- December 16, 2025
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Marian Busby enjoyed the experience that brought together small hands and large hands on the first day of Hanukkah.
Kids created dreidels and crafts alongside the adults at Aviva Senior Living the morning of Dec. 14.
"They're lovely children. It's not hard to be nice to them," Busby said.
The annual visit by the temple's religious school to the senior living community, which is informed by Jewish values, has become an experience that participants from both organizations look forward to each year.
For younger kids, the event had craft projects and dreidels to play with, while older kids pursued other crafts, including creating their own dreidels alongside the residents.
The dreidels, a four-sided spinning top, had to be fixed with the Hebrew letters nun, gimel hai and shin.
Snait Ben-Herut, director of the Temple's religious school, said the temple's visits to the community at Aviva represents the Jewish value of Hiddur P’nei Zaken.
"It means you respect the elderly, and we see the elder people as a pillar in our community," she said. "They are the people that educated us, and we want to keep them with us."
The temple visits the location on Sukkot as well as on Hanukkah.
"We know that some people don't get to see their grandparents or their families. Sometimes they're alone because they moved from somewhere else, and we want them to feel joyful," she said.
Ben-Herut also notes that the holiday is "all about a miracle that happened."
The eight-day "festival of lights" celebrates the recovery of Jerusalem and the rededication of the Second Temple in the second century B.C.E.
According to the Talmud, the temple's menorah miraculously burned for eight days, even though there was only enough oil for one day.
Ben-Herut says there is "an opportunity to look for miracles in our lives every day, and if you look, you'll find them."
Residents said they enjoyed the experience of spending time with the students.
"It's nice to come here and be around younger kids," said resident David Stone, who said it wasn't an experience he enjoys every day. "Before I came here, a young kid was in their 50s."
Resident Edie Geier highlighted how attentive the kids were throughout the experience.
Resident Sandy Klein noted that she has seven great-great grandchildren, and said being around children was part of the experience of the holiday.
"It's wonderful, being with the age difference and excitement, the energy," she said. "What can I tell you? It's a wonderful experience."
Attendees also had the chance to enjoy other traditions of Hanukkah.
The event concluded in the lighting of a menorah and kids being led in songs alongside residents.
As kids left, they received a token of appreciation from residents of Aviva themselves, in the form of gift bags to take home.
