Old News - 12/02 back to 9/01 - in the extended Shabbos House UAlbany family

	Old News - from Dec 2002 / Kislev 5763 scroll down all the way to Fall 2001 / Tishrei 5762 for current news click here
	last updated 12/9/02
Condolences	Condolences to Fred Lotwin ('01)on the untimely passing of his beloved grandmother - Thurs 12/5/02. May we only share joyous occasions.
Chanukah!	For Chanukah Pictures ETC - see our new Chanukah 2002 page.
Jamming Night!	Despite being the week just before finals, and lots of folks had papers to write etc.. we had quite a nice turnout at the post-chanukah jamming night and great music thanks to Jamie Harris, Joe Roza, Asher Berman, Lauren Kalkstein, Yishai Cohen, and Ben Truboff. We polished off 8 pies of pizza!
JWG's candles	On the 7th chilly night of Chanukah, the Jewish Women's Group had a candle-making and study event at Shabbos House. Raizy led the learning (if you'd like the packet on shabbat-candlelighting we have more available) and then everyone twisted and created their own colorful wax candles. Thanks to Aviva Zucker (Hillel Student Life Coordinator) and Jewish Women's Group Melissa Morse and Farrah Fidler for promoting the event.
	Between the new baby, and lots of Chanukah activity - we got behind in updating - stay tuned!!
	updated 11/13/02
Our newborn Baby Daughter	Kislev 9, 5763 / 11/13/02: We wanted to share the good news with everyone – Raizy had a gorgeous little baby girl tonight at 8:30pm. Mom and baby are both doing very well, thank G-d, and are at St Peters Hospital. Hopefully, if all goes well – G-d willing – they’ll be home for the weekend. We look forward to naming her tomorrow morning at the Torah Reading where I teach AMs. Next Friday Night after the meal we plan a special party in honor of this new bundle of joy! Thanks for your close friendship – sorry we could not call or contact everyone from the hospital (we only had one random page of numbers and some from memory).
...named Sarah		updated 11/14/02 She's called Sarah - for the mother of the Jewish people, for Raizy's great-grandmother, and because we liked the name. Mendel named her at a morning minyan where he teaches in the mornings. May we only share many joyous occasions!!
	updated 11/09/02
Thanks for the Help!	Teri, Abby and Honey set-up and prepared Shabbos Lunch while Raizy able to snatch some sleep. Lots of help in prepping this Shabbos: Jason Kersch made the Broccoli Quiches and Choco-Chip Cookies, Teri made the Soup and Salads, Honey made the (Honey-BBQ) Chicken and the Peanut Butter Bars, Ben Lieb made the cholents, and Abby helped with the kids and the salads.
Friday Night	95 of us enjoyed a wonderful Friday Night together. Special guests visiting for the weekend were a contingent of Persians from Great Neck, and Lauren's sister Rebecca (with her friends from home).
	Oh there's lots more to update - but it's been busy, hope to get to this stuff soon...
	updated 11/02/02
Squeaked by Minyan	Our Shabbos Day Minyan (11/01/02) was thanks to the US Army National Guard (for bringing Chaim Spilman back for the weekend) and the NYS Department for Child Care Services (who's Mr. Richard Levy was here for program testing - an uncle of Daniel Levy) as well as all those who turned out despite the many who were away for the weekend.
In the News	ASP, Times Union...


Ra'anan Gissin	A crowd of 400 people (including a huge community turnout) to hear Dr. Ra'anan Gissin speak in the Campus Center Ballroom. Security was very tight, only those who had pre-registered online were allowed admittance, all who entered were wanded, and the hall was filled with security. Dr, Gissin is Prime Minister Sharon's advisor and spokesman. His visit here was arranged by Caravan for Democracy together with UAlbany Hamagshimim, Hillel and Tagar.
	updated 10/20/02
Condolences	Our condolences to Farah Fidler on the passing of her grandmother, and to Matt Foreman on the passing of his grandfather. *May we only share joyous occasions!*
Parents Weekend	While quite a number of students went home this weekend, and others celebrated together with their families, it was a great pleasure to welcome the parents who celebrated with us and made Shabbos very special. Welcomes to the Kesslers (Steve's folks) the Gillmans (Sam's folks) the Berns (Dan's folks) the Galas (Dana's folks) the Einavs (Danielle's folks) the Cohens (Arial's folks) the Kalksteins (Lauren's folks) and others who came to celebrate at either Hillel's Friday Night dinner in the Ballroom, or for Shabbos Lunch or Jamming Night at Shabbos House.
