This program is so straightforward, practical, low-cost and helpful that if the Orthodox Union hadn’t come up with it, and executed it with the professionalism that is their hallmark, it’s quite likely that a commercial venture would have identified it as a profit-making opportunity.
The OU held its Retire & Relocate Fair, subtitled “a virtual fair, from the comfort of your own home,” on Sunday, May 4, and it attracted an impressive 800-plus registrants. Judging from the activity in the Chat feature, it was clear that the fair was buzzing with attendees.
When an attendee first logged in, they were greeted by a short video from Rebbetzin Judi Steinig, the senior director of community projects and partnerships for the OU, and the coordinator of the fair. Steinig welcomed participants and stated that while this was the 10th communities’ fair organized by the OU since 2008, it was the first one geared to retirees and senior adults. She said that the OU was proud to feature over 30 communities from the United States and Israel
After the video concluded, visitors found themselves in an animated virtual setting outside a large conference hall. Once they entered the virtual building, they had the option to enter an auditorium where a sequence of eight live video sessions were held, each starting at the top of the hour. Sessions covered topics such as Real Estate in Israel, Financial Planning for Retirement, Introduction to Aliyah, Navigating Home Care and Assisted Living Costs Before Relocating, and spotlights on specific communities. Financial matters and aliyah saw tremendous interest from attendees.
Visitors were also encouraged to visit virtual exhibit spaces, where communities were divided into Mid-Atlantic Region (11 options), Southern Region (eight options), Western/Mid-West Region (six options), and Israel Region (two communities and four organizations/service providers).
The Mid-Atlantic Region featured four towns in Pennsylvania (Bensalem, Center City/Philadelphia, Harrisburg and Wilkes-Barre), three in New York (Long Beach, Poughkeepsie and South New Rochelle), two in New Jersey (West Orange and Highland Park/Edison), one in Connecticut (West Hartford), and one in Virginia (Richmond).
The Southern Region featured four areas in Florida, including Eden Gardens/Orlando, Jacksonville, Delray Beach and an alliance of 30 communities in Southern Florida, and one community each in South Carolina (Charleston), North Carolina (Mountain View), Tennessee (Nashville), and Texas (San Antonio). The Western/Mid-West Region featured one community each in Ohio (Greater Dayton), Kentucky (Louisville), Pennsylvania (Pittsburgh), Arizona (Scottsdale), Illinois (Skokie Highlands), and Arizona (Tucson).
The Israel Region highlighted Har Nof in Jerusalem and Rishon Letzion/Beachfront, as well as OU Israel, Nefesh B’Nefesh, CapitIL Real Estate, and the Haim Givati & Co. Law Office.
The virtual fair invited participants to visit a Resources “room” as well, where 72 documents were posted; visOUitors could email these documents to themselves for future reference. There was a one-page “Retirement & Relocation Checklist,” prepared by Winston Wealth Advisors (with offices in Texas and Florida), that seemed particularly helpful.
Other options included a Video Vault with 46 short videos prepared by prospective communities and service providers, a Financial Resources section (three options), and Chat functions for both the Fair organizers and the “hosts” of the virtual display for each community.
The Retire & Relocate Fair was supported by the Savitsky Growth Initiative of the Orthodox Union.
Harry Glazer is the Middlesex County editor of The Jewish Link. He can be reached at [email protected] and he welcomes reader feedback.
