Students share the joy of Hanukkah with local seniors

On the fifth day of Hanukkah, second-graders from Sarasota's Hershorin Schiff Community Day School traveled to Aviva - A Campus for Senior Life to share the joy of the holiday. The students sang Hanukkah songs - including favorites "Oh Chanukah, Oh Chanukah" and "Sevivon Sov Sov Sov" - and interacted with the residents of the facility, benefiting all who participated.

Community Day School and Aviva have enjoyed a warm relationship for some time, with intergenerational programming throughout the school year. Through the Better Together program the past couple of years, middle school students from Community Day and Aviva residents have enjoyed numerous gatherings to celebrate Shabbat and Jewish holidays, share stories, and create memory books and family trees, among other activities. The focus of the Better Together program is to sensitize students to the challenges of the elderly and incorporate Jewish learning and values in their interactions with them.

Longtime second-grade teacher Barbara O'Brien was thrilled for the opportunity to bring her students to Aviva. "Many of our students don't have grandparents here in town and their opportunities to spend time with older people are very limited," she said. "I've found that our kids absolutely light up when we tell them we're going to do something to make other people smile. They definitely enjoyed their time celebrating Hanukkah with their new friends at Aviva."

The chance to infuse Aviva with youthful energy is greatly beneficial for those who live there, notes the organization's communications specialist Matthew Solomon. "We absolutely love and actively seek out opportunities for intergenerational programs on our campus," he said. "Having these activities during the Jewish holidays is particularly meaningful for our residents. It gives them great joy to know that the traditions they hold dear are being passed on to the next generation."

The Aviva residents handed out goodie bags with Hanukkah "gelt" (chocolate) and animal crackers to the children before they left, a gift that was much appreciated. It was a fitting end to the holiday program that left all in a celebratory mood.

PHOTO IDs:

Students and teachers from Community Day School spent time with residents of Aviva during a recent Hanukkah celebration

Aviva residents (from l-r) Marshall Miles, Shirley Gordon, Bert and Renee Gold, and Joy Yellin enjoyed the singing of Hanukkah songs by second-grade students from Community Day School

About Hershorin Schiff Community Day School
The mission of the Hershorin Schiff Community Day School, which serves students in preschool through eighth grade, is to impact the world by creating a community where children of all faiths demonstrate integrity (tzedek), academic excellence (limud), and a desire to improve the world (tikkun olam). Community Day offers a rigorous, project-based academic program in a diverse and vibrant learning environment rooted in the Jewish values of honesty, integrity, mutual trust and respect. For more information, visit the website at communityday.org or call (941) 552-2770.