Jamming Night	About 9 pies of Pizza were enjoyed by about 35 of us and some parents, while we enjoyed music and jammin by drummers Ben Lieb and Ben Kozberg; guitarists Asher Berman, Jared Treiber, Lauren and Dad Kalkstein; pianists (or keyboardists..) Jason Kersch (who also did quite a job with the harmonica) and Sara Failla (who played a couple of old Yiddish classics like 'Ofen Pripechik'). Most unique for the night was Steve Kessler who was blowing away at a long horn instrument he borrowed from Joe/Yossi Roza. Jared Rosenthal came later (after work) with two sets of bongos that went perfect with that great vibrating horn. Thanks to all the players, and to all those who came over. Honey made sure we printed out lyrics to the pianoman, and for next Jamming Night (mid-December, stay tuned..) we hope to have music and lyrics printed up, so that it will be better organized and more folks can participate. Jamming Pics will hopefully be posted by THURS come back here then..
More Sukkot Pics	Still catching up with the pictures of all the great events of Sukkot and Simchat Torah. Though we can not take pictures during the holiday itself, we'll soon post some photos of the tent, the Sukkah party etc.. Visit back in a day or two.
	updated 10/17/02
Little Torah Learning at Dutch	We had a nice Parsha learning at Dutch Kosher Dining as well as a dinner out for the Rubin Family.
Building Brochure Mailings	We got a huge mailing of Shabbos House building campaign brochures out to the Albany Jewish community. Thanks a lot to the students who helped pack (and then repack..) the envelopes and materials: Eric Himy, Jason Kersch, Harriet Rofe, Elana Kleinman and Revi Hay. We could not have done it without you! This was the second stage of our building brochure mailings, after the one to current students and recent alumni.
An easy Mitzvah!	Here’s a quick and easy Mitzvah! If you shop at Price Chopper you can link your Advantage Card to “Maimonides Hebrew Day School” where Mushkie and Chanie go, and every time you shop automatically points are earned to get cool equipment for their school. You can link your card at any customer service counter or online at www.pricechopper.com (at the customer service they ask for less info..) Thanks!
Know some who needs an APT?	A non-student regular at Shabbos House is moving down to Florida next month, and needs to sublet his very nice 2 bedroom apartment near Routes 155 and Route 20 (Western Ave). If you know anyone interested, give him a buzz.
	updated 10/05/02
CC Dinner	Hillel's First Friday Night Dinner took place in the Campus Center Ballroom, 10/4 after all 3 prayer services took place around the CC.
Minyan	Rabbi Mendel forgot to return the Chapel House Torah after Simchat Torah, so we ended up davening in Shabbos House SAT 9/5 and had a nice Minyan despite several guys being away for the weekend. Special about this Minyan was the Freshman percentage! Kudos to Steve Kessler (who showed up despite being under the weather), Max Wein (who served as Gabbai in place of Yishai who's in Toronto for the weekend), Dani Miller and Sam Gillman.
Boat Cruise	Hillel's Boat Cruise set sail on the Hudson... People have been looking forward to this big event. It has not been on campus for almost two years now! From what we hear, lots of people really enjoyed!
	updated 10/02/02
Simchat Torah, the BIG Party!	What a Party! Beyond expectations, close to 300 students (and alumni) came to celebrate!! More and more kept coming as the night went on, and by the 4th Hakafah dancing circuit the KEG was gone, as was the special Bar we set up for the occasion. (click here for what makes this night different from all other nights..) Special thanks to bartenders Jeremy Sousan and Ariel Cohen (both certified) as well as Yishai Cohen and Eric Himy. It was just warm and lively enough without anyone going overboard. The Hakafot energy kept increasing, in the house and out in the Sukkah. More news tidbits on Simchat Torah coming.. sorry no pics due to the holiday.. The Ata Horaysa Auction response was very generous - thank you for enabling Shabbos House to do these good works. Everyone present got a Tagar shotglass souvenir to take home.
Alumni Weekend	How special it is to celebrate with old friends! We're very thankful to all the alumni who returned to celebrate Simchat Torah weekend with us. You added so much to our atmosphere, and it was great having you back!
