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  updated 8/26/04
Back in Albany preparing for Shabbos... The new year is upon us! It's already Freshman Weekend.. Thanks to Wendy Miller and Rachel Harris who came over late Thursday Night to bake and cook with Raizy. Thanks to all the student volunteers who tabled for Thursday's move-in, and those who will table tomorrow on Friday. We look forward to another wonderful year!
A day in NY visiting family Knowing that we'd be in the Metro NY area for Yishai's wedding, we made some appointments for Monday in NYC to speak with some people (alumni etc) about sponsorship/dedication opportunities in the new Shabbos House. But in the end those appointments were cancelled, so instead of rushing back, we spent the day visiting grandparents, a great-aunt, and a Brit of a cousin's newborn son. Often when we go into NY there's a lot to get done, and not as much time to visit the grandparents, so this turned out to be a wonderful opportunity.
Yishai and Rachel's Wedding We had a wonderful time at Yishai and Rachel's wedding (8/22) in New Jersey, and were honored to play a part in their Simcha. We have a page up with some pictures... Mushkie and Chanie were thrilled to be flower girls, and Moshe did a fine job as ring-bearer.

Yishai and Rachel will be living nearby (320 Fuller..) for the first months of their marriage. Yishai is working his last credits at an internship at the Attorney General's office.

May we always share Simchas!

Shabbat away We weren't at home for the last Shabbat before Freshman Weekend to have a little break before the New Year begins.
  updated 8/15/04 -
UAlbany Leadership Weekend Retreat This leadership weekend retreat was the  brainchild of several student leaders, this first annual event was a productive and friendly get-together for Jewish Students serving on Jewish Student Boards this coming academic year ('04-'05).

Shabbat meals (Friday Night, Saturday Lunch and evening) were at Shabbos House, with late-night Friday Night Chavurah and a Sat afternoon Meet Hillel Staff sessions at Chapel House.

>> Here's a picture taken following Havdalah.

Outings with our Kids... Now that the Gan Israel Day-Camp at Delmar Chabad is over for the summer, we've been doing one outing each day with the kids, to try and spend some quality time with them before the new year starts.. We love it!
In the 2nd week of August we've been to The Crossing Park in Colonie (great walking trails, all-new playground, pond with ducks & fountains and an adjacent farm with cows!), Indian Ladder Farms in Altamont (we all picked blueberries, including Sara who loved it, ate a picnic on scenic hilltop, and fed the goats and sheep), Hoffman's Playland in Latham, where the kids enjoyed some kiddie rides and got over their fears of others). Click here for photos of some of our outings..
NYC Alumni Reunion! Sunday, August 8th in NYC! See the Alumni Page for Reunions (2004) or click here for the direct page for news and photos of this exciting event with 90 alumni friends of years past, spanning classes of 1997-2004 with some dating back to '90, '92 and '96... Thanks to all who came, it was a beautiful event.. too short!
A Shabbat Away The Shabbat before the Reunion we went to Rabbi Mendel's parents in Albany for a relaxing and enjoyable weekend. Late Saturday Night Raizy catered a small pareve wedding for a couple getting married in the area. And Sunday morning we were off bright and early to NYC, for the alumni reunion. (Little did we know we were heading into Manhattan traffic and rerouting due to a parade on 6th Ave and a Fair on Madison Ave).
An Alumni Summer Weekend Several alumni came up to spend a Shabbos back in Albany on the last weekend in July. Thanks to their coming, we even had a Shabbos Day Minyan, which we usually don't have in the summertime. It was a beautiful Shabbos together, both with the visiting alumni and with our summer "regulars".
  updated 7/20/04
A New Twist on an Old Midrash Being that it's the "9 Days" of remembering Jerusalem's Holy Temple, Moshe was learning in camp about "what happens when Moshiach comes." One quote they studied was that the growth process of produce will be considerably quickened - and as Moshe interpreted it when he came home: "When Moshiach comes, fruits will grow straight out of the computer!" BTW - Sara now plays "starfall" a kids interactive learning website, but still needs help navigating and clicking around with the mouse. She also keeps asking for "wing" - which is the new swing-set several Class of 2004'ers kindly gave us and installed in our backyard.
Kids in Day Camp For the month of July our kids are enjoying the local Camp Gan Israel Day Camp, directed by Mrs. Clara Simon of Delmar Chabad. They come home exhausted and thrilled, sharing their daily exploits and activities. Mushkie is learning to swim.. This week they visited Ft. Crailo (a museum of Dutch history in the Albany area) and Chanie came home with vivid descriptions of the building and artifacts.
Blueberries for Shabbos On a day camp trip our children picked 60 ounces (!) of blueberries, most of which we nibbled on as a healthy snack, and the rest Raizy turned into a tasty Shabbos dessert treat. They also spent some time at a local Jewish farmer.
Special Shabbat Guests 7/16 For the Shabbat dinner of 7/16, in addition to "summer regulars" (some of whom were away) Emily Rubenshtayn (who's been our family's babysitter since we came to Albany with 4-month-old Mushkie) came with her daughter Olga and grandson Sasha Alex Timofayev, who had his Bar-Mitzvah at Shabbos House earlier this year. Zahava Krevsky of Florida is a keyboardist with Dr. Laz. She spent Shabbos with us back in November '03 when they played here, and spent this Shabbos here again after a gig played in nearby Gilboa NY at the Golden Acres Ranch. Mr. and Mrs. Marks of Queens joined us for Shabbos Lunch, and Professor Herman Prins Salomon shared with us fascinating stories of Jewish Life on Curasao and old Dutch/ Spanish-Portuguese Jewish traditions.
  updated 7/11/04
Nice, Cozy Shabbos Once again, we had a nice cozy Shabbos with a small number of students and friends who are u[ here for the summer. Thanks to all who came, it makes our Shabbos special.
  updated 7/7/04
Zoning Board Hearing We appeared at the Zoning Board of Appeals for the new Shabbos House on July 7th, 2004. There was a considerable number of neighbors with concerns, some of which were addressed at the meeting, and others will be addressed in the following meeting(s). The Zoning Board recommended a Town engineer look into some of the issues as well. We hope to share good news and progress over the summer...
  updated 7/4/04
Hillel Transitions Gadiel Schultz (Hillel JCSC for this past year) is now married (Mazal Tov!) and living in Pittsburgh. Our good friend, Dr. David Liebschutz, former Hillel Executive Director, is now Assistant Dean at UAlbany's Rockefeller Graduate School. The new Hillel Exec Director, Rabbi Ben Shull (formerly of Virginia), will be assuming his new post later this week. There's also a new JCSC and a new Israel Fellow, working for Hillel and we at Shabbos House look forward to meeting them as they arrive and working together in the special cooperative relationship Jewish life on this campus is blessed with.
July 4th! In the evening we went downtown to the Empire State Plaza where thousands of people came out for a July 4th festival and fireworks show. We secured ourselves (and our car) a spot atop a nearby parking garage and had a splendid view.
Back for Shabbat

