I never want to retire. I have loved writing ever since I was eight years old, when I started to keep a journal and write poetry. It must be genetic. My father could not tolerate being unproductive. After retiring from the meat business, he drove a van for emotionally-challenged adults, until a fall on the ice caused a severe knee injury. That did not stop my father from coming out of retirement, once more. In fact, he died just days after he began volunteering in a hospital medical records department!
It seems that I am not alone. Whether fellow baby boomers are retiring the thought of retirement because they love their job as much as I love mine or for other reasons, statistics show that retiring in one’s mid-sixties is not as common as when I was growing up.
It’s Not your Grandfather’s Retirement
It’s all over the feature sections of the major newspapers and websites: The Baby Boomers, that huge post-World War II generation, are now entering their senior years and setting a new standard for the retirement lifestyle. “Long gone are the days of retirees wanting to spend their golden years relaxing on the golf course or the beach,” writes Caesy Dowd of Fox Business. “It’s about healthy living, remaining in the work force, and helping their children purchase homes, pay for college, and care for the grandchildren….” And according to Walter Hamilton, of the Los Angeles Times, “More than four in 10 Americans think they’ll have to work into their 70s or 80s because they can’t afford to retire.”
When I mentioned this to my friend, Deena,* she concurred: “We have three kids in college,” she said in exasperation, “and weddings coming up, hopefully. We need two incomes. By the way, we still have a mortgage to pay. I hope that we won’t be paying it while we are in rocking chairs!”
Elliot D. Lasson, Ph.D., executive director of Joblink of Maryland, Inc., told WWW that, although he has no empirical data regarding fewer people retiring in our Baltimore community, he presumes that this is the case. He said that some of Joblink’s clients are retirees who want to reenter the workplace either part- or full-time.
“I would attribute this to four reasons,” notes Dr. Lasson. “First, people are living longer and are more physically able to work into their ‘golden years’ than in the past. Second is the economy. People have seen a decline in their financial net worth (including retirement income and savings) and are concerned about maintaining financial independence. Third, in our community grandparents are supporting married children and grandchildren and feel better equipped to do that if they defer retirement. The last reason is psychological, perhaps as a function of these other three factors. That is, people are no longer planning for retirement as they once did in a more calculated way. In previous generations, many government employees, especially, would work for 30 to 40 years and plan to retire at age 65,” continues Dr. Lasson. “Their activities might have included travel, volunteering, or learning. Retirement represents an emotional transition point of ‘scaling back’ that people in the past put into their life trajectory. Today, people are not doing that and plan to work indefinitely.”
Money Isn’t Everything
Of course, not all retirees work for the money alone. A desire to keep busy, active, and productive also motivates retirees to reenter the workforce. Often, they choose a completely different line of work or start a business. Sally Abrahms, in an AARP Bulletin article, says survey results indicate that 25 percent of boomers hope to start a business or nonprofit within the next 10 years. “They want to make a difference in the world while earning money. Even if they don’t get paid, older adults want to remain connected, relevant, useful and engaged. There’s this collective feeling of ‘we’re not done yet.’”
Sisterly Art in the City of Brotherly Love
One such out-of-retirement member of our greater Orthodox community is Linda Dubin Garfield. The former English teacher stepped out of retirement in 2005 to become the founder of ARTsisters. The Philadelphia-based group opens its membership to female artists for the purpose of sharing resources, offering support, and scheduling individual and group art shows. Its present membership numbers 24, and boasts an email list of more than 75 interested women artists.
Mrs. Garfield was employed as a counselor in the Philadelphia school system for 38 years, working with students of all ages. Towards the end of her career, she worked at the High School for Creative and Performing Arts. She was also an educational consultant for private agencies and clients. “I retired from the Philadelphia school system in 2002, and decided to take my own advice and follow my dream to be a full-time artist,” says Mrs. Garfield.