Friday Night in the TENT	For more on the TENT see T.O. for Torah (under "Isadore") or Ask Rabbi Mendel Page. In about a week we'll have a picture of the big white tent we had set up in the backyard for overflow crowd and in case of rain. We rented 130 extra chairs, and set up inside the tent for Friday Night dinner. As usual, Raizy cooked up a storm and everyone enjoyed. It stayed dry inside the tent, despite the rain, and many lingered on for an Oneg with limes.
Lchaim's Sukkah Party	Must have been a busy night for many, we had a small but cozy party - with double-prizes at the game Auction. Among the winning items were several lottery games, a Best-Buy gift-card, a variety of soaps, bandanas, key-chains and notebooks, and a Crossgates Mall Certificate. Thanks to Raizy's sisters for all the prize wrapping, and to Dave Gretah and Jason Kersch for excellent auctioneering.
	updated 9/24/02 & 10/2/02
Sukkot Holiday Meals	In addition to Friday Night, we had festive meals and prayers all weekend, from Friday Night thru Sunday Night. Though it rained here and there - it held up for the meal-times (may it be so for Simchat Torah as well!!) Though much smaller than the big Friday Night, these holiday meals have a special cozy atmosphere and Raizy cooked up a storm of lots of variety from meatballs to roastbeef and an almost a dozen salads in between.
First Night! Friday Night in the Sukkah	What a beautiful Friday Night! The Sukkah filled at 8pm, with more and more students who kept coming. It's a little miracle everyone had a place in the Sukkah. Close to 120 students came, and stayed to share in the delicious food and atmosphere until 10pm (some lingered on further for a mini-oneg with songs and stuff). It is a true pleasure welcoming all the new faces, it will take some time to learn everyone's name - but please come back and stay in touch. We met lots of great people.
Sukkah Building BBQ	This year we got the Sukkah up in record time, thanks to (Rabbi) Shmuly Rubin, Rabbi Mendel's brother back from Australia (the night before!!) and all those who assisted in shlepping the boards, hammering them in and getting all the greens on top. Of special mention - Saul Maslansky (our veteran Sukkah enthusiast) who made sure every spot got coverage, and Freshman Sam Gillman who sat himself on top of the Sukkah passing the Schach onto the right places... Picture Page is now online! Yes, and there was a BBQ...
Double-Bris	This was an especially wonderful occasion, Shabbos House was honored to host the Twin-Circumcision of Dan ('01) and Atara ('02) 's Twin Boys - on 9/17/02 at 6pm. Family, friends and community, several alumni, and many current students (esp a strong contingent from AEPi Alpha Nu) made up a huge crowd to join in the joyous occasion. The older son is named Noach (peaceful in Hebrew) and the younger twin is Binyamin - named for a family member in Atara's family. We have great pictures, but trouble with our scanner... we hope to post them after the holiday. Click here for a Picture Page of the Brit Milah.
On-Campus YOM KIPPUR	Almost all students went home for Yom Kippur, but for those who stayed we had a cozy minyan and prayer services at Shabbos House. Quite a crowd turned out for the Pre & Break fasts (which Raizy prepared) and we did have a minyan all throughout. Special Thanks to Rabbi Berger (and his son Yerachmiel) of the Daughters of Sarah Senior Community who assisted with leading the prayers, Mr. Shalom Barchen of Crossgates' "Delancy Leather Store" and to the Cohens: Mike Landsman and Eyal Kohn. We had a close-knit tight crew for the 4 hour day service, but 35-40 people for each evening service.
	updated 9/1/02
Bagel Brunch	Being that Kosher Kitchen only opens tonight, we had a small bagel brunch, no Minyan but plenty of bagels. It is nice to slowly but surely welcome the old friends back, as everyone continues to move in.
Cantor Gultz	Our very own Scott Gultz who leads Conservative Services on Friday Nights at Chapel House will be this year's Cantor at the Dix Hills Jewish Center in Long Island. This is no small congregation and we're proud of Scott!!
	updated 8/31/02
Freshman Weekend	Welcome Freshmen to made our First Weekend so special.. Esther Promsik, Michelle Ginsburg, Lauren Kalkstein and Leah Hezkiah, Richard Burg, Max Wein and Steve Kessler, as well as a fellow Berman and a friend of Bethanie Lesser from Columbus, and a few others. It might take a bit for us to learn all your names, but that's important to us. Alumni Alex Vugman coined it years ago - "Everyone knows your Name at Shabbos House". We had an remarkable turnout for Minyan, special thanks to Adam Strossberg, Ben Tabar and Scott Gultz for making it happen, to Ben Lieb for being Chazzan, to Yishai Cohen for helping with the Torah notes... Thanks to special guests Mr. and Mrs. Pessin (he's a fitness consultant) and Mr. Mandelkorn who helped with the Minyan and added to the general atmosphere. Arie Lipnick (Hillel Prez) worked long hours at Hillel Tabling to meet new Freshmen along with a good team. (and it was nice having Esther Shachter visit for the weekend).
