The Torah is imbued with the enduring principle of honoring and gaining wisdom from preceding generations. With this in mind, Central held its highly anticipated Grandparents Day event on Thursday, December 14, the seventh day of Chanukah. Central has a long history of paying tribute to intergenerational family relationships, and specifically the special bond between grandparent and grandchild, a tie between past, present, and future that contributes to every child’s education. The event has come to hold great significance for students.
“It’s always really cool meeting peoples’ family members and hearing about their experiences,” said junior Jo Schiffer. The invitation to the event was extended to grandparents or special relatives who wanted to engage in a day of Torah learning with their Central student in the z’chus of the safety of our brothers and sisters in Israel. “The goal of the day was to broaden our Central community,” said Central Dean of Students, Mrs. Aliza Gewirtz. “We wanted to invite grandparents and other special family members to be a part of the Central family and give them a glimpse of the amazing faculty we have in our building, as well as the warmth and the ruach that exists every day in our building.”
This year’s event coincided with Central’s focus on the Power of Positivity, and over 150 family members visited the Holliswood campus to embrace this message. Students were able to have breakfast and take photo booth shots with their special family members before enjoying a program with opening remarks by Central’s Mashgiach Ruchani, Rabbi Joshua Goller, followed by learning and a siyum Tanach led by Head of School Ms. Bracha Rutner. Students and family members then attended classes on different topics related to Chanukah.
The event is part of a dynamic week of events celebrating Chanukah at Central. Other events include a schoolwide trip to Chelsea Piers in Connecticut, a Chanukah mesibah for each grade, Chanukah Swag Day, a staff-versus-students volleyball game, a special Central G.O.-hosted Olympics ceremony, and a school brachos party hosted by Central’s F.I.R.E Fellows.
