Last week, I had the privilege to meet and get to know many
amazing people at Gidwitz. I have very little experience with talking to the
elderly besides my grandparents, so walking in I was nervous of the impression
I would make. We started off stuffing animals for children who might not be
receiving gifts this holiday season. As we stuffed and helped each other with
our animals, we had conversations with the residents about Hanukkah, Jewish
identity, and their lives before living in Gidwitz. One of the women I talked
to, Selma, said her favorite part of Hanukkah is lighting the candles and
singing prayers each night. It was a time for everyone in her family to come
together and focus on each other, rather than other stresses of the day. The
best part of our conversation was Selma constantly giggling when she talked
about her husband or "hubby", making everyone else at the table
smile. Then the fellows left to discuss our experiences with different
residents. After about an hour, we went back to the community area and lit the
candles of the menorah for the eighth nigh of Hanukkah. My favorite part of the
night was singing the Hanukkah prayers and songs with all of my
friends from Diller and all of the residents that I had met.
-Elly Qunell
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