Sign?	Yes, there is a new sign outside Shabbos House. Our old one fell off some time ago during a storm, and new folks sometimes have trouble identifying this place. So while at the "Altamont Fair" (The Albany County Fair) we had a little sign made up by a woodburner. Interestingly enough, while at the woodburner we met an Albany alumni couple who graduated SUNY the year Mendel was born. Maybe we'll post a picture.
Knock, Knock!	Little Moshe is now into Knock, Knock jokes. He has a small repertoire, which he repeats frequently. At this point he's only willing with a small audience, he's quiet and shy with a bigger crowd. He'll get out of that with time. Cows are still the in thing, as well as his new toddler bed, but he's already talking about his first haircut, which will be at his 3rd Birthday party which we're planning for after Purim in the Spring semester.
	updated 8/22/02
	Mazal Tov to Dan and Atara (Manheim) Marzouk on the birth of TWIN BOYS! Dan and Atara are UAlbany and Shabbos House alumni who live in the Albany community.
	updated 8/16/02
Kosher People News	Rob Candler is no longer at SUNY Kosher - we'll miss him. Josh Wildman who's been Mashgiach for the Vaad for a few years now, will be in charge of Dutch and Dreidel's Kosher. Yaakov Yarmove of Price Chopper Kosher is moving on to Chicago to become Albertson's Kosher manager for 3,000 stores across the USA. Shmuel Kochman is the new Mr. Kosher at Price Chopper and we had the pleasure of him joining us for last year's Lag B'Omer BBQ at Shabbos House.
2 Days in NY	We look forward to spending 2 days in NY at the end of August. We'll attend a wedding of Raizy's cousin , stock-up on stuff, and meet with the Lchaim board to plan a bit, and meet other old friends.
August Business	Raizy dug through and sifted mountains of paperwork, and stealthily organized and filed it all. We're hard at work at the Building Campaign (little by little each day) and in preparing for the coming semester. Raizy met with again Aviva Zucker (Hillel's new Student Coordinator) to discuss scheduling and calendar.
Kids: Health & Fun	Mushkie had some extensive dental work done, and now has that toothless grin until her new teeth come in. She's being pretty good about it. We spent an evening at the Altamont fair (the Albany county fair) where Moshe enjoyed seeing hundreds of cows and sheep, and they all enjoyed the kiddie rides.
Kedem & Monsey Trip	We enjoyed a 1 day getaway/stock-up trip. While in Monsey we met up with alumni Mitch Greene and Ed Levin at a Pizza shop (we e-mailed folks in the area last minute since we were waiting on The Rubins SRs to know when they would be able to watch all our kids). The next morning we filled up at Kedem with grape-juice and wine for Kiddush for the coming year. This was our first trip alone since Moshe was born over 2 years ago.
Israel Regards	Sarah Szymkowicz (former TAGAR Pres) is studying in Hebrew U in Jerusalem for the semester and she narrowly missed the bombing in the cafeteria. Click here for an e-mail letter she sent to friends, her feelings during the bombing and its aftermath. Yishai Cohen (incoming TAGAR Pres) spent 3 weeks this summer in Israel volunteering at an army base.
	updated 6/23/02
expecting!	G-d willing, Raizy is expecting another little bundle of joy in the first week of November 2002. May we always share Simchas in good health and with much happiness.
one month away from shabbos house stuff	Just after graduation, for a month we were very busy with non-shabboshouse work, as we got heavily involved with the Maimonides School (where we teach AMs, and where Mushkie and Chanie learn) Scholarship Tribute Evening - from layout and design of the ad journal, getting the invites out, planning and even preparing the food and presentation for the event... so we put all Shabbos House stuff on a back burner for a while, and hardly checked e-mail, never mind IM. We also waited until now to begin sending our building campaign brochures... Sorry if we've lost touch during this time, we thought a lot about everyone, but life was hectic here and we put a lot on hold.
building campaign brochures		As said above, we are now beginning to mail the new building brochures. We are excited and encouraged by the strong positive interest this generated. It's going to take a lot of people to make this exciting project happen. If you or your family can purchase a share or two (payable over two years) that's really wonderful and makes this much closer to a reality.. If not, if you can help us reach out to others, and perhaps with the aid of several friends, family, or community people - to purchase a share or half-share. Each share is $1,000 - over two years it is $250 twice a year. Each dollar will be matched by generous friends of Shabbos House. There are also building dedications available, see the brochure or contact us for details. A special "doorstep" on our website will soon have more details on this very important and exciting building campaign. Stay tuned and stay involved. We need everyone's help. need more brochures? contact us.