7/2-3

 After two weekends away it was nice to be back for Shabbos. We had over 20 people around the table on Friday Night, including several visiting alumni, friends of students, and students at other colleges home for the summer. It was a cozy enough meal for everyone to introduce themselves and share a highlight of their week (that was nice). Some students came back for Shabbos Lunch, as well. While we don't have a minyan in the summertime, one visiting alumnus trekked up and down from "The Shteeble" (Cong. Shomray Torah) a few miles away on New Scotland Ave.
"What's Cooking?"  in the mail We just mailed our Summer "What's Cooking?" update, an online PDF version is available on the "What's Cooking?" page. It includes pictures and tidbits from the Spring '04 semester at Albany, the new cookbook ordering info, sponsorship opportunities at Shabbos House, operating and building fund donors... Not on our mailing list and want these keep in touch connections? Give us a call (518) 438-4227 or shabbos@albany.net
Cookbook Orders.. We already received a number of orders for the new Shabbos House Cookbook (we'll mail the first batch on Tuesday after the holiday weekend), as well as reservations for the 2nd annual Alumni Reunion in NYC on August 8th. See the back page of "What's Cooking?" (Summer 2004) for info on the reunion..
Chabad Campus Conference Last weekend we had an excellent, enjoyable and productive conference at the Homowack Hotel in the Catskills, with other Chabad families who do the same work on college campuses across the USA. Raizy gave a workshop session on organizing Shabbos meals, and we shared experiences and gained ideas and insight from our many friends there. It was organized by (relatively) new national office of Chabad on Campus. The spirit and energy was amazing.
  updated 6/21/04
Shmuly's engaged Rabbi Mendel's brother Shmuly is engaged to Mina Leah Cohen of Montreal. Shmuly has been a huge help with building (and taking down) the Sukkah each year, and we wish them much happiness together!

They're having at "L'chaim" at the "FREE" Synagogue 1383 President St in Crown Heights, on Tuesday night 6/22/04 - following "Gimmel Tammuz" - the day of the Rebbe's Yartzeit. All who remember Shmuly are welcome to come.
Cookbook Now Available! The long awaited "A Taste of Shabbos House" Cookbook is now available at $20 each, plus $2.50 (s/h). Click here for more info.  It is 90 pages coil-bound, with over 130 recipes (tried and tested!) used at Shabbos House.  Contact Shabbos House for your copy! shabbos@albany.net or 518-438-4227.

This fundraiser was made possible by the diligent efforts of Adam Kofinas (SH intern Spring '04 and incoming Hillel Student President Fall '04). Thanks!
In Brooklyn with Family We were in Brooklyn for the weekend of 6/18-19 celebrating a "Pidyon-Haben" ceremony of our new nephew Mendel Wolf (Raizy's sister Elkie's first child). It was a special time with family since (almost) all of Raizy's family was there together, also to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the Rebbe's passing on the 3rd of Tammuz.
  updated 6/16/04
Passing of Dr. Susan Sherman
6/3/04		 Dr. Susan Sherman was a gerontologist, a modest but respected member of the University at Albany faculty, serving as a distinguished service professor (Collins Fellow) in the School of Social Welfare. She also served as a guide and mentor to the RUACH Student Group and served on the Chapel House Board. She passed away at age 64, after a difficult illness, on June 3rd, 2004. As she was close with several students (now alumni) active at Shabbos House, we thought it appropriate to post here.
  updated 6/13/04
Busy Day in Jewish Albany

6/13/04

 Not that these events are University related, but June 13th happens to be a such a busy day in the Albany Jewish community ('tis not often that SO much is going on at once). The Ehrich family is celebrating their son Caleb's upshernish (a big event for our Moshe to attend), and the Bat-Mitzvah Club of Troy is having a concert and festivity (Raizy baked and decorated some cakes for that event), Yakov Morgenbesser (from a dedicated Albany family and) alumnus of the Maimonides School is getting married in Brooklyn, Saratoga Chabad is hosting Comedian Richard Morris in the evening, and its also the night of Jewish Family Services 150th anniversary dinner. Did we miss anything? Well, I (Mendel) will be in bed throughout, try to clear up my knee infection (see below).
Laid-Up All this past week Mendel was laid up in bed with a nasty knee inflammation/infection. Thanks to Raizy for managing it all on her own, and for helping get through it. It's on the mend, and we hope to be up and running again this coming week.
  (finally..) updated 6/8/04...
No ILTSP for us this summer.. After 7 summers of teaching (6 weeks) at the ILTSP program near Ellenville in the Catskills Mountains, we will not be returning there this summer. Instead, we'll be home in Shabbos House, making cozy Friday Nights and occasional BBQ's, spending quality time with the kids, and catching up on tons of work needed to keep Shabbos House running. Now and then, we hope to do fun things as a family, make up for the hectic times during the academic calendar when the kids sometimes get short-changed, and go on day-trips to interesting places.

There's also the Building Campaign Fund, while 2/3 there, has much work to be done, zoning (and other kinds of) meetings and new building planning, updating databases, filing paperwork, keeping in touch with alumni (we miss so many more friends each year!), arranging reunions, printing and mailing the new Cookbook, sending out a summer edition of "What's Cooking at Shabbos House", preparing for the New Year, and much more. Be in touch!
Shabbat Back, Summer Style

 

 Now that we're going to be home at Shabbos House for many of the summer weekends, we welcome students or alumni who are up in Albany to join us for cozy, mini- Friday Nights. No Minyan, but good food and atmosphere. Our first such summer Shabbat snowballed, and we ended up with about 18 people. 3 alumni, a local student who attended American University in DC brought along his friend who writes for the Times Union, Tina and Laura Collitin, 3 of the Maimonides High Boys (walked up for the night), plus our family and some others. The conversation was all about politics since Bethanie Lesser works for Chuck Schumer, Brian Levine works at the NYS Assembly, Matt Conti studied in Washington DC, and the Times Union writer follows all this stuff... but we all had a good time.
Shavuos Trip to Michigan Raizy's sister Esty Greenberg and her husband Rabbi Schneor run the Chabad House in Walled Lake -  Commerce Township in Michigan, about 30 minutes north-west of Detroit. They just bought a beautiful new home, and being that college was out at UAlbany, we made our biggest road-trip adventure yet all the way out to Michigan. On the way there we broke up the trip in Buffalo NY (where we have cousins) and on the way back to Albany we spent a few hours in scenic Niagara Falls (Canadian side). We spent the holiday of Shavuos together, and had a marvelous time. Our kids are, more or less, the same ages, and a good time was had by all. Thanks to the Greenbergs for hosting us!
Our Getaway to Florida

5/18-20

 Last year we won 2 free tickets anywhere Southwest flies in the Maimonides Raffle-Auction Fundraiser. These tickets expire on June 1st, so we needed to take advantage of them soon after UAlbany's graduation. Lucky for us, the Rubin SRs offered to watch all our kids so we could have a little getaway. Needless to say, we had a splendid time. We stayed in Orlando (got a great deal on Hotwire for car-rental/hotel), spent one full day at Epcot (loved it), drove to some beaches on the east coast and visited the Kennedy Space Center, and slept in on the third day, went out to eat (there is Kosher in Orlando) shopped a little for souvenirs and went to some small attractions. It was a full 3 days/2 nights, and we have hundreds of (digital!) pictures to prove it...
What a semester!!

