Jewish Senior Life’s Live & Learn Community celebrated two years and 10 semesters of lifelong learning at Meer Apartments with residents, educators, Oakland University faculty and community partners.
Jewish Senior Life residents gathered at Meer Apartments in West Bloomfield for a special Live & Learn Siyyum, celebrating another year of lifelong learning, friendship and discovery.
Wendy Handler presided over the celebration, which included remarks from Marcia Mittelman and Oakland University President Ora Hirsch Pescovitz.
Among the special guests was Andrew Echt, representing the Marcia Applebaum Jewish Older Adult Enrichment Fund, Live & Learn’s sole program sponsor. Oakland University faculty, instructors and community partners who helped bring learning experiences to Meer throughout the year also joined the celebration.
At the center of it all were Meer residents; students who continue to demonstrate that curiosity and learning have no age limit.
This year’s Siyyum marked an important milestone: two full years and 10 semesters of Jewish Senior Life’s Live & Learn Community at Meer Apartments.
Lifelong Learning at Meer Apartments
There was a lot to celebrate.
(Scroll through the photos to see our graduates celebrate the day.)
During the 2025–2026 academic year, Live & Learn offered Meer residents 71 different courses and 174 hours of learning, twice as many courses as were offered during the program’s pilot year.
Since September 2025, more than 130 Meer residents have participated in Live & Learn.
The subjects have been as varied as the residents’ interests.
Participants explored music ranging from Elvis and Aretha Franklin to the Great American Songbook and the operas of Mozart. They delved into Detroit history, including the Purple Gang and Jimmy Hoffa, and explored comedy, film, art, immigration, politics, culture, science and stories of the Revolutionary War.
Residents also learned from notable speakers including Rabbi Angela Buchdahl and author Geraldine Brooks.
Live & Learn goes beyond traditional classroom learning. Programming has included multi-session courses, individual lectures, in-house concerts, field trips and improv. One particularly memorable experience even brought the Israel Symphony Orchestra to Meer for a live performance.
A Partnership With Oakland University
The Siyyum also celebrated the partnerships that have helped make Live & Learn an important part of life at Meer.
Oakland University serves as Jewish Senior Life’s academic partner for Live & Learn, providing professors and foundational courses each semester.
President Ora Hirsch Pescovitz joined Oakland University faculty and other special guests at Meer for the celebration, underscoring the relationship between the university and Jewish Senior Life’s lifelong learning program.
The Marcia Applebaum Jewish Older Adult Enrichment Fund has supported the Live & Learn concept from its beginning and now serves as the program’s sole sponsor.
Community partners further expand the educational experience. Representatives and instructors from organizations including the Jewish Historical Society of Michigan and Detroit Creativity Project were among those recognized during the celebration.
More Than Classes: Learning Builds Community
Live & Learn is also shaped by the people who participate in it.
Meer residents suggest topics, recommend speakers and share ideas about what they would like to explore next.
And something else happens when residents continue learning together.
People connect. Friendships grow. Conversations begin. Laughter fills the room.
As Wendy reflected during the Siyyum, residents don’t just learn about the subject in front of them. They discover shared interests, hear different perspectives and find new things to talk about long after class has ended.
That sense of connection has become one of Live & Learn’s greatest accomplishments.
Celebrating Meer’s Live & Learn Community
The morning concluded with recognition for Marcia and all she brings to Meer and Live & Learn. Live & Learn participants Debbie Rottman and Raymond Greenspan were also invited to share their own thoughts about the program.
It was a fitting conclusion to a celebration that wasn’t simply about courses completed or hours spent in a classroom.
It was about continuing to be curious.
Continuing to ask questions.
Continuing to discover new things.
And continuing to learn, laugh and share… together.
Congratulations to the Meer Live & Learn Community on two remarkable years of lifelong learning, with many more classes, conversations, discoveries and friendships still to come.
NEW THIS SUMMER – LIVE AND LEARN CLASSES ARE NOW BEING OFFERED AT HECHTMAN APARTMENTS.
Are you interested in attending a sample class and to find why life at JSL is about learning, growing and being part of a community. CLICK HERE>>