5 weeks in the Catskills	As of June 25th we'll be in the Catskills, at the Ivy League Torah Study Program, where Mendel teaches a few hours each day and Raizy enjoys 3 cooked meals daily, and the kids get to run about in the mountain air and lots of grass. We'll be checking our shabboshouse@hotmail.com account more frequently over the summer. We'll be back in Albany a few times in between, but we return for good - the first week in August. We're bringing a PC along so we can get some more shabbos house work done. We look forward to sending our annual summer postcards with little personal updates to keep in touch.
Our Catskills Summer Info	Our Catskills Info: Our phone there is 845-647-9537 and we check our summer e-mail account shabboshouse@hotmail.com far more frequently than our usual shabbos@albany.net. We do check our Albany phone messages almost daily. (Don't write us there - hard to get mail - but the kids do love getting a postcard): 689 Route 55W Naponach NY 12458. We'll be back in Albany for a day on July 2nd, the extended weekend of July 19 (we're doing a 'catering' at Shabbos House for a large family reunion of an Albany family) and a couple days here and there. We're back for good - first week in August.
new Hillel staff	We wish farewell to Rebecca Charhon after her two years of dedication to the UAlbany Jewish community in her work for Hillel. David Liebschutz, Hillel Exec. Director hired new members of the Hillel Staff, Aviva Zucker (UAlbany alumnus) will be Jewish Student Life Coordinator, Danny Newman (of GWU) will be the JCSC.
320 Fuller	This year's crew at the Shabbos House Student House are Arie Lipnick, Mike Kashani and Saul Zeitlin. It will be Arie's 2nd year (aside for a semester in DC) and Saul will be filling his big brother's Shaun's shoes.
new Lchaim Board	Shabbos House especially looks forward to the new Lchaim Board, Honey-Harriet Roffe and Jason Kersch, co-presidents, with David Gretah and Daniel Rinkewich on board. The budget has been increased, thanks to the many events Lchaim does year-round, and to the many involved members of the campus community who have advocated for it. Lchaim is affiliated with Shabbos House, providing Jewish holiday and cultural programming on campus.
Simchas	We celebrated two exciting joyous occasions this past month: (1) Shimon Galperin (Raizy's brother)'s Bar-Mitzvah in Brooklyn, he read the Torah, the speech and is an all-around great chap (2) Ronen Segal's wedding to Chana Raizal Kaufman in Crown Heights - (click for photos..) and their Sheva Brachos dinner at Shabbos House (few students around, mostly community).
Thinking about Israel	For all of us, not a day goes by without our hearts turning to Israel. May the 'situation' (as Israelis call it) improve, and may Israel know security and safety for its citizens. Yishai Cohen, incoming Prez of Tagar is going to be spending a chunk of his summer volunteering on a IDF base, Sara Szymkowicz outgoing Prez of Tagar is spending next semester at Hebrew U in Jerusalem (and was extensively quoted, very positively - in the Albany Times Union regarding this). Arie Lipnick, returning Hillel Prez spent some time in Israel this summer after a semester in DC, as well as several other students who will no doubt share their experiences. Rabbi Mendel's sister Devorah Leah was in Katamon the day of the terrible bus bombing, and his mother spent a week there now celebrating a wedding. The outpouring of unity and concern for Israel must continue and grow, and we must continue to support beloved Israel in this very difficult time. The Albany community had a series of Israel Emergency Solidarity Rallies and Speakers - and we hope to soon post the pictures of the Israel Rally and March held at SUNYA (sponsored Hillel & Tagar) sometime soon.