Sorry for the long update delay...

 The last month of the Spring '04 semester was so hectic, with many events back to back, and so much going on, that we neglected to update the website all that time. Many called and e-mailed, and we appreciate everyone's interest and feedback. We hope to have the website updated and current, when we get back from our two week long trip after graduation. In the future, we hope never to neglect the website for so long!
Graduation Day BBQ

5/16

 Following the Main Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony on the South Lawn of the New Science Library, a big Graduation Day BBQ was held at Shabbos House, running all afternoon to accommodate various departmental graduations and packing up dorm rooms.

Graduates and familes kept coming and going all afternoon, and it was a special time for last best wishes and goodbyes.. though we hope to always keep in touch!
Graduation Weekend

5/14-15

 Thanks to the families and friends who joined us on Shabbat of Graduation Weekend. It is a special time to meet and celebrate with the families of the students with whom we have grown so close. While most came by for the Sunday BBQ, several families joined us on Friday Night and also for Shabbos Day Lunch.
The Grad Party Class of 2004

5/9

 The Class of 2004 was our largest involved class yet, and we will miss all these students who have so greatly contributed to Shabbos House and Jewish Life at UAlbany.

The annual Grad Party (for the Class of 2004) has become an important tradition at UAlbany, eagerly anticipated and many graduates and students participated.

Finals Week Friday Night 5/7 Special guests for this full-house Friday Night were Mr. & Mrs. Morris and Esther Massry, noted community philanthropists. This family is very supportive of Shabbos House and we were pleased to welcome them and allow them to experience first-hand a Friday Night at Shabbos House. Another guest was Mr. Larry Aronowitz, who is our contact at D. Brickman Produce Inc. Before coming here, he always wondered what a little house could do with so much fruit and vegetables delivered each week.
Learning Night with Rabbi Trugman

5/4

 Rabbi Avraham Aryeh Trugman started off living close to the land in Oregon and hanging out at Berkley in the 60's. He met up with Chabad in San Francisco, and then became a close disciple of R' Shlomo Carlebach. Together they founded a rural village in Israel called Moshav Modi'in, otherwise known as "The Moshav." Today, he teaches Torah at various universities in Israel, and is close with Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh, a prolific author of mystical works. Rabbi Trugman's topic at Shabbos House, sponsored by TAGAR, was "The Holiness of the Land". He explored the issue from various angles and dimensions as well as from his own personal experience.
Hillel's Liebschutz Leadership Awards

5/2

 A new annual year-end leadership awards ceremony was established to honor (and surprise) and bid farewell to David Liebschutz, on his taking leave of UAlbany Hillel. At a special ceremony in Campus Center 375, with lay leaders and community present, each Jewish student group was honored and noted. Then presentations were made to David, thanking him for his leadership and all the good he has done for the University at Albany Jewish Community. An ornate wooden charity box was presented to him by the students (and Hillel Staff) and Rabbi Mendel and Raizy presented a framed photo-collage with an tribute based on Ethics of Our Fathers.

> Pictured on right are the student leaders of the Jewish groups with David, Hillel Staff and Shabbos House folks.

Last Hillel Dinner - Spring '04 The last Hillel Dinner, with Hillel President Ben Lieb as MC, included the usual awards (best this, best that) along with several unusual ones (in pretty good taste), concluding with an award to outgoing Hillel Exec Director David Liebschutz for "Best Director". David said a few words in farewell, mostly about "creating community" and working towards that goal.
Return of PB Jam 5/28 Hillel's (SA) Social Action event makes many peanut-butter and jelly sandwiches for the homeless and needy during lunch-time at Campus Center. This year the popular event was done twice (hence "The Return" of the PB JAM).
Israel Fair on Campus Tagar (SA) and Hamagshimim sponsored a beautiful Israel Fair on Campus Center on Wed April 28th. Both Tagar and Hamag printed T-Shirts and distributed them free, there was Felafel, Pitas and Tehini, giveaways and Israeli flavor.

The Egged Bus was a fundraiser to help outfit Israeli buses on vulnerable routes with better additional security options, which are not covered by the operating budget of Egged or Israel's security.

"Nachal Guest"
4/27		 Tagar (sa) hosted Colonel Zev of the IDF a former Nachal commander in Hebron (not the easiest place). Nachal is one of Israel's elite army units. He stopped by Shabbos House at the "Holy-Sites" Learning, and then gave his talk in Campus Center Assembly Hall. 
"Holy-Sites"
4/27		 "Holy Sites" was the topic of Tuesday Night (April 27th) Learning at Shabbos House, a virtual, illustrated tour of a selection of Israel's many Jewish holy sites. This is the first time we used a powerpoint presentation for a Learning Night. All the pictured helped highlight the experiences, and was a great springboard for discussion of the history and meaning of these holy places. (This learning night was sponsored by TAGAR in honor of Israel's Independence Day).

KAJ's Seniors Visit - a Shabbos House Catering
4/25-2

 Khal Adath Jeshurun (aka KAJ or the Breuers Kehillah) organizes seniors pleasure trips. Mrs. Molly Resnick (a former NBC producer who spoke for Tagar at UALBANY several years ago, is the wife of the late Dr. Larry Resnick, a prominent cardiologist who was the Rebbe's doctor) is the organizer of these trips. She asked Raizy (being that at this time Albany does not have a kosher restaurant) if she could prepare meals and lunches for these guests. It turned out to be a win-win situation. The guests got fabulous meals they kept raving about, and the catering income was helpful to Shabbos House to keep paying the bills and make programs and events possible. Thank You!
Sam (Physics Major) with KAJ President, Physics Professor at CUNY College.
Revi talking with one of the guests, they were  interested in Shabbos House and college life.
AEPi Chartering
4/24		 After several years since the Alpha Nu chapter of AEPi was refounded at UAlbany, it has grown to become an important Jewish and Greek presence on campus, the nationals reinstated its AEPI charter at a gala event at the Quality Inn in Albany. Over 100 current and former fraternity brothers, family and friends were present.
Rubin's SRs visit 4/23 Friday Night was co-sponsored by TAGAR as a pre-Yom Haatzmaut Shabbat. Rabbi Israel and Rochel Rubin (parents of Rabbi Mendel, regional directors of Capital Chabad, and founders of Shabbos House in 1975) visited for Shabbos. Rabbi Rubin's "K-Raizy" (see "Time Out for Torah" on this Shabbos) joke lingered on for quite a while afterward.
  updated 4/21/04
Memory Learning As one of our final learning nights of the year, we did a learning on "Jewish Memory"... next week's learning to be on Holy Sites in the Holy Land, and the following week will be a guest speaker from Israel, both courtesy of Tagar (sa funded).
Holocaust Remembrance As in past years a 24-hour vigil was held at the Campus Center Podium - reading the names of the victims all night and all day long. Prior to the vigil CHARGE! brought Mrs. Lobel, a daughter of a survivor who shared her mother's story, and following the vigil TAGAR sponsored Dr. Barry Trachtenberg of the Judaic Studies Department to talk about Moral Responsibility after the Holocaust.

