An intergenerational opportunity for two lovely young ladies

You might think that the Jewish Pavilion Senior Services maintains its focus only on the elder residents in the Orlando area. This is far from the fact. The seniors who we are engaged with continually interact with elementary age youngsters, high schoolers and those attending local universities.

Let me introduce you to two young ladies who decided to dedicate their B’not Mitzvah project to the seniors at Oakmonte Village Lake Mary. Chloe and Layla were searching for a project to fulfill their “tikun olam” segment of this milestone moment in their Jewish lives. Their mother, Sarah, had suggested working with seniors, since she recalled her days at her Yeshivah having had a similar experience when she was their age. They connected with the Jewish Pavilion Senior Services and were invited to join the Friday Shabbat service at Valencia at Oakmonte Village. The welcome from the residents was warm and genuine and they decided this would be a wonderful place to pursue their goal.

During the service, they addressed the congregation and mentioned that they were interested in learning from them as well as simply meeting with them for casual talk. Phyllis Krebs was first to come forward to invite the girls to see the various art projects that were created in her class at the facility. The residents took pride in explaining how and why they made their art. This encounter blossomed into their meeting with Ann Funk who passed a note to them at another Shabbat service stating that she would love to invite them to see her collection of Judaica. They spent the day together and now Ann can say she is “part of their family” after participating in their family Passover Seder, and being honored with saying the “hamotzi” blessing at their B’not Mitzvah. Their relationship continues on.

Then came a request from Theda Levinn, who needed help in shopping for a dress for an upcoming wedding. The connection was made again and soon after, Chloe, her mother Sarah, and Theda were out and about shopping for this special dress with not one but two that caught her eye.

In the words of Chloe and Layla “This is not only for our bat mitzvah project. We want to continue attending Shabbat services at Oakmonte Village, interact with the seniors and learn from a wellspring of knowledge and experiences that they have to offer us.”