Moldaw Residences, a senior living community located on the 8.5 acre Taube Koret Campus for Jewish Life, held a moving and entertaining Festival of Lights party in honor of Hanukkah. Residents shared stories about the history of their family menorahs, and they came together to light them simultaneously. The event also included a fun-filled concert by the Moldaw Singers, a talented group of two dozen residents, that featured a song in Ladino (a combination of Spanish and Hebrew) and other Hanukkah and wintertime favorites.
“We dedicated our candle lighting to peace,” said Miki Raver, director of lifestyles services for Moldaw Residences. “It was important for us to come together and bring in the light both symbolically and literally.”
The Moldaw Singers spent three months preparing for the special concert. The group enjoyed putting on the show, and the members recently also performed at Avenidas, a community senior center in Palo Alto. Linda Mankin, 84-year-old Moldaw resident, arranged all of the music, directed the choir and accompanied them during the performance. The concert included nine songs, some in Hebrew and some in English, and concluded with “It’s a Small World.”
“Music is a wonderful outlet, and I try to arrange songs that everyone will enjoy,” said Mankin. “Some of the members of Moldaw Singers haven’t sung in 40 or 50 years, and they had a ball. Being a part of the group makes us all feel rejuvenated, and I hope we touched the audience with our music.”
ABOUT MOLDAW RESIDENCES
Moldaw Residences is on the 8.5 acre Taube Koret Campus for Jewish Life, and is adjacent to the 130,000 square foot Oshman Family Jewish Community Center. The new senior living community is a continuing care retirement community (CCRC) which allows residents to age in place by providing independent living, assisted living, and memory care. The community is more than 300,000 square feet with 193 maintenance-free apartment homes. The unique “multi-generational” community is open to all faiths, ethnicities, and racial background.