In honor of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, Waltonwood Cotswold recently partnered with Charlotte Jewish Day School and hosted a heartwarming intergenerational activity. Recently, third graders visited residents of the senior living community, enjoyed traditional treats and sang Rosh Hashanah songs in Hebrew and in English. In addition, the children made Shana Tova – which means have a good year in English – cards with the residents for them to keep as a memory of this gathering. During this event, Jewish residents and students shared their past experiences of celebrating Rosh Hashanah with their family and friends. Waltonwood Cotswold also hosted an educational activity for the non-Jewish residents prior to the students’ visit to discuss traditions connected to this holiday. This ensured that everyone enjoyed the children’s visit and understood the significance of all the activities.

“This was such an inspiring and meaningful activity. The children and our residents had so much fun during this visit,” said Leah Nash, executive director at Waltonwood Cotswold. “We realize how important this holiday is for our Jewish residents, and we wanted to make sure they had a chance to commemorate it in this unique way. We hope to host the students again in another wonderful intergenerational activity.”

Some of the non-Jewish residents had a chance to learn more about this holiday, honor it and spend time together with the children. Children and Jewish residents exchanged experiences of celebrating Rosh Hashanah with their families, and everyone enjoyed traditional treats. This event demonstrates how Waltonwood Cotswold continues to enhance residents’ lives through community involvement and fun educational activities. Studies show that by engaging with younger generations, seniors experience better physical health and improve their overall well-being. Waltonwood Cotswold always looks for ways to remain active in the community and connect with people of all ages.

“Sharing Jewish holidays with others is so important to all of us, especially since we live in a small city,” said Channie Weiss, 3rd grade Judaica teacher at Charlotte Jewish Day School. “We love opportunities like this one where we can share our Jewish pride with other Jewish residents.”

Singh currently owns and operates 10 other Waltonwood Senior Communities in Michigan and North Carolina and has several other communities in development and under construction in North Carolina and the Washington, D.C. metro area market.