The Life & Times of a Tireless Champion for the Aging

As a young boy, Jack Kupferman was always surrounded by older adults—his parents ran a rest home in upstate New York and his family lived in the back. So it’s no surprise that today Jack is at the center of a major online event next month to honor the nursing home lives lost as a result of COVID-19, while raising awareness of the need for nursing home transformation. As the volunteer President of the Gray Panthers NYC and a former attorney for New York City’s Department for the Aging, Jack has been an indefatigable fighter for the rights of older people. In today’s wide-ranging conversation with host Ron Roel, Jack will offer a healthy slice of his storied career—everything from local programs and projects to improve the lives of older New Yorkers, to global initiatives to tackle illiteracy in Nepal and help older women start microbusinesses in Pakistan. Throughout his life of advocacy, Jack’s passion has been to change the perception of aging—and to promote a deeper understanding of how pervasive ageism really is. You’ll learn of one of his dreams for the future: mobilizing older persons of the world to demand more of their governments, to secure their rights and claim their power. And, oh yes, Jack will reveal what it took to become a mid-life National Aerobics Champion.