Our Stories

“It really brightens their whole day!” enthuses Susan from The Jewish Council for the Aging at a recent visit of students to Rockville to share Sukkot. The shared joy in being together is evident. A young boy says “I remember you!” as he reaches for a high five from his buddy. “I like giving them compliments,” says his classmate. 

This gathering is not only joyful, it’s also a model of accommodation, patience, and community care. Caretakers for the young and old routinely ask participants “Do you need help? Do you have a question? Do you want to take a break?” and remind friends to help anyone having trouble. A small girl uses her own nimble fingers to guide an older woman’s bingo tiles into place. A senior friend trades a musical shaker with a student who didn’t get her favorite color. The operating procedures for this gathering are calibrated for inclusion and thoughtfulness. 

In the Sukkah they shake the lulav and etrog, “Shake it to the east! Shake it to the West!” chants Pre-K teacher Lynn Broder. “Shake it, but don’t break it!” adds an older woman, enthusiastically, as she shimmies energetically behind her walker.

In the Sukkah they shake the lulav and etrog, “Shake it to the east! Shake it to the West!” chants Pre-K teacher Lynn Broder. “Shake it, but don’t break it!” adds an older woman, enthusiastically, as she shimmies energetically behind her walker. A man named Pinchas breaks into song. He spent significant parts of his life in Russia and Israel, and though his memory loss sometimes slows him down, he sings the familiar Jewish songs with gusto and confidence, his voice resonating throughout the space. Teachers encourage the kids to sing along. Pinchas frequently called upon to lead prayers. 

Rachel from Heyman Interages Center reports that MILTON’s Pre-K Gan Chitim class is the youngest she has placed with senior counterparts. “I usually have to plan activities for my groups, but the MILTON teachers always come with everything prepared,” she she reports, appreciatively. 

Susan of the JCA says “the social interactions between the kids and our seniors are so evident and genuine! We see so much more engagement from our seniors when the children are with us.” She breaks off some challah and passes it to Betty, a Kensington Club member. “How’s the challah?” she asks. 

“Not bad,” says Betty, “ but I’m a master challah maker,” she adds. 

“That’s right!” says Susan, “You won awards at state fairs.” 

Betty nods and chews her challah amiably. She looks fondly at the kids, “It’s wonderful to see these children and their pride in being Jewish.” 

Later this year, like the class of 2032 before them, these Pre-K students will celebrate Hannukah and Tu B’Shvat with these same senior friends. They’ll plant parsley seeds together that they will harvest for use at a shared Passover Seder. 

South Campus Principal Melissa Davis is inspired by this collaboration: “As the parasha tells us: You shall stand up for the elders and you shall respect the wise (Vayikra 19:32)”.

“It has been awe-inspiring for me to witness the commitment the Pre-K teachers and students have to sustaining their relationship with the Jewish Council for the Aging.” says Melissa, “Beginning last year, they visited their senior friends to celebrate chagim (holidays) as well as performed the mitzvah of hachnasat orchim (welcoming guests) when their senior friends came to South Campus. What a wonderful way to teach our youngest students the mitzvah of honoring our elders.”