We have some interesting pictures of the vigil at 1am on Sunday Night, hope to be able to post those soon.

  updated 4/17/04
e-mail problem Please note that we are currently having a little e-mail problem (our shabbos@albany.net account has some service issues) - while some e-mails come through, others get bounced back. For the meantime (until this is resolved) you can also e-mail our alternate e-mail at shabboshouse@hotmail.com).
Mushkie's Birthday / Shabbos Day We had a great on-time Minyan and a wonderful lunch following. It was gorgeous out (finally..) and some students took the kids on a long walk to Indian Lake, a Softball game and to the (soon-to-be turned on) Fountain on the Podium. Now that Shabbos afternoons are long, we started the "3rd Meal" tradition again - with a round-table discussion of the first chapter of Ethics of Our Fathers.

A Highlight of this Shabbos Lunch was Mushkie's 7th Birthday party! She stood up proudly by lunch and said a little Dvar Torah - a list of 7 Jewish things that have to do with 7 (her idea!)... and then we had a cake made by Raizy in the shape of a 7. Happy Birthday Mushkie!
Tagar's Dr Beck / Hillel Dinner The Hillel Dinner on Friday Night (4/16) had a very nice turnout including a contingent from SUNY Oneonta. Dr. Ed Beck from "Scholars for Peace" spoke at (and following) the Dinner, sponsored by TAGAR. He also joined for Saturday morning Prayers and spoke during the Shabbos Lunch at Shabbos House.
Cookbook Project Thanks to Adam Kofinas (incoming Hillel President and Spring '04 Intern at Shabbos House) for putting in hours of work (organizing and typesetting) and for his initiative and focus in getting this project done before the semester is out. Stay tuned for updates, as of now the plan is to have the cookbook printed by mid-May. If you have input or ideas, please contact us (518-438-4227 / shabbos@albany.net or for the meantime: shabboshouse@hotmail.com ASAP.
  updated 4/14/04
MHDS Raffle Our children's school (and where Rabbi Mendel teaches AMs) is having their 2nd annual Raffle-Auction fundraiser. All prizes were donated by companies and stores so your donation goes directly to support Jewish education, and while you do a Mitzvah, you have a chance to win some prize packages too! See www.maimonidesschool.org for complete details, including a downloadable Raffle-Booklet (and Order Form) in PDF format.
Looking forward to the Grad Party

Got Pictures?

 The Grad Party, held each year at Shabbos House on the Sunday of Spring Finals week, is special event to honor and bid farewell to the seniors (soon to be graduates) who have made a difference in our Jewish community at UAlbany. This year's class was an especially involved and dedicated group and we will greatly miss them.

As in past years, a picture-memories presentation is being prepared, all seniors who would like their pictures included please get them over to Shabbos House sometimes this week or next. While we do have a good number of photos from "Shabbos House Archives" we can not take pictures on Shabbos and Holidays, so we'd appreciate some extras to be sure we can include as many seniors as possible.

Internships Most slots are filled for the Fall '04 Internships at Shabbos House via UAlbany's CPSP Program. For more info contact us at Shabbos House.
7th & 8th of Passover... Originally there was some question if we would provide Passover holiday meals on Passover this year, since UAlbany resumed classes on the 7th day of Passover and many said they would remain at home for the holiday.

We're so glad we did. It turned out to be a beautiful holiday, with many students participating and enjoying the home-cooked Passover food and atmosphere. With Kosher Dining closed, there was simply no alternative for Passover-interested students. About 50 came on Sunday Night (including Dan Small's family, who it was a pleasure to meet), about 25 for Monday Lunch, 70 for Monday Night and 45 for Tuesday Lunch. The Lunches were open door, with students coming throughout the afternoon as their class schedule allowed.

Carport's down The Carport which was vital in the winter months to take the couches out making room for more tables and students at Shabbos House, was taken down during the non-holiday portion of Passover by Shmuly Rubin (assisted by Simmy Rubin) in one afternoon. We could not have managed on Friday Nights without it during the winter months. It took longer to put up by Oren Silvers and Crew, since it had to be cut to size and custom fit. At any rate, there's light coming through the deck doors, and we hope to enjoy the deck in good weather, and look forward to celebrating in our Sukkah out there.
Rubin Family Passover Stuff While we did not head to Brooklyn for the Seders as in past years, we had a most enjoyable Seder with Mendel's side of the family, all gathered in Saratoga Springs NY. The kids were well prepared with their colorful Haggadahs and Seder centerpieces, and even little Sara learned to sing Dayenu! They were wide awake for the first, but drifted off for much of the second Seder.

During the non-holiday Passover days, we tried to give the kids a good time. The highlight was our trip to the Utica Zoo (1 1/2 hours west of Albany) where the kids had a marvelous time. We also went to North Bethlehem Park (just 3 minutes drive) where they had a good time as well.

Readying SH for Pesach Thanks to the students who pitched in and helped us clean and ready Shabbos House for Passover. Though a small house, there are so many nooks and crannies for little fingers to hide cheerios and other goodies. It was also a pleasure to see the bookshelves orderly and tidy and free of extraneous content.
Hillel's Semi-Formal Once again Hilllel's Semi-Formal was held at the luxurious Crowne Plaza Hotel in downtown Albany (near the NYS Capitol). All in attendance had a great time, and a bonus for this year was Hillel's t-shirt "I got Chai... at Albany Hillel".
Ethiopian Aliyah Tagar hosted R' Ran Reshef and Ms. Mawai for a presentation on "Aliyah to Israel". Mawai's personal story was especially riveting and inspirational as she described her dangerous journey from Ethiopia to Israel.
Moshe's 4th Birthday! In honor of Moshe's 4th birthday (Tues 4/16) we prepared a special learning night based on the #4 in Judaism. We found 40+ "4's" and listed them for quick review and discussion. It was a fun way to learn about a broad range of Jewish issues and it made Moshe feel very special for being 4.
Next year's L'chaim! Board L'chaim's Board for '04-'05 is Jason Kersch, Michele Adler, Dan Eisen, Michele Ginsberg, Justin Hirsch, Wendy Miller and Dan Small. This board is far larger than in previous years, but as Shabbos House and L'chaim activities and turnouts have grown - there's a lot more to do!
  updated 3/29/04
New Boards Jewish Groups on Campus are forming new boards - Hillel will be having their elections tomorrow night. L'chaim Board has a great new time in place, and we had a meeting at Shabbos House tonight. Koach and Ruach boards are also in plance. While this year's senior class' graduation leaves many openings in student leadership, it is also a great opportunity for younger faces to step up to the plate and take an active role in the leadership of Jewish Student Life at UAlbany.
Yishai and Rachel's Engagement Party One reason we were unable to attend the important on-campus events on March 28th (see below for Midnight Minyan concert and Dr Mitchell Bard) is that we were out-of-town at the engagement party of Yishai Cohen and Rachel Copp in East Brunswick NJ.

