Editor’s Note: The following is Julianna Crockett’s award-winning essay.
The Better Together program has brought some amazing opportunities to me and the whole community of teens at Temple Beth El Richmond.
Since my mother’s childhood, passing wisdom from generation to generation or לְדוֹר וָדוֹר (L’dor vador) has been an important part of my family. She grew up across the street from her grandfather, whom she lovingly called DeDad, and got to see him almost every day. He would share his stories, interests, activities, and favorite foods with her, and 15 years after his passing, my mom still tells his stories, sings his favorite songs, takes us to his favorite spots, and shares the treats he loves.
My grandparents and I have tried to continue this idea of passing wisdom to the next generation, but it has become more difficult when we live much further apart.
The Better Together program has allowed me the experience of receiving the wisdom of an older generation.
Passing on wisdom and valuing the elderly is important to the Jewish faith. When talking about wisdom, it is important to differentiate wisdom from knowledge. In a column by the San Antonio Jewish Journal’s President, Nammie Ichilov, the distinction is described as, “Knowledge is knowing the information, but wisdom knows what to do with the knowledge.”
Elders often have more wisdom than the younger generations because they have lived life, made mistakes, and had many experiences. The article emphasizes the importance of wisdom in the Jewish faith by pointing out how our texts and traditions value wisdom over knowledge.
One example is that it is the “wise child” who is curious and seeks answers during the Pesach seder. Our elders’ wisdom has kept our faith alive for thousands of years. Even when the older generation has so much to offer, after talking with some of the elders, it is clear they feel that the youth often does not want to listen to what they have to offer.
This may be because younger generations view the elderly as forgetful, out of touch with the modern times, overly traditional, and judgmental. When we are too hesitant to learn from our elders, we risk losing the opportunity to hear real, first-hand experiences that we would not be able to get anywhere else. One experience of a generational passing of wisdom that has stuck with me happened at a Jewish summer camp. The director of the camp had brought her father, a holocaust survivor, to talk to some of the campers.
I was amazed by his story of leaving Europe for the new and unknown country of America in a situation that might be life or death. After we were finished I could not help but think about how lucky I was to hear this man’s experience and that my children won’t get that opportunity. Not only won’t my children, but today’s children. I saw how the younger campers chose to do a separate activity instead of listening to an “old man” tell a story. We all must take the opportunity to learn from the older generation while we still have the chance.
The chance to learn and interact with the elders of my synagogue was what made the Better Together program extraordinary. I remember one of the first meetings, after introductions, some of the elders and teens went into the kitchen to prepare a meal for the group. It was an amazing experience, not only were the elders passing down some of their favorite recipes to us, but they were also teaching us life skills, how to work in a kitchen, prepare food, and some other kitchen tricks they had picked up. With a freshly cooked meal in hand, we used the rest of the meeting to ask the elders questions about their childhood.
The teens took the chance to learn from the elders, as they told us stories about their teens and young adult lives. We heard about things we may experience and how to deal with them. We could also learn a lot from the era in which they grew up. Many of the elders lived in a time where there was significantly more antisemitism in the world. We heard many stories of the elders losing childhood friendships over religion. I can learn from the elders how to deal with antisemitism and recognize discrimination directed towards myself or others.
In today’s climate and with the recent tragedies in Israel, for the first time in my life, I have faced antisemitism. It becomes hard from a social standpoint in a community with people from many different cultural backgrounds, religions, or political views. I am very fortunate to have support from not only my family but also the new friendships I have made through Better Together.
The Better Together program has given me an amazing opportunity to learn from the older generations and meet wise men and women of my Jewish faith. The program is a great opportunity for young people to get to interact with the older generation at a time when young people either don’t get that chance or are not looking for it. When wisdom is so important in the Jewish faith, programs like this make an impact.