Bridging the Gap and Making Connections through Chesed

Jennifer Rosenzweig, Tovah Miller

Jennifer Rosenzweig, Upper School Math Teacher, Beren Academy, Houston

In today’s world, students are increasingly less connected to their environments and more connected to their devices. This proves challenging for educators and schools, as they compete for students’ interests and engagement. As an educator, I have tirelessly worked towards engaging students in mathematics courses, home economics, makerspace electives and Spanish classes.

However, one activity that I guide and advise has not required this level of struggle, since the students themselves develop their own sense of engagement and genuine interpersonal connections: a unique chesed-driven project that is led by and directed by high school students. In the program, students take on unique leadership roles whereby they design projects, select activities and even raise funds to deliver meaningful programs at a partnering Jewish retirement home facility. The projects and activities delivered total ten per year and generally center on Jewish holidays and events.

Most importantly, each student participant experiences growth in their interpersonal communication skills by developing meaningful relationships and true friendships with their senior buddies. Doing so takes learning beyond the classroom and applies classroom knowledge with real world chesed applications. This brings aspects of Torah learning to life in very tangible ways.

Our project bridges the gap between young high school students and seniors through natural interactions via project-based experiences, which are primarily arts and crafts activities. These activities enable conversation and meaningful reflections to take place between senior residents and high school students. The meetings are always a celebration of life and include background music and physical activities like balloon volleyball.

The program is fueled by the mitzvah commanding our younger generation to respect and honor their seniors. The Torah teaches, “You shall rise before the aged and show deference to the old; you shall fear your God: I am the Lord” (Vayikra 19:32). Through these chesed opportunities, our students stand up and fulfill this mitzvah without having to be prompted. Additionally, the unique relationships allow their senior buddies to extend the mitzvah of veshinantam levanecha, Teach it to your children, whereby they can share their Torah knowledge with their high school partners. The performance of chesed provides the opportunity for these mitzvot to be observed.

Within school, the students are also provided with lectures on chesed given by schoolteachers and rabbis in our lunch-and-learn program. Another area for personal growth is through self-reflection. Student participants produce a reflective essay at the end of the academic year where they express how the program impacted them in personal ways.

One student reflected on the value of the physical activities they participated in. He states, “We enjoy playing balloon volleyball with the residents. It is something that makes them more active than usual. It brings out their inner child, and it is fun to play games with them. It always puts a smile on their face whether they win or lose.”

I could not agree more with the student’s assessment. I witness the senior residents’ eyes glow with excitement while the bright orange balloon crosses over the outstretched volleyball net just beyond the reach of their fingertips. The giggles are contagious, and it doesn’t take long before the entire multipurpose room is filled with smiles and laughter.

While the games and activities enabled our students to grow in their chesed, they were stretched more when they engaged in meaningful dialogue with their senior buddies. Reflecting upon these interactions, one student wrote, “I very much appreciate the opportunity for personal growth that this program gave me.” Another participant expressed how he values the program, stating, “I have really enjoyed getting to know some of the retirement home residents, learning from their cumulative wisdom and making some real connections.”

After funding from a prominent national foundation ended, there was a threat that the program would no longer be offered. However, high school student leadership refused to allow such a valuable program to end. Recognizing the value that the program brings to both high school and senior participants, the students demanded that the program continue and petitioned administrators and teachers to continue facilitating and supporting the chesed project. The genuine passion, commitment and dedication of the students overwhelmingly convinced administrators and the teacher advisor to acquiesce.

It is clear that our students value unique chesed opportunities and recognize the benefit of bridging the gap between youth and senior Jewish community members. According to one student, the chesed project is “one of, if not the, most impacting experience I've had this year and it is something I would recommend to everyone, no matter where you come from or who you are.” In the ideal setting, the chesed initiated by our program will continue and expand independently once meaningful relationships are made. One student summarizes this best when he describes the power of such friendships: “I learned that life is all about the fun that one can find in unexpected friendships that make us grow.”

The Power of Going Outside Your Comfort Zone

Tovah Miller, Tenth Grade, Beren Academy, Houston

Moving to a new school was one of the most daunting experiences for me. Coming from a small religious school in Virginia to a much larger and more diverse one was nerve-wracking. I was nervous about everything from making friends to speaking up in class, wondering if I truly belonged. Social anxiety shadowed so many of my interactions, and talking to people was a struggle, let alone those older than me. It seemed to be a constant battle to find the right words without coming across as too nervous or too disconnected.

Yet in the last place I could have expected, I found a way to overcome these challenges—through volunteering at a Jewish retirement home. I had never volunteered in one before. When the signup sheet for the program came around during Friday meetings at my school, I decided to participate, and I can say for certain I made the right choice.

The first time I visited the senior center, I was practically shaking in the front lobby. My mind was trying to deflect from my fear and awkwardness of meeting others, focusing on the potential of sillier things, like getting lost in the building or not knowing any other students there. I arrived a few minutes late that day; everybody had already gone to the second floor, but as soon as I stepped into the room, I immediately felt welcomed. There was still that same feeling of anxiety for a while, but after a bit, it went away almost completely.

Throughout my first year of volunteering, I had the amazing opportunity to meet and connect with several senior citizens. Almost all talked about their deceased spouses, their children and their childhoods; they spurred me to reflect on my own life and choices in ways I had never thought to do so. Previously, I would have shied away from encountering seniors I didn’t know. But now that I've gotten to meet and speak to many elders, I don't want to shut myself off from them again.

And I didn't just get the opportunity to reflect after listening to their stories, I got the chance to relate. I was diagnosed with a chronic illness when I was 5, almost 6. And while I have learned how to manage it by now, it wasn’t always easy. Growing up, I didn't want to bring it up my illness to the other kids I knew, which led me to feel isolated at times.

But this also gave me an insight into what it's like to struggle with illnesses and disabilities, which many of the elders I spoke to had. It provided a bridge between myself and them, which helped me better relate to them. I also had this idea when I was younger that senior citizens didn’t want to be around kids, that I would just bother them, but I can now safely say that is the farthest thing from the truth.

These experiences taught me so many lessons I never expected to learn and helped me grow in ways I never thought possible. They turned volunteering into more than just a weekly commitment for me—it became life-changing. I found the words to reach out to other people and to make new friends, and also realized how much strength can truly come from stepping out of my comfort zone.

Return to the issue home page:

Student Spotlight

Spring 2025