It was a beautiful Simcha, and an exciting time to meet Rachel's parents and Yishai's extended family. May we share many Simchas and joyous occasions.

Midnight Minyan and Mitchell Bard Us Rubins were away for the busy Sunday on-campus, with two big events: (1) Hillel's fundraising Jewish Jazz music concert at Page Hall and (2) noted author Dr. Mitchell Bard spoke on behalf of Hamagshimim on the Arab-Israeli conflict, of which he's written a book titled "Myths and Facts". We're sorry to have missed both these events, but we had to be out-of-town for several reasons.
Simchas, Simchas! On Sunday 3/28 we traveled down to East Brunswick to celebrate the engagement party (open house) of Yishai Cohen and Rachel Copp (at Yishai's home). This coming week we look forward to traveling south again, this time to celebrate the Brit of the newborn son born to Josh and Faith Fisch. May we always share only Simchas!
  updated 3/12/04
A taste of Shabbos at Multi-Cultural Night On Multicultural Night "around the world" sponsored by the Student Association in the Campus Center Ballroom, we were the 2nd presenters titled "Sabbath".

Introduced by Harriet Roffe, President of L'chaim, the Shabbos is one of the unifying cultural (and religious) observances of all Jews. She also mentioned the Holiday Packets distributed on the Quads by L'chaim, and people seemed to recognize that.

We spread a white tablecloth over a little table, Raizy lit the candles with Mushkie and Chanie and Mendel made a Kiddush over a up of grape juice. When Moshe drank his Kiddush following the blessing, there was this collective "ahww" from the whole crowd. (Of course, being Thursday, we did not do the actual Candles or Kiddush blessing).

The Ballroom was packed with students and dark, with lights only up on stage, and it was quite an experience to share this little taste of Shabbat with so diverse a crowd.

We concluded by saying: "Shabbat Shalom. Shalom means Hello, it means Peace, it means Complete, and it also means Goodbye." And then we waved and went off stage.

  updated 3/8/04
PURIM 5764! What a great long Purim Weekend! Click here for several PURIM pages on the many exciting and memorable celebrating Purim at UAlbany!
"Wings Over Purim" To celebrate Purim festively, Raizy prepared 5 recipes of "finger lickin' good" Wings, along with other specialties. Everyone enjoyed "Wings Over Purim" and some stayed on afterwards to sings songs and say some L'chaim as is appropriate on Purim. Check out our Purim Day Pictures...
Masquerade See the Masquerade Page for pictures of the many costumes this Purim. Thanks to everyone who made this Purim so especially enjoyable and memorable.
New This Purim In addition to the traditional Megillah Reading each year (that Purim falls during the SUNY academic calendar) we added a few new exciting items to the mix this year. During the Megillah Reading, an accompanying illustrated slideshow had captioned pictures of the Purim Story following the storyline as it was read. While the illustrations came from our children's books, it was quite entertaining and helpful to follow along. Following Megillah and the much anticipated Costume Contest, we played our first game ever of "Who Wants to be a Mitzvanaire" on a full screen projection. Ben Lieb was our Regis, and we had a total of six contestants and all had a good time, not to mention a great learning experience. We also played the "Bowl Race" which used to be play on Sukkot, but is much more appropriate for Purim, anyways. The Campus Center Assembly Hall was filled for Megillah Reading, and quite a few stayed on (not all, of course, it was a Sat Night) for the games following.
Purim Night The Megilah Reading and Masquerade and Game Night (see above..) was held on Sat (Purim) Night in the Campus Center Assembly Hall. See the Purim Pages for more details and pictures...
Guests The Galperins (Raizy's family) joined us for Purim, as well as Rabbi Yossi (Mendel's brother) and Leyee Rubin. Several downstate college students (Queens and Brooklyn Colleges) came over for one or two of the weekend events, as they were visiting Albany (and UAlbany) for the NYPIRG Convention.
Persian Wine Shabbat Now a tradition for several years at Shabbos House, Persian students help prepare a festive Shabbat meal with Persian flavor on the Shabbat near Purim (as Purim happened in Persia, 2,300 years ago). Desiree Rastegar was a huge help, and came by several days during the week to prepare Okra, Gondi, Tadik and other specialties. We also serve a nice variety of wines on this Friday Night, and students enjoyed (and created) the festive joyous atmosphere.
Hillel BBQ at Yishai's The Fast of Esther is usually the day before Purim, but this year fell on Thursday. Students planned a BBQ Break-fast at Yishai's House, (Shabbos House II) at 320 Fuller Rd (Hopefully soon to be the site of the future, bigger and better Shabbos House). A really nice turnout came out, and everyone had a great time.
Purim Packets in Quads Thanks to all the students who came by on Tuesday Night (after the Purim Learning) and the next night following Hamantasch Baking, and helped pack the 2000 or so Purim Holiday packets we distributed in all the Quad Dining Halls.. This year we did: Indian, State, Colonial, Dutch, Empire, Dreidels (in CC) and Alumni Quad downtown. Recent update is that in the 4 major uptown quads, not a single packet remained (aside for a solitary one on Colonial).. Students enjoy them!
Pre-Purim Learning Night In the spirit of the upcoming Purim holiday we studied selections from the Talmud Megillah with Insight into the already fascinating story of Esther. This learning night was especially well attended, and also included the Zeitlin Family, up visiting with Jessica, who may attend Albany this coming Fall.
  updated 3/1/04
Hillel's Snow Tubing Trip Dan Mandelkorn put up the pictures of Hillel's Snow-Tubing Trip at Jiminy Peak (MA) on the Hillel website. Check out www.ualbanyhillel.org. For a while we (the Rubin family) thought about joining in, but there was too much to do on this Sunday before Purim, and as the hills were steep and fast, it is probably better we took the kids shopping and shlepping on errands instead. But all students who went enjoyed themselves. The day was one of the warmest yet this winter, but there was still plenty of snow around.
Carlebach Sat Night -

a taste of Bat-Ayin

 Now this was a unique experience at Shabbos House. JERNY (a Kollel organization in Albany) hosted Rabbi Natan Greenberg of the Bat-Ayin Yeshiva in Israel, along with a whole group of his students and friends from NY and all over. They asked us if Shabbos House would host the Sat Night event open to students and community. So we did. Thanks to the students and MHDS High School boys who helped make the transition after Shabbos.. The singing, spirit and music lasted all night, with the last strums of a guitar at a little before 2am... Pictures and details to be posted soon!
The Huge Minyan Lest anyone feel unnecessary or superfluous at a Sat Morning Minyan, please note that the overflow crowd on Parshas Teruma were mostly guests. But the Minyan ran smooth and timely, and we had to open the big door at Chapel House for the first time in a while, and the Ezrat Nashim was maxed out. It was also the first in several weeks that many Minyan regulars were all in town.

