On Tuesday morning, November 21, Moriah’s sixth graders welcomed over 80 grandparents and special guests for a morning of shared tefillah, divrei Torah, chesed, delicious food and classroom learning.
Grandparents and special guests enjoyed a beautiful middle school davening, sitting alongside Moriah’s middle school students. After the seventh and eighth graders were dismissed to go to breakfast, Middle School Assistant Principal and Mashgiach Rabbi David Delouya formally welcomed the guests with words of Torah, and expressed wonderment at his own deeply emotional reaction to experiencing such a moving and meaningful intergenerational tefillah. Rabbi Delouya emphasized the critical role played by family members in a child’s education and upbringing, and highlighted the special bonds that are formed with parents and grandparents throughout our children’s physical and emotional development.
Everyone then proceeded to the Kukin Auditorium where a delicious breakfast awaited them and which everyone enjoyed as they watched a wonderful slideshow, highlighting all of the sixth graders and their special events this year. Moriah Head of School Rabbi Daniel Alter addressed the gathering, once again stressing the theme of continuity through the generations and the role of grandparents in ensuring the transmission of our mesorah. Associate Principal Tzipporah Boim introduced the next phase of the program, letter-writing to our chayalim, and students and grandparents collaborated to express their hakararat hatov to those defending the State of Israel, and the collective wishes for their safety and for the success of their mission. Music teacher Mordy Weinstein led the assembly in singing a heartfelt tefillah for our chayalim and “Acheinu,” and then went on to introduce bentching with a “Shir HaMaalot” sung to the tune of “Im Eshkachech.”
Following Birkat Hamazon, the sixth graders escorted their guests to their classrooms where Mrs. Batya Kinsberg, Ms. Jessica Sehgal, and Mrs. Rachel Schwartz wowed everyone with lessons that typified the outstanding sixth grade learning. While sixth graders everywhere are accustomed to a modern classroom equipped with 21st century technology, grandparents were especially impressed with the Smartboards, which most of them were unfamiliar with, and saw them as an incredible teaching tool. By 10:30 a.m., with smiles on their faces and parting kisses galore, the sixth grade guests were escorted to the lobby, where beautiful Moriah gift bags with a framed Birkat HaYeladim and Mi SheBeirach for Tzahal awaited them, and where they all expressed their hope to have yet another opportunity to visit Moriah in the near future.
Given the overwhelming success of the morning, it’s a program sure to be replicated year to year.
