The second Breakfast My Way of the school year was held on December 13, as a celebration of Hanukkah (it was also held on the seventh night of the holiday)! Daniella and Adam Pally, and Sindy Liben, parents and grandparent of Cole in Green Cluster, were hosts for the second year in a row. This Breakfast My Way, or “Pally Hanukkah Breakfast” as Adam affectionately called it, featured a menu of bagels, lox, cream cheese, and whitefish salad from Barney Greengrass, as well as jelly doughnuts and black and white cookies. There were also colorful dreidels and Hanukkah gelt available for attendees to take.
Head of School Dr. Scott Gaynor opened the morning’s remarks, saying how proud he is to be part of such a loving community. He said, “It is so special that we have this opportunity, at this particular time, to come together and celebrate. In a time of darkness, the glow that is coming from this room, the glow that comes from our homes, the glow that comes from the light of our candles when we light them tonight, that is the light that we need, that will shine through even the darkest of times. So I take great comfort in being here and having the support of our community.”
Dr. Gaynor then introduced Speech and Language Pathologist Debra Adams and two student representatives from the Blue Cluster Jewish Affinity Group, Morris and Jacob. Jacob told the attendees what students in the Affinity Group said they most liked about being Jewish, including holidays, family, food, and bar mitzvahs. Ms. Adams pointed out that all of those things relate to the importance of community and gathering, and how much their culture means to the students. Jacob then spoke about how he has been personally impacted by antisemitism, and that he decided to make something good out of the bad by creating a documentary showing how his community has been impacted by recent events both at home and abroad. It was inspiring to hear the students speak about the conversations they’ve been having with their classmates, and how they feel they can rely on others in the Gaynor community.
Adam and Daniella reflected on the previous year’s breakfast, where they spoke about the term “fressing,” and that this year they wanted to speak about the word “mensch,” and their appreciation for Gaynor. As Adam said, “We feel lucky to be part of this community, and to watch our son grow and thrive here and become a mensch, which doesn’t really have anything to do with being Jewish but just being a good person. We are so humbled and thankful to have found this place and to be here.”
Breakfast My Way is an event sponsored by the Parents’ Association to bring parents together to learn about the breakfast traditions, holidays, and cultures of their fellow Gaynor families. The two that Gaynor has had so far this year have been wonderful celebrations of community, and we look forward to the next! Read about the previous Breakfast My Way celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month here.