Guests included 5 students from Brandeis University in Albany for an inter-collegiate acapella competition. A few brought warm regards from Rabbi and Mrs. Peretz Chein who run the Chabad at Brandeis. We also hosted 3 students from the Albany Mesivta /  MHDS High, Foly Chudaitov, Tzvi Shuchat and Meir Simon. And Jason Kersch had some friends visiting from Queens and Stern Colleges.

  updated 2/25/04
easy help for MHDS If you have an AdvantEdge Card and shop at Price Chopper you can help us out! As the TNT (Torah and Technology) teacher at the Maimonides School (where the Rubin kids study), it would greatly benefit my class if we would win the state-of-the-art computer awarded from Price Chopper to the school in our district with the highest points in the Tools for Schools Program. Our school, Maimonides, was ranked highest at 100% for several months and now slipped down into 99% for the last month of this contest. It ends mid-March.  You may be able to help us get over the top and win the computer awarded for the highest school ranked at 100%.

It is simple! Click here to register your Price Chopper AdvantEdge Card to our school. Our code is 15962.
(or you can sign up at any Customer Service desk and avoid e-mail sign-up) Then, if you use that card each time you shop at Price Chopper points automatically add up for our school. Each dollar purchase is 1 point. It makes a huge difference and requires no further effort. Thanks a lot!
  updated 2/24/04
Purim Edition of Holiday Guide Newspaper The Purim 5764/2004 edition of "The Holiday Guide" Newspaper is now available for your reading pleasure; filled with holiday information, Jewish human interest stories, & inspiring materials. The cover story features "Planet Purim" with a twist on the NASA Mars Rover.

You can get these papers at Shabbos House, and soon at Kosher Dutch Dining. Some will also be available with the Purim Packets to be distributed in all Quad Dining Halls on Thurs and Friday March 4th and 5th. Of course they will also be available at all Purim events.

Look on page 3 for the Shabbos House promotional piece.
Rabbi Zeff's DREAM Class Rabbi Joel Zeff of Yeshiva Darkei Noam in Jerusalem gave (our weekly Tuesday Night) class titled: "Dreams, Jewish Interpretations". It was a fascinating collection of Talmudic sources on this unusual topic. By the way, the Tam-Tam, Mushroom (and whatever else Salad) was pretty fantastic as well. Thanks to TAGAR for co-sponsoring this event.
  updated 2/23/04
Bar-Mitzvah On Rosh Chodesh Adar, 5764 / February 22nd, 2004, Sasha Timofayev celebrated his Bar-Mitzvah at Shabbos House, as part of a (deluxe) Minyan Bagel Brunch.

It was an exciting and unusual celebration for Shabbos House, and the UAlbany students who attended are likely to remember this event for a long time to come. Thanks to all who participated in making this such a special and memorable event. Click here for pictures and details...
Alumni Guests and Simchas! It was exciting to spend Shabbos with alumni Josh ('00) and Faith (Zuckerberg) ('99) Fisch now of Brooklyn, Nadine Kochavi ('00) (former L'chaim President) of the Upper West Side in Manhattan, Kalman Pivovoz ('00) of Brooklyn, and Josh Markoff, now in Newburgh NY.

Mazal Tov to Fred and Stacey (Wolinetz) Lotwin ('01) on the birth of a baby daughter "Rachel Chaya" on 2/21/04. May we share many Simchas!
Shabbos Day/Lunch What a Minyan! Thanks to everyone who made the effort despite the icy/rainy weather. We had six tables for Shabbos Lunch, not bad for what used to be called "The Best Kept Secret at UAlbany". Courtesy of Prof. Herman Salomon (in honor of his recovery) we had "Flanken in the Chulent" which was good to the last drop.
Friday Night Visiting alumni, everyone finding a seat inside, and the large contingent of AEPi brothers and pledges made the  atmosphere was really nice on Friday Night.
  updated 2/18/04
Aviva is engaged! Mazal Tov! to Aviva Zucker (Jewish Student Life Coordinator for Hillel at UAlbany) on her engagement to Ryan Snyder. They were engaged over President's / Valentine's Weekend while away in Montpelier Vermont.
  updated 2/16/04
Presidents Weekend Shabbos With most students away for the extended weekend vacation, a few students planned an informal Shabbos Dinner in one of the dorms (Empire Commons) but as it turned out more students were staying than originally thought - so it was arranged at Shabbos House. With Raizy away for the weekend, students came by earlier in the week and she helped them with menus and with some of the dishes. Quite a few students pitched in and helped out, Jason Kersch, Farrah Fidler and Ben Lieb did a lot of the planning, shopping and cooking. Thanks to everyone who made a variety of salads and dishes, arranged cold-cuts and dessert platters, helped with the kids, set-up and clean-up: Teri Goldstein, Ally Newman, Adam Kofinas, Corrie Borgner, Melissa Morse, (The Kurlanstiks were a huge help..) and many others.. About 30-40 came over on Friday Night with a little over 20 on Shabbos Day.

Special Guests for the Weekend were: Dr. & Mrs. Robert and Vera Kurlantzik (Shoshana's parents) with their children Avi and Aviva (is between Mushkie and Chanie's ages, so she was a good playmate) of Maryland.. Alumni Mike Kashani, Arie Lipnick and Ben Kallos were up for the weekend, and it was good to celebrate again together with them.

Believe it or not, we had a good (on-time!) minyan - thanks to the guests and to the students who pitched in being that few were around. It was held at Shabbos House, and we ended ahead of time.

  updated 2/11/04
1st time apart.. It's been an annual tradition that the Rubin family goes down to Brooklyn for Raizy's convention (Chabad Shluchos Women from around the world). Due to certain circumstances we're unable to do that this year, and Raizy will be going down to NY while the rest of us stays up here this President's Weekend. We now realize that this is the first time in our marriage (to be 8 years, G-d willing, in May) that we ever spent a night apart.
Mushkie  finalist in Brachah Bee We're very proud of Mushkie who was a finalist at the annual Bracha Bee held at Maimonides Hebrew Day School in Albany. She held her own - even against contestants older in age. Only a tough trick question got her out in one of the final rounds. Special thanks to those students who patiently tested her during the week leading up to the competition.
Tu Bishvat Celebration at NYS Assembly Capital Chabad and the Maimonides School host an annual celebration at the NYS Assembly for Tu B'Shvat, Jewish New Year for Trees.

Raizy made the fruit and nut platters, and being that Harriet Roffe is an intern for Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, she attended the event as well. Good thing she did, because we almost got lost in the labyrinth of hallways and staircases with all the food. Raizy and Harriet are pictured at right with Speaker Silver.

We also met Brian Levine ('03) in the Assembly Chamber. He was actually elsewhere in the building, but came running over to see us when he heard our names being announced in the Assembly session.

 

  updated 2/9/04
Sunday - Federation and Ice Sunday morning Mendel and Raizy did the morning shift at the Jewish Federation's "Solidarity Sunday" Phone-a-thon, and the Hillel Staff went in the afternoon. Some students joined in the morning shift as well. While Shabbos House is not directly funded by Federation (we receive about $2,000 annually via UAlbany Hillel) it is important to support the community needs - locally and abroad. The Maimonides School which our children attend also receives some funds from the Federation and UAlbany Hillel (professional staff) is significantly funded by Federation allocation.

