “We look forward to investigating the benefits of participation in the Zekenim program for our elder, teen and young adult participants, and for the community as a whole.”

Mental and physical well-being

Gruenewald’s research has found that elders engaging in activities they feel are meaningful and beneficial to others promotes better mental and physical well-being in later life, including increased longevity. Additional research indicates that teenagers and young adults who contribute to others by sharing their elders’ stories may also promote their own mental well-being in the process.

Zekenim will be supported by a three-year, $250,000 Cutting Edge Grant from the Jewish Community Foundation to USC Davis. The foundation’s grants encourage creative thinkers, social entrepreneurs and innovative organizations to propose significant and transformative programs of high visibility and impact to address important needs in the Los Angeles Jewish community.

“We are delighted to support this innovative community program, which bridges together generations through storytelling, art and creativity,” said Marvin Schotland, president and CEO of the Jewish Community Foundation.

USC Davis Dean Pinchas Cohen identified the grant as a critical achievement in the advancement of the school’s Creativity and Aging Initiative.

“The foundation’s support will allow us to continue our efforts to identify best practices for creative engagement to promote optimal aging and support creative aging activities in Los Angeles,” Cohen said. “We are particularly excited that the grant will serve to strengthen our partnerships with community organizations serving Jewish seniors, schools, synagogues and other cultural institutions and build a foundation for continued collaboration.”

The grant will support dozens of discussion workshops and linked recognition receptions and exhibitions over the next three years. The award will also support the development of a toolkit to guide other organizations in future implementations of the program with culturally and ethnically diverse populations.

More stories about: Aging, Faculty, Visual Arts