EP 56 :: Memory Minyan :: Rabbi Michael Goldman

Listen on Apple Podcasts

Bobbi and Mike talk with Rabbi Goldman about creating the world’s first dementia-friendly Shabbat prayer and meal experience in a synagogue. Caregivers can invite old friends to worship and share a meal in a space they have shared for years.

 “Companionship, connection, and community is important for those with dementia and their loved ones. A person dropping into the scene wouldn’t have known right away who had dementia and who did not,” Rabbi Goldman said.

Rabbi Michael Goldman is the Director Emeritus of Seivah, a non-profit organization whose work and mission is to create better emotional and spiritual lives for people with dementia and their care partners.

Rabbi Goldman began rabbinical school the year his grandmother, who had vascular dementia, died. Observing how she became less attached to worrying and more attached to nature, great grandchildren, and other things that she loved, Rabbi Goldman concluded that having dementia does not preclude having a spiritual life.

A Memory Minyan is a meditative, melodic, joyous Sabbath service, followed by a traditional meal.  It is tailored to a minyan – group – of people with dementia and their loved ones, joined by a group of volunteers.

“Prayer and music is just something that is best community experienced and that's part of the mission and work of my organization. It's hard for me to conceive of a definition of spirituality without that communal aspect,” Rabbi Goldman said.

You can learn more about Rabbi Goldman on the Seivah website and Facebook page.

Don't forget to subscribe, download, and review to share your thoughts about the show!