Sunday afternoon was Hillel's Ice-Skating Trip to Delmar's B.I.G. Arena. Haven't heard yet back of how it went, but no doubt all had a great time on the professional rink (practice rink for the Albany River Rats and others).

Shabbat Day TU B'SHVAT With some regulars away, we were concerned about the Minyan - but BH (thank G-d!) we had a beautiful minyan. Alan visiting from Montreal joined us. Jason Lavi read an aliyah in honor of it being his bar-mitzvah portion, Prof Herman read the Haftorah, and we were even able to squeeze Mincha in before Lunch.
Friday Night TU BISHVAT

2/6/04

Tu B'Shvat, Jewish New Year for Trees, fell this year on Shabbat so with sponsorship for Tagar (this week promoting planting trees in Israel) we prepared a festive fruit-themed dinner.

Each table's centerpiece was a "vase of flowers" seen on left. The flowers were all edible, being made of dried fruit or fruit leather. As was the soil, (artificially) fruit-flavored jelly beans.

The dinner menu followed suit, with dishes on a fruity theme. Some were confusing however, since it included a delicious mushroom-barley soup (being that barley is one of the "7 Kinds" which Israel is praised for in the Torah).

  Friday Night's turnout was smaller than usual (some regulars were away, there was also a Shabbaton at SUNY Oswego, and it was a busy night of Rush Week at Albany for Fraternities and Sororities) but we enjoyed the cozy atmosphere just the same. (We were pleased to enjoy a fine AEPi turnout despite the hectic Rush Week...) Special guests included the Brecher Family (parents of Stacey), Emily Rubenshtayn and Olga and Sasha Timofayev, and Raizy's sister Elkie with her husband Moshe Wolf. We also welcomed back Chaim Spilman who is soon off for a tour of duty in Qatar or Iraq. Following the meal - we enjoyed platters of fresh and dried fruits and some singing and hanging out together.
  updated 2/3/04
Mazal Tov Yishai & Rachel!! Just after the second session of the Learning Night (Tues 2/3/04) ended, Yishai Cohen and Rachel Copp walked in (in midst of the ongoing snowstorm) with the exciting news of their engagement!

We had a mini-celebration with the few students remaining (and enjoyed nibbling the freshly baked fruit tarts intended for Shabbos desserts), and a little while later a few students trekked back in the snowstorm for L'chaim's and congratulations.

May we celebrate many Simchas!

>> The picture of Yishai and Rachel on right was taken this past summer during their semester in Israel, in Moshav Modin, aka The Carlebach Moshav.

Learning Night

2/3/04

 Despite a snowstorm, coming down heavy at times, quite a number of students came out for a Learning Night titled: "Pomegranates in Torah, Talmud and Today". While learning, we enjoyed Baked Ziti, Spinach and Broccoli soup.. and of course, some Pomegranates.
  updated 2/1/04
Jamming Night

1/31/04

 As of now, only one Jamming Night was planned for the Spring semester, and though it took a while to warm up into it, it turned out to be one of our best ever. Quite a few musicians participated bringing lots of musical variety.

Welcome back to alumnus Gabe Duci who brought the Jamming Night to a whole new level when he got up here from New Paltz, and a welcome to transfer students Aaron Goldberg (from Cleveland State) who played drums and Mike Katzberg (from Rockland) who played guitar.

For more on the Jamming Night and for Pictures....

Shabbat Day Though it took some time to get a Minyan (Thank You Jason Lavi!) we managed to get back to Shabbos House and eat Chulent before 2pm, so we would be able to eat dairy Pizza at the Jamming Night scheduled for 8pm. For Dvar Torahs said at Lunch see the Time Out for Torah page (and scroll to appropriate spot). We were even able to get in a Mincha, and as it is when Shabbos is short in the winter, many students stayed on and talked and relaxed until Havdalah.
We will miss you David! During Friday Night dinner (1st Hillel Dinner of the Spring Semester, held in the Assembly Hall) Dr. David Liebschutz, Executive Director of University at Albany Hillel announced that he would not be returning to Hillel in the Fall ('04). We will most certainly miss David and all that he brought to UAlbany Hillel and the greater UAlbany Jewish community (especially in regard to the unique relationship which Shabbos House (Chabad) and Hillel enjoy on this campus) during his 3 1/2 years here... We could go on, but enough of this for now. For the meantime we have one more semester with David and we all look forward to making the most of it.
  updated 1/28/04
Challah Baking Night Quite a few students came out in the cold and the snow to braid and bake Challahs and hang out together. Click here for pictures and tidbits. Be sure to come over on Shabbos Day Lunch to enjoy some of these Challahs (flash-frozen fresh) in regular, whole-wheat and several creative twists of both home-made flavors.

One more Challah Baking Night is planned for this semester (stay tuned for a date) and those Challahs will be distributed in the "Challah with Love" program. Also look for the Hamantasch Baking and Purim Packing Night scheduled for WED March 3rd. Our Schedule page is updated frequently, look there for more info.

  updated 1/27/04
Learning Night with Dairy Dinner: "Struggle is Significant"
  Pictured above is the first group (5:30) for the Learning Night with Dairy Dinner titled: "Struggle is Significant" - a study based on selections from Tanya, chapters 15, 27 & 30. The many comments and questions enlivened the study (especially following the 2nd group at 7:00pm) making it all the more relevant and interesting. Below left - Yishai Cohen and Andrew Genger animatedly discuss the issues. Raizy made Lasagna, salad and a Potato soup. Farrah Fidler came over and made puffy and crispy Pop-Overs, which everyone enjoyed.
 


Farrah (making Pop-Overs) holds Sara.
Harriet holds Sara as she helps with mailing the "What's Cooking"
"What's Cooking" UPDATE Towards the end of Winter Break we published a Winter 5764 / '03-'04 Update to be mailed to Parents & Alumni, friends and supporters. We put them out on the tables on Friday Night. The new name of the update is: "What's Cooking? at Shabbos House". For a PDF version viewable "What's Cooking?" Update online - click here.
Beautiful 1st Shabbos Back It is great to see everyone again. 1st Friday Night of the Spring '04 semester was a packed house at Shabbos House, everyone catching up with each other. Thanks to all participated in making the atmosphere so special. Though crowded, it was cozy, and there was a seat for everyone. Welcome back to Marissa Frankel who is back in Albany after a year away, and welcome back to Yishai Cohen and Rachel Kopp who spent a semester in Israel.

Thanks to Adam Kofinas, Craig Brimmer and Saul Maslansky for shlepping out the couches and setting the tables before Shabbos. And thanks to the Clean-Up crew whose teamwork made it all run smooth and quick.

On Shabbat morning the Minyan went well, with Yishai, Ben and Brad pitching in for Torah Reading, and a host of guys sharing Gabbai duties. Lunch was really nice, with a nice turnout, and people hanging out long after the meal, with quite a few still at Shabbos House for Havdalah. The conversations were great, all had a good time.

