TL;DR: Grandparents play an increasingly vital role in sustaining Jewish identity, often stepping in as the primary source of Jewish tradition, ritual, and connection for their grandchildren. Through hands-on efforts, they are actively shaping the next generation’s sense of belonging. The Jewish Grandparents Network (JGN) supports and educates grandparents to lead this work, helping ensure Jewish continuity through family relationships, rituals, and shared experiences.
In many Jewish families today, grandparents are doing more than showing up. They are stepping in.
At the Jewish Grandparents Network (JGN), we consistently hear from grandparents who are not just supporting Jewish life in their families, but actively sustaining it. In some cases, they are the primary source of Jewish experience for their grandchildren. In others, they are the only source.
That reality is shaping how Jewish identity is being passed down.
We see it in the choices grandparents are making. One grandparent in our community is planning and hosting a do-it-yourself Bat Mitzvah at home for her granddaughter — because it’s the only way this preteen will have one. She wants a Bat Mitzvah, and her grandparent is making it happen: preparing together on Zoom and gathering close family and friends to share in the occasion.
This is not an isolated story. It reflects a broader pattern.
At JGN’s first Annual Online Grandparents’ Learning Fest in January 2026, the topic that drew the greatest interest was Ritual. Not just because grandparents want to learn the how-tos of Jewish practice, but because they want their grandchildren to feel connected to Jewish life in a real and lasting way. Long-Distance Grandparenting and Storytelling and Play followed closely behind, both rooted in connection and continuity.
We see the same trend in our webinars. Our most popular session this past year, with 460 registrants, was focused on how to create a meaningful Passover experience. In addition to grandparents attending seders, they are thinking carefully about how to host them in a way that creates joy, memory, and a sense of belonging for their families. They ask: “how do I make this experience so deeply felt that my grandchildren will want to carry it forward?”
This work is becoming even more important at a time when antisemitism is rising and Jewish identity feels fragile. Grandparents are responding by leaning in.
JGN exists to support grandparents in this role. Through our programs, resources, and community, we help them feel more confident, more connected, and better equipped to show up in ways that matter.
Being part of the Global Jewry network strengthens that work. It allows us to share what we’re seeing, learn from others, collaborate, and ensure that grandparents are part of the broader conversation about Jewish continuity.
Soon, we will launch a new podcast, Regeneration, in partnership with Recustom, focused on reimagining Jewish rituals in a modern world.
In this moment where Jewish life feels more vulnerable and uncertain, what happens inside families matters even more. The relationships, rituals, and memories grandparents help create are what carry Jewish identity forward.
Grandparents who want to be more intentional in this role can sign up for our mailing list here, follow @JewishGrandparentsNetwork on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram, and join our private Facebook group.
Shavua tov,
Debra (Debs) S. Weinberg, Executive Director
Terry Kaye, Associate Director
Jewish Grandparents Network
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