We'll miss you!	Two awesome freshmen, active in our Jewish community will not be returning to UAlbany this fall, and we wish them lots of luck and much success. Jonathan Kerendian is attending college near home (Great Neck!) and Matt Friend is going back to the sun he loves out west in UCLA. We'll miss you guys, stay in touch!
	updated 5/20?/02
	Graduation Party, and Graduation Weekend... (this is among old stuff that we never got to updating because of how hectic the end of the semester became, but little by little - we're getting this site back to speed.) Lchaim's Lag B'Omer BBQ / Hillels' NAACP dinner / We Stand With Israel March / Hillel's Jewish Awareness Month
	updated 4/16/02
	Tai-kwon-do 2 Gold Medals.. / Israel Day Picnic by Tagar / Mitzvah Table / Sofer Table / Special Shabbos Guests: Dave Gosman & Stacey Dickstein, John Shwartz, Avi Saks and Yisroel Zwik /




	updated 4/8/02
Sorry for the Update Delay	ah it's been so long since we've updated this important page last - and since many have asked us about it - we have to finally get back to it after a hectic Passover season. But where to begin? gotta start somewhere!
DLS Bagel Brunch	Our Daylight Savings Sunday Minyan Brunch was smaller than usual, but we did manage to get a Minyan despite great odds (key folks away, hour mix-up and other stuff) especially thanks to Marshall Haber, Saul Maslansky and Rich Wachtel. The brunch was sponsored by Matt Freedman and Marc Wolensky - both Jerseyites, friends since Freshman year, once again housemates in their last year at 320 Fuller. It was good to bite into a bagel again after all the Matzah.
2nd Days of Passover	After an enjoyable first days of the Passover holiday with Raizy's family in NY (and everyone home on break) we returned to have a wonderful second days of the Holiday with record attendance. We expected a much smaller turnout on the holiday nights that fall during the week, but we had over 65 one night, and close to that the next for the wine dinner (celebrating the optimistic yearning and hope for redemption in our day). Raizy cooked up a storm, with alternating menus, and a nice variety despite the many Passover restrictions. We also welcomed Shaun Zeitlin and Ed Levin who came up for the Holiday (ended up at a motel near 90 Exit 5 thanks to priceline) and thanks to them and everyone who made a special effort we had unusually timely Minyans at 9am both days - with Hallel singing and Cohen's blessing. The holiday was especially spirited - thanks to everyone who came and made it possible.
Dr. Ken	About a dozen of us had an extremely thought-provoking evening with a special guest (with along list of degrees from MIT, Princeton & RPI) at Shabbos House who shared with us some of his thoughts and issues on being a Jew among non-Jews, and many associated topics. He left us all with much to think about - we got quite a few positive e-mails to that effect.
NBC and Israel	Tagar brought Molly Resnick Molly Resnick - a former NBC producer - who spoke of her life in showbiz, how John Travolta helped her find her way to Shabbat and how now she is active in educating children in peace and how violence is no solution. She now runs MATCKH (an organization exposing the dangers of Palestinian textbooks containing frightening levels of hate against Jews and Israel).She was fast-paced and fun - especially when the guys had fun guessing the actors and celebrities with her in pictures from the 1970's. Sarah Szymkowicz introduction was excellent (Molly said so herself) and the many questions afterward were poignant, interesting and relevant.
The Violin from 1741	At our Jamming Night just before Passover we were privileged to have a special guest, Mr. Menachem Feldman, a truly professional violinist, who years back played with Shlomo Carlebach. On a violin dating back to 1741 he played beautifully, many melodies that we know and there was total attention throughout his performance, and lots of folks were humming and strumming along. At the end he played a special moving prayer for his ailing father (who he was in town to visit) and who has as of this writing passed away. Another treat that same evening was Mr. Michael Cohen (a lawyer from town, active in Rabbi Rubin Sr's synagogue) who played bongos and many other unusual instruments.
	more updates to come soon...


	updated 2/18/02
More Simchas!	Mazal Tov to Ronen Segal ('99) on his engagement to Chana Raizel Kaufman (from Long Island)! We wish them much happiness and Mazal...
Baby Boys!	Mazal Tov to alumni Jason and Kimberly (Green) Mayer on the birth of a newborn son! Wed, Feb 13th!! Mazal Tov to alumni Gregg and Shara (Magot) Gilbert on the birth of newborn son in Israel! Sunday, Feb 17th!! see alumni page for a picture of Gregg & newborn son in the Shaarei Tzedek Jerusalem Hospital.
Cholent Taster's Paradise	Our Shabbos Day Chulent Bar was an exciting smorgasbord of Cholent variety. Here's a listing of the Cholent varietals we sampled: (1) Lamb and Homemade Kishka (2) Sephardic Curry and Nutmeg, with Chickpeas and Flanken (3) a sweet Hot-Dog Cholent (4) The Vegan Chulent, sweetened by sweet potato (5) the good old fashioned Cholent. Best tasting one this week? The Lamb-Kishka one.
