How do our identities shift as we age? How can we find meaning and mark this transition with creativity and intention?

GENerate is a year-long rite of passage experience for a small cohort of seekers, 60ish and above, exploring ways to age wisely, generatively, and soulfully together.

We are living in a time of unprecedented possibility when it comes to aging. Many of us can expect to live up to 30 years longer than our own grandparents. As we transition out of midlife into a next chapter, we may ask: Who am I now? How might I translate what I have learned in my life so that it may be of service to others? How do I think about death and the legacies I will leave behind? And, given all of this, how do I want to live?

GENerate provides a nurturing, inclusive space for a select cohort of curious adults to ask what it means to get older — or to become an elder. Inspired by art, texts, and stories from Jewish and world wisdom traditions, and empowered by the analytic and creative tools of Lab/Shul’s renowned Storahtelling curriculum, GENerate invites depth, openness, heart-centered conversation and discovery regarding this extraordinary and sacred season of our lives. The year culminates with a communal coming-of-age ritual, marking this threshold with the support of a loving community.

Become the storyteller of your life — join GENerate!

Curious for more information? Join us for our Online Info Session & Open House on Thursday, August 13. Sign up here >

BECOMING

Program includes:

Monthly Online Salons

Dig into guided discussions about life and legacy, mindful aging, and wise eldering.

Monthly Peer-to-Peer Conversation

Deepen learning, spiritual growth, and connection.

In-Person Retreat

Build bridges and self-discovery in elegant surroundings while delving deeper into content and relationship with the cohort, featuring expert guest facilitators.

Ritual Design Sessions

Translate your individual and group experience  into a culminating ritual marking completion.

Culminating Ritual

Celebrate your rite of passage ritual with family and friends.

Personal Reflection Sessions

Three 1:1 sessions to support you in making personal meaning of your journey.

FAQ:

This program is for adults 60-ish+ who are sensing a transition occurring in their lives — between the concerns of midlife and the concerns of old age — and are interested to explore that transition in the context of a supportive group of peers.

We think of GENerate as a “journey group” — a yearlong, intensive group experience that combines intellectual and heart-centered modes of engaging. You can expect to do some reading and journaling in and outside of sessions, to have opportunities to share what you’re thinking and feeling about your own aging and the broader cultural landscape of aging, and to be met with support and curiosity from facilitators and other participants.

Always sensitive to the needs of the group, some specific topics that we expect to encounter in our time together include:

  • Examining major milestones and characteristic experiences of aging personally and culturally
  • Shifting perspectives to work, service, and purpose
  • Developing fresh approaches to relationships with adult children, aging parents, and with friends, siblings and partners as well as aging as a single person
  • Creating a meaningful, generative legacy including, if desired, laying the groundwork for an ethical will
  • Exploring Jewish perspectives on living well, growing older with wisdom, and facing mortality as a part of the process
  • The role of contemplative practices and ritual in making meaning of life transitions
  • Using ancestral text (Torah, Talmud, etc.) as a mirror for our own lives and for the process of aging

Cohort 5 will meet on Wednesdays about once a month from 6-8:30pm EST:

Wednesday, October 21, 2026
Wednesday, November 18, 2026
Wednesday, December 16, 2026
Wednesday, January 6, 2027
Wednesday, January 20, 2027 (Ritual Design session)
Wednesday, February 17, 2027
Wednesday, March 17, 2027
Wednesday, May 19, 2027
Wednesday, June 2, 2027
Wednesday, June 23, 2027 (Ritual Design session)
Wednesday, July 21, 2027
Wednesday, August 18, 2027
Wednesday, September 8, 2027 (Ritual Run-Through)
Wednesday, September 15, 2027

In-Person Retreat (NYC or surrounding area):
April 9-11, 2027

Culminating Ritual (online):
Saturday, September 11, 2027

In addition to 3-6 hours of time in cohort programming per month, you can expect to commit an extra 2-4 hours per month to connecting 1:1 with peers and facilitators, reading and/or absorbing other media from a curated list, and reflecting on the themes coming up in the program.

The year-long program is offered on a needs-based sliding scale from $1750 – $2750. This program fee includes:

  • A professionally designed and facilitated curriculum
  • Complimentary access to additional programming provided by our partner, Shomer Collective
  • Three 1:1 pastoral reflection sessions with GENerate facilitators
  • Professional guidance in co-creating a culminating communal ritual reflective of the group’s experience in GENerate
  • A year of Partnerhood benefits at Lab/Shul

This fee does not include transportation to and from NYC or accommodations for the in-person retreat.

The application form will open in mid August. Come back here for the link!

You’ll be directed to fill out some demographic information, answer two required questions, and choose an additional 2 questions to answer. The priority deadline for applications is Friday, September 18, 2026. Application received before this date will receive a 10% discount. All applications must be received by Friday, October 9.

After you submit your application, you will be contacted by a member of the extended GENerate team and invited to have a 30-minute conversation where we can learn more about you and your interest in the program, and you can ask questions about what to expect.

Please also join us if you wish for our online information session on Thursday, August 13. Sign up here >

In this session we’ll offer a taste of the GENerate experience, share an overview of the year and discuss expectations, and have ample time for question and answer. Email [email protected] for more info.

Hear from past participants

People are seeking spiritual meaning now more than ever. They’re starving for the sacred. I’m so grateful I found Lab/Shul, where everyone is included in meaning making.

I really enjoyed the one to one meetings. I met with multiple people with whom I felt a deep connection and shared experiences of the trials and insights of the phase of life we are entering.

The best part of GENerate is feeling focused on/held worthy as an older person within Lab/Shul!

GENerate helped me understand my space in Judaism, find a place for discussion of spiritual Jewish life and concerns of aging, and forge connections.

Finding communal and personal meaning in ancient text — TRANSFORMATIVE!

Participating in GENerate increased my awareness manyfold... it has made me feel entitled to maintaining a growth mindset and consciously being in community with others who are in the same mindset.

It was truly sacred to openly talk about such personal and at times frightening concerns with an empathetic group of people. We developed a bond and real trust over time and I am so grateful for that.

Ready to learn more? Join us for our Online Info Session & Open House on Thursday, August 13. Sign up here >

Questions? Concerns? Email Ben Freeman for more information.

GENerate strategic partners and investors:

Shomer Collective Logo
Active Aging Resource Network Logo