The Forum on Religion, Spirituality and Aging Award recognizes outstanding individuals, programs and services in religion, spirituality and aging, in an effort to inspire more spiritual exploration in the aging services field. Candidates should be ASA and FORSA members, and they will be judged on how long they’ve worked in the field, what contributions they have made to the religious and spiritual needs of older adults in the areas of health, research, education, policy planning, advocacy or congregational activity.

They should be leaders in the field of religion, spirituality and aging, and be able to demonstrate effectiveness in meeting religious and spiritual care needs of elders. Their work should have had an impact locally, state-wide and nationally—even internationally, and they should have spent time passing on their knowledge. Winners will be honored by Forum on Religion, Spirituality and Aging at the AiA conference. 

2011 Religion, Spirituality and Aging Award Winner

Rabbi Dayle Friedman 

Rabbi Dayle Friedman is a pioneer in forging a Jewish spiritual response to the challenges and blessings of later life. She is the founder and director of Hiddur: The Center for Aging and Judaism of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, which works to foster vibrant aging in the context of multigenerational community through professional education, scholarship and spiritual resources for elders and their caregivers.

Rabbi Friedman is the author of Jewish Visions for Aging: A Professional Guide to Fostering Wholeness, (Jewish Lights, 2008). She edited Jewish Pastoral Care: A Practical Handbook from Traditional and Contemporary Sources (Jewish Lights, 2nd edition, 2005), which has become a standard reference in the field. She was founding director of chaplaincy services at Philadelphia Geriatric Center, where she fostered Jewish life and spiritual care for a community of 1100 elders from 1985 to 1997. She has mentored rabbis and chaplains from all movements in Judaism. She was included in the Forward 50, a listing of influential American Jewish leaders, in 2008.