Bagel Brunch & New Pushka	Once again, a beautiful spring-style (though blustery) Sunday, and a beautiful Minyan Bagel Brunch. This time a record timely Minyan (before 11:30am!) and a nice turnout for Bagels with all the trimmings. It was also a good time for those who missed the prior night's Muder Mystery with Hillel to catch up on the news. New this time was Benjamin Lieb's special French Toast. Another special for this Bagel Brunch was the debut of Shabbos House's new Pushka (Charity Box) designed by Mendel and carefully pasted by Raizy in response to numerous requests.
Lasagna Learning Lunch	In honor of President's Day, we decided (last-minute, on Shabbos..) to have a Lasagna Learning Lunch. Raizy cooked up 4 Dairy Lasagnas and a delicious Veggie Soup. Over these delicacies we shmoozed about Purim, its laws and observances. Lasagna fits right in because (1) Esther had to eat Vegetarian in the Palace, since she could not eat the non-Kosher meat (2) Like a good Lasagna, the Purim story has many layers, and is best appreciated with all the layers. (Imagine a single layered superficial Lasagna..). Thanks to all who shared the local color of their hometown Purim experiences.
Minyan Trouble	Sometimes we get complacent. We've been having good Minyans on Saturdays at Chapel House, which is perhaps why this past Shabbos (Terumah) we had to wait until 11:45 to get the 10th man. We sang and hummed, and shmoozed and walked around... but it did give us a heartier appetite for the Chulent Bar. Thanks to Jason Kersch for reading the 5th Aliya. There's been some suggestion that we do some more singing, especially in those empty boring waiting times - and we're going to work on that.
	updated 02/10/02
Less is still more...	Though Raizy prepared for an army, we had a smaller than usual turnout on Friday Night due to the "Dr Drew" lecture in the RACC the same night (for Sexuality Week). Yet, as the alumni pointed out, what is a smaller turnout this year, was a larger crowd than we ever had in our first years here. So our community has grown!
ALUMNI!	We were very pleased to welcome our visiting alumni for the weekend. Josh Fisch, Faith Zuckerberg, Stacey Wolinetz, Fred Lotwin and Nadine Kochavi. All of whom were very active at Shabbos House and in the UAlbany Jewish Community (Hillel, Tagar, Ruach, Lchaim etc...) during their years here. As well as Dan and Atara Marzouk, who made the whole Shabbos even more special.
FRIENDS	It was a pleasure to welcome Mr and Mrs Jack and Joan Rosenblum and their daughter Irene to Shabbos House. This family is strongly committed to help our community, and we are grateful for their generous support and for coming to spend Shabbos with us.
Birthdays	This Shabbos we celebrated the birthdays of Rimma Altshuler and Jared Rosenthal, and regrettably missed on the cake Ben Kallos and Jared Treiber. But we had a little Oneg for all the celebrants, including Mendel and Raizy, who celebrated both their Hebrew birthdays this past week.
Relationships Speaker	The visiting alumni and several students had the excellent opportunity of hearing an extraordinary speaker on Saturday Night, Dr. Edwin Susskind, an entertaining and thought-provoking psychologist. We're looking to bring him for a Shabbos, to speak after Dinner, and on Shabbos afternoon. He's right on the money!
DC News	Arie Lipnick is working for the Justice Department in DC, with materials being presented in Supreme Court.
Hillel Events	All who went on Hillel's Trip to Turning-Stone Casino - together with other campuses - had a great time. Raizy's a big mystery buff, and looking forward to the Murder Mystery at CC Ballroom on Feb 16th.
Community Service	Special Thanks to Daffney Weisser and Michelle Adler who came along with us to participate in the United Jewish Federations' Solidarity Sunday Fundraising Phone-a-thon. The Federation Staff got a very favorable impression of our UAlbany Jewish community because of these 2 students.

	updated 02/04/02 (on our return from NY)
	'Tis good to be back! Raizy had an excellent time at her Convention, and her speech (about Campus Holiday Programming) went very well. NY had a bit of rain so we were shocked to return and find our driveway - one long smooth sheet of ice.

