Grandparents and special friends were invited to join students for the annual Dor L’Dor day held on Friday, May 6. Throughout the day, guests shadowed their students and took part in fun activities. 

The day started with Kabbalat Shabbat, which was packed with exciting programming. Shir Madness sang a song, a Dvar Torah was given and STEM classes were highlighted with an appearance by a driving robot.

“It was really fun to see our grandparents enjoy Kab Shab,” sophomore Hannah Shank said. “It is definitely the highlight of each Friday for me, so seeing everyone happy was very exciting. The performances were great. The robot       was really cool and it gave everyone high fives.”

For many students, grandparents and friends come annually, while others only have visitors for Dor L’dor occasionally. 

Sophomore Daniel Simon’s grandparents come regularly to Dor L’dor. Because of his grandparents’ distinctive backgrounds, Simon said that they connected to classes in unique ways. 

“My grandpa, he’s a math professor and he really enjoys our math life classes,” Simon said. “And my grandma, she’s a former history teacher, so she’s really enjoyed our history classes.”

Many grandparents appreciated the chance to see the strong Jewish education their grandchildren receive. Sophomore Ethan Safra’s grandparents, Linda and Barry Rosenberg, enjoyed Talmud class the most.

“It sounded like a regular lesson,” Rosenberg said. “It was very open for [students] to discuss what he’s telling you about, or what [students] wanted to talk about.”

However, the classes were not the only thing that stood out to the Rosenbergs about their visit. 

“Being welcomed by the kids, especially in the Lower School [was notable],” Rosenberg said. “And we’ve always been very impressed with the faculty.”

For those who hadn’t seen their special guests in a while spending a day with their special guests at school was a particularly unifying experience. 

“Some of the grandchildren at the Lower School [had] their grandparents coming in from out of town and the grandparents were coming straight to school and they hadn’t seen them yet,” Director of Alumni Relations Wendi Kaplan said. “So the welcome as a surprise was very exciting. It’s definitely a great day.”

Dor L’dor day is a special opportunity for special guests to see their students in an environment they do not typically see them in. It allows students to demonstrate what they have been learning throughout the year. 

“The hope is for grandparents and special friends to come in and see what their grandchildren have been learning, and to kind of get a glimpse inside what their day is like every day,” Kaplan said.