  12/29/03
Bat-Mitzvah at SH! An area family planned their Bar-Mitzvah at local synagogue, but at the last minute (a few days before) things did not work out as planned. So, it turned out that Raizy catered this Bat-Mitzvah at Shabbos House. And it turned out to be a beautiful affair. May we only celebrate Simchas!
So what have we been busy with? Though, no doubt, there's a great deal to do for Shabbos House over break - especially with the building fund and related activity - we had some extra work that kept us busy. This year marks 800 years since Moses Maimonides, the famous Jewish scholar and physician, who is also our school's namesake. To celebrate this important occasion, the Maimonides Hebrew Day School of the Capital District is having it's annual dinner on Jan 14th, the night of the yartzeit. Raizy is doing the catering for this big event, and Mendel does the Journal.

Also, we're working on a special video presentation "Maimonides 800 - An Albany Perspective" interviewing a spectrum of local personalities on their connections and reflections of the Rambam - Moses Maimonides. We're now done with the filming, but the editing seems to be quite a challenge, especially since we have not done it before.. Hey, you live and learn.
The Kids... Chanukah is a special time for kids, especially since we have more time at home with them this year. We had several Chanukah parties, family and communal in town that we went to, and enjoyed a "Chanukah Legoland" event in Troy NY on Dec 25th - when the whole town shuts down.

We've been taking out books from the library and spending some time reading.. Now Mushkie can read "The Fire Cat" (anyone remembers 'Pickles the Cat'?) all by herself!
Cozy Post-Finals Shabbat We decided to stay at Shabbos House for the Shabbat after finals, since some students said they would be around. It was cozy, indeed, with about 5 students on Friday Night, and another 4-5 for Shabbos Lunch. We also had the pleasure of having Erica Newman's folks for Lunch.
Pre-Chanuka Hot Latke Table.. Special thanks to the girls at Maimonides High for volunteering at the Pre-Chanukah Hot Latke Table. Wile Chanukah did not begin this year until finals were done, we felt it important to share the holiday spirit as a reminder and flavor a bit early, during the last day of classes. The usual nippy chill was out of the air, but many still stopped by to enjoy a mini-latke (with some applesauce) on their way to and from classes..
  updated 12/14/03
Snowstorm II Last Sunday (12/7/03) the snowstorm cancelled Hillel's Ice-Skating event at the BIG Arena in Delmar. This Sunday the white stuff is coming down again - big time!

As the storm began we went to the Israeli Marketplace held at Temple Israel - to support Israeli artisans and vendors. A few UAlbany students were there as well. We bought a Jerusalem hat, an Israeli camel (for Moshe) and some jewelry. The kids were amused to hear one of the Israeli vendors recite the same chapter of Tanya (a chassidic text) that our kids know by heart! This guy also sang a Chassidic melody which is appropriate for this day - the 19th of Kislev...

We planned to drive down to Monsey for a cousin's wedding, but decided (little choice) to stay home instead. Justin and Wendy  (who were going to stay with the kids while we were away) came over for dinner and played JR Monopoly with the kids.

The "Express Minyan" Shabbos morning Minyans have been on the tight-side lately, and some 'regulars' were going to be away - so we scheduled an "express" Minyan starting with Torah Reading at 11:15am followed by Musaf.

At 11:15 sharp we had our Minyan, with 16 fellows total. By 12:45 we were ready for Kiddush - after Torah Reading (thanks to Max Wein for good Gabbai-ing), Musaf (by Saul Zeitlin) and even Mincha (by Brad Legum with Torah Reading by Steve Kessler). Thanks to all who participated and made this holy experience at SUNY Albany possible!
Finals Weekend Friday Night Nice turnout for a finals weekend. Justin Hirsch's (dad's) oriental chicken recipe got rave reviews, and there was plenty of food and great atmosphere to go around. Rabbi Moshe Chaim Dubravsky is the new National Coordinator of Campus Chabad and visited Shabbos House with his family for the weekend.
  updated 12/7/03
Thank You SH Interns! In addition to the many students who volunteer on Shabbos and at other Shabbos House events, several students help a great deal as "Interns" for 2 or 3 credits a semester via the CPSP program. There are open slots for the Spring '04 semester. Interested? Give us a call (438-4227) or e-mail: shabbos@albany.net Thanks!
The Snowy Shabbos Friday Night was Hillel's last dinner of Fall 2003, and it was a nice turnout in Campus Center 375, with corned-beef brisket, veggie stuffed cabbage and other specialties. It was good to be back and see everyone again. (Us Rubins didn't stay for dinner, we spent the time with the kids at home.) The weather was cold, but no snow yet.

After midnight it began to fall, slowly at times, heavier at others, by Shabbos morning all of SUNY was white. A few students had a bug, others were afraid to venture out into the snow.. so we had no Minyan at Chapel House on Shabbos Morning. But we came back for a cozier lunch than usual, sang a number of Zemiros, and enjoyed delicious salads and cholent. By Lunch-time we made our Minyan, and were able to read Torah after Lunch and even have a Minyan for Mincha. The little Rubins had a blast outdoors (in full snow-gear) thanks to Shoshana and Honey.

Mike Landsman, our resident student weather forecaster, turned out to be right when he predicted 1 1/2 feet of snow. Shabbos morning wasn't that bad, but by the time Shabbos ended - the deep snow was here.

Sara's 1st Birthday Sara was born on Nov 13 2002, corresponding to Kislev 9, 5763. Our family prefers to celebrate the Jewish birthdate, so we celebrated her first birthday party on 12/3/03 together with a  Learning Night on "Jewish Birthdays" with Dairy Dinner. After learning several students went online to www.chabad.org/calendar to calculate their own Hebrew birthdays. In addition to the students who came over to celebrate (with birthday hats and all).
  updated 11/30/03 - sorry for the delay, and thanks for keeping at me to get this updated.
It's been a very hectic and busy semester - may it continue to grow in activity and student interest!
Thanksgiving Weekend How was your Thanksgiving?
Us Rubins were recuperating from a nasty stomach virus/flu - but recovered in time to celebrate a wonderful Shabbat with family up in Saratoga (where Mendel's brother Rabbi Abba & Rochie Rubin run Saratoga Chabad) together with family members who came in from all over. Always good to get back together with family.
Weekend Away @ Shluchim Convention
Many of the 1700+ participants in the International "Shluchim" (Chabad emissaries) Convention.		 Thanks to all who helped out with the Minyan and Shabbat Lunch while we were away for the weekend at the Shluchim (Chabad Rabbis who do the kinds of things we do here - all over the world) Conference in Brooklyn. Gadi Schultz (Hillel JCSC) ordered a fine lunch from Kosher Price Chopper, and a few stepped up to the plate and divided up the Torah reading.

<< Rabbi Mendel's somewhere in the photo on left, but there are too many of us, and the resolution here way too low for any hopes of finding him.

"Getting along" with Dr Laz...