Mrs. Garfield worked as a consultant for two years, and then realized she wanted to concentrate on the art alone. As a printmaker/mixed-media artist and art consultant, she gets paid when she sells a piece of art or when she services a client. “Art has been my hobby my whole life, but I became a professional artist in 2004, when I decided to be serious about my art and sell my work. I get great satisfaction from the process of making the art, sharing it with the public, and selling it. And as a consultant, I like sharing what I know about the business side of art with other artists as I help them reach their goals and their audience.
“I never expected that I would be working so hard as an artist in these years,” continues Mrs. Garfield. “This is a great surprise and a great gift. I have met wonderful people and have had great experience I never would have guessed. I love my life! Art has enriched my days!”
Kollel to Cars to Kollel
Baltimorean Rabbi Nachman Klein learned in yeshiva until he was 30, and then joined his family’s automotive business, Klein’s Auto Works. He worked in the business for 40 years, until it failed 15 years ago. “After it failed, because it was in a bad neighborhood, I retired, and said to myself, ‘Why not pursue my first love?’” recalls Rabbi Klein, who was a close talmid of Ner Israel’s Rosh Hayeshiva, Rav Yaakov Ruderman, zt”l. “It was then that I opened the Senior Kollel in Rabbi Sternhell’s shul.”
Rabbi Klein’s business always took a back seat to his learning, and it remains a priority in his life today. For 40 years, he learned every day before Shacharis, from 5 a.m. to 6:45, with his close friend, Alvin Gerstein. The rosh kollel is also a veteran shiur giver for 50 years, and has spoken to the Ner Israel talmidim during the Rosh Hashanah meal for 15 years. He has long given shiurim to women on various topics, and continues to do so during the summer.
The Kollel is open Sunday through Friday, accommodating retirees on various learning levels, who range in age from the late 60s to 88 years old. A variety of subjects are learned in English, by even Russian immigrants. On Shabbos, the Kollel has a shiur on Ramban. Rabbi Klein occasionally collects money to cover the expenses of the Kollel, which is free and runs on a moderate budget.
“I started the Kollel for the Yiddishkeit part of it, but also to vitalize seniors, giving them a certain philosophical bent and a mental push. Learning gives people a reason to live and not just coast along,” explains Rabbi Klein. “I feel that the purpose behind my business failing is so I could do something more with my life, instead of counting money.”
The Kollel is not Rabbi Klein’s only “retirement” project. He is presently writing a book of hidden stories about Torah scholars and their wives, from the 12th century until the early 1950s. The book is being published by his nephew in Eretz Yisrael. The Rosh Kollel says that he has material for subsequent books, which he hopes to publish, as well, iy“H.
OT: F/T to P/T
Gitty S. returned to college when she was 50 years old and became an occupational therapist. Just as she passed her boards, Medicare changed the way they pay for occupational therapists, so not many OT jobs were available. “It was not my choice, but apparently it was Hashem’s choice that I work as an OT in the school system,” says Gitty. “I worked there for almost 13 years; due to personal tragedies and school politics, I retired earlier than anticipated. I was retired seven months when I found another job as an OT, working for a private company.”
Presently, Gitty works part time as an occupational therapist in the yeshiva system, helping young elementary-aged children. “It is just my speed to play with lots of toys, and it keeps me young,” she says. “I get to play while helping the children. I much prefer this job – there is less paper work, more time to work with the children, and minimal-to-no politics.”
Lose It and Use It
Irene and Stuart Hoffman never imagined that they would one day become weight loss coaches. Although Stuart is still gainfully employed by the government, his wife Irene retired at the end of 2011 after working for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for 31 years. About a year before she retired, Irene realized that she was gaining weight. Both she and her husband knew they needed to lose about 45 pounds each. Their desire to lose weight led them to Malka Barron, who is a Take Shape for Life (TSFL) certified health coach.
“We both lost 45 pounds and have more energy and less aches and pains that come with aging, thanks to the TSFL program,” says Irene. “It’s not a diet. It changes the way you view food. We became so enthusiastic about this program that we wanted to help others who were interested in becoming healthy. This program can change your focus from your food ‘wants’ to your food ‘needs.’ The TSFL program also helps you identify your food ‘triggers’ and helps you deal with them. People have been very successful in this program.”