	updated 01/27/02 (after the Bagel Brunch)
	The Jewish Community at UAlbany offers its condolences to Freshman Steve Schiff on the untimely passing of his father at the start of the Spring Semester. For the remainder of the "Shloshim" (or 30 days) there will be a Minyan for Kaddish (not necessarily for an entire prayer) - evening time in the Dutch Cafeteria. Time to be announced. Please make an effort to come, to allow a fellow student the opportunity of saying Kaddish.
	*What a beautiful Shabbos!* Raizy and Atara made edible centerpiece flowers, which were all enjoyed by the night's end. Special for the Tu Bishvat theme was fruit in the various salads, as well as a Mushroom-Barley Soup (since barley is included in one of the "7 Kinds") as well as an olive dip and fruit cocktail dessert. At first Shabbos House was tight, about 100 students came, but in the end everyone found a seat and all had a good time. Special guests for Shabbos included Ronen Segal (Class of '99) and Jon Schwartz (Class of '01).
	The Minyan Bagel Brunch was slow at the start, but we ended with a full house, and 7 dozen bagels fitted with all the trimmings. It was a stunningly gorgeous day (a surprise for Albany in January) so we took the famous Minyan Bagel Brunch Picture outdoors on the Deck, and this time, as with our first in '99, we kept our Tefillin on for the picture. A special new pair of Tefillin was donated to Shabbos House for use at our Bagel Brunches. The Sunny Picture to be posted within a few days on the Bagel Brunch Picture Page.
	updated 01/24/02 (Start of Spring Semester)
	It is good to see everyone back. One student said "It was so good to see many Shabbos House people in my class today, it is like family!" We enjoyed dinner at Dutch - and enjoyed seeing "old friends".
	Regards from Teri Goldstein in Spain! (via postcard) "Today we went to Toldedo, what used to be the cultural center of Spain, home to Jews and Arabs. It reminded me a lot of Tzfat, though not as beautiful. We went to a Synagogue that had been converted into a church in 1492. It was weird to stand in the same place as many Jews before me (centuries ago) and know that at this very spot they had high holiday services.."
	Mazal Tov to alumnus Ed Levin on becoming an Uncle Twice in a Day. His brother Miles and wife Valerie had twins, named Avraham Lander and Gittel (Jessica) Tova. Mazal Tov to the whole family!

	updated 01/07/02 (Winter Break)
	Mazal Tov to Raizy's sister Chanie (and Chaim) Lazaroff on the birth of a baby daughter, Chaya Mushka.
	Yes, it finally did snow here! A foot of fresh, soft, white snow (still trickling down as of this writing). The kids had a blast rolling about and sledding around. It seems that the NYC area hardly got as much, so enjoy the pictures below. For those who remember him, Mark DiTonna (formerly of Kosher Kitchen) came by to plow us out. Too much snow is a pain, but the first big snowfall is always fun.

	In the morning the kids were covered (literally head-to-foot) in snow, then we went out again in the afternoon after Mark plowed thru, just to get a couple of pictures for the web / On the right Mushkie stands near our new dumpster, covered with snow, also visible atop the deck wall and Shabbos House roof.
	So what else have we been doing? For one: spending more quality time with the kids. We had some fun with watercolor paints, and other projects. We also cleaned up deep, dark portions of the basement, of old stuff, from before our time at Shabbos House. We did lots of paperwork, organizational stuff, and some updating to this website. We also met with some friends of Shabbos House to discuss our future (and much needed!) expansion plans. We still have a long way to go in raising the necessary funds, but we are working towards it!
	updated 12/22/01 (Winter Break)
	December 2001 Graduates: Mazal Tov to The December 2001 Graduates: Ally Biller, Eric Saunders, and Shaun Zeitlin.
	Farewells: Farewell to Ariel Warren who is transferring to Binghamton this Spring. Farewell to these students who will be spending Spring Semester away: Teri Goldstein (Madrid, Spain) Stephanie Fadlon (Sydney. Australia) and Arie Lipnick (Washington DC).
	Chanukah 2001! Thanks to all who helped make this Chanukah so memorable! Click her for pictures and more info about the events. See some of the crowd who enjoyed our first ever special edition Bingo, the Menorahs in the Quads, Dreidel Packet Packing, Menorah Lightings, Latke Table and more.
	Shabbos House Interns: Special thanks to our dedicated interns for the Fall '01 semester (from the Community Service Program of the School of Social Work) Abby Crapo and Harriet (Honey) Roffe, who helped out tremendously with Shabbos Prep and many events. Welcome