Moldaw Residents Celebrate Purim With Students From Gideon Hausner Jewish Day School

Throughout life, it is important for different generations to come together to learn from each other and to pursue intergenerational relationships. It is with this idea in mind that the senior residents of Moldaw Residences hosted sixth-grade students from Gideon Hausner Jewish Day School in a unique gathering to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Purim. The gathering centered on making this intergenerational connection, as well as honoring the Purim tradition of sharing good fortune with others. The residents and students split into groups of two to three to decorate baskets that were filled with treats and other goodies to be donated to students at a middle school in East Palo Alto. The time spent together decorating the baskets gave the students and residents the opportunity to share memories and traditions of Purim, as well as a chance to learn more about one other. Irene Abrams, a resident of Moldaw, described her experience – including the two boys she had the opportunity to get to know, marveling at how full of life and energy they were, and how much she enjoyed her time with them.

“All of the children were a joy to be around, and they showed such kindness and respect to everyone,” said Abrams. “These children are all about to have their bar/bat mitzvahs, and are becoming responsible for themselves and their actions—and you can see that they take it very seriously. I had the privilege of learning about their class project to sponsor a water-well in Malawi, and you could tell how genuine their desire is to help others.”

This celebration highlights the special relationship between Moldaw Residences and Gideon Hausner Jewish Day School, as well as their dedication to building intergenerational relationships. Both organizations are pursuing the partnership to ensure that traditional customs and celebrations, such as Purim, are cherished for generations to come. With so much changing in our world today, it is important to maintain an open dialogue with one other, no matter the age difference. Often, we find there isn’t much that separates us, after all.

“We were thrilled to host the students of Gideon Hausner during the observance of Purim,” said Alexander Ben-Israel, executive director of Moldaw Residences. “Purim is the perfect holiday to have an intergenerational aspect because it showcases the overall joy of the holiday and the importance of helping others. Having the children here with our residents was the perfect way to celebrate, and we look forward to having them back in the future to continue this partnership.”

“I had a delightful experience and was thrilled by the number of residents who participated,” said Abrams. “The staff did a wonderful job of decorating and creating an atmosphere of fun and celebration. We all spread around, visiting and laughing. It was wonderful! I even heard a resident speaking to one of the boys in Hebrew and saw them laughing and enjoying themselves, as well as another student sharing a dessert with one of the residents. It was heartwarming to see how interactive the gathering was and how energized the children were. It was a true celebration.”