The Hoffmans’ clients come to them mostly by word of mouth. They help people both within and outside our community. “I am working with people directly now, as compared to my job at CMS where I did not work directly with the people who were benefiting from my work. It’s rewarding to see the results of my work,” explains Irene. “Also, working part time allows me more time to spend with my children and grandchildren.”
Friends and Family Reign Supreme
Adrian Diamond Wolf worked as librarian at Yeshivat Rambam for 19 years. Before that, she gave classes in senior centers, and prior to that, she taught high school English for a year at Bais Yaakov.
“I retired three years ago, because Rambam had to close due to lack of finances,” says Adrian. “The interactions with colleagues and students at Rambam were rewarding experiences that will always stay with me. There is nothing like the smile of a former student (now 25) coming up to me to remind me of an incident that happened when he was in my class.
“I have been substitute teaching for the past few years and making crocheted beaded jewelry,” continues Adrian. “I taught art for one year at Rambam and now enjoy using my art talents again. I sell my jewelry in the community, at local shows, and from my home. I would love to still be part-time employed, but I must admit that I enjoy my free time. I have grandchildren in town who keep me happy, and my husband and I enjoy traveling often.”
In Search of Purpose and Fulfillment
Chaim R.* has worked as a social worker his entire career, trying to bring comfort and hope to his clients. For the past 12 years, he has been working for a private practice on contract to provide services to clients diagnosed with developmental or intellectual disabilities. Funding is provided by federal and state budgets.
“Many clients live in their own homes or with families,” says Chaim, who works in the D.C. area. “I have been working with this population for more than a decade, and much has changed over the years. I really enjoy social work, but funding has been cut, putting some clients at a disadvantage. Also, my colleagues and I are dismayed with the amount of paperwork needed to assess our work with clients. We need to be sure we code diagnoses correctly for the treatments we provide, assess progress of clients (or lack thereof), and plans to continue providing services.”
Chaim hopes to retire within the year, even though he understands that jobs are hard to find, especially for someone in his upper 60s. “Because I now find my work to be so draining and unrewarding, in addition to feeling that it is impossible to provide quality service, I plan on retiring even knowing how difficult it might be to reenter the workforce,” says Chaim. “I do not know what I will be doing. I have options to consider: opening a private practice, training in another field, or doing something completely different. It’s very scary to think I will be giving up a steady income, however, the benefits of a steady income are outweighed by the challenges of doing something worthwhile. I have many interests and am flexible, so I will find interesting things to do. I see this as an opportunity to grow and learn how much I can really feel fulfilled.”
Job Hunting Wisdom
Dr. Lasson agrees that it is difficult for retirees to reenter the workforce. “First, because of the psychological transition mentioned above, which has to now be put on ‘rewind.’ The major obstacle is definitely technology, he says. Many retirees, even if exposed to technology at the end of their careers, only did it to get by for a few years. They did not immerse themselves in the current technology, be it in hardware, software, or gadgets. So the technological and attitudinal learning curves are significant.”
What types of jobs does Dr. Lasson advise retirees to go after? That’s a tough question to answer broadly, he says, because it depends. “Some people can reenter the workforce in the same sector but in a reduced capacity,” says Dr. Lasson. “Some who may have had interests, hobbies, and more part-time jobs might find a landing space in one of those areas.”
Dr. Lasson offers the following tip to retirees regarding reentering the workforce: “It is important to be able to identify one’s ‘portable skills,’ as they relate to retirees. Those are what one brings to the table in a concrete way that might apply to career reentry, either within the previous field or in a different field. For example, a retired auditor might have had solid experience in researching data. That skill would be something to leverage if applying for a position with a foundation as a grant reviewer. Even before a job interview, one needs to effectively express that in a resume.”
Whether you choose to work full-time, part-time, or not at all, may your golden years be fulfilling and meaningful.
ã Margie Pensak-2013
