Ben Porat Yosef’s Chanukah celebrations culminated with a Chanukah-themed Grandparents’ and Special Visitors’ Day. Over 200 BPY grandparents and special visitors participated and joined the students in tefillah on Friday morning.
A delicious Chanukah breakfast followed, where Ari Greene, director of Development, welcomed the guests and explained the concept of dor l’dor, generation to generation. BPY values this ideology and incorporates inter-generational activities as much as possible. Greene encouraged grandparents to get involved by reading a story to their grandchildren’s classes, coming in for a Show & Tell or talking about their jobs, unique travels or hobbies.
Greene also stressed the importance of making BPY a philanthropic priority. BPY’s Grandparents’ Circle is an annual program that enables the school to provide an exceptional yeshiva education and engaging programs throughout the year, and helps support many chesed programs that involve soldiers, senior citizens and community members with special needs. These programs inspire students to make the world a better place and become leaders in their own communities.
Sara Schlussel, a current grandparent, also spoke about Grandparents’ Circle. She spoke about hearing her granddaughter Remi passionately singing “Banu Choshech LeGareish,” a Chanukah song she herself had learned in school, and how this passion is one aspect of BPY that has been a source of light in her life. She loves how her granddaughters love to speak Hebrew, share their Chumash learning, plans for Mesibat Siddur and understanding of the chagim. It’s been said “you can’t teach enthusiasm”; Whoever said that never met BPY teachers and students.
After the opening program, grandparents and special visitors had the opportunity to participate in five different exciting Chanukah activities with students: BPY Kahoot game, cookie decoration, packing chesed bags for the homeless, STEM projects involving the design and engineering of dreidels and chanukiyot, story time with their amazing teachers, games and a photo booth for family photos.
“It was the most meaningful, wonderful event,” said BPY grandparent Debbie Robinson. “I was deeply moved to hear Rabbi Zucker’s unique dvar Torah about the value of saying the Shema Yisrael prayer with our grandchildren. We’re blessed that three of our grandchildren attend BPY and look forward to a fourth, beginning soon im yirtzeh HaShem.”
The day ended with a beautiful Kabbalat Shabbat ceremony with singing, divrei Torah and the final round of a school-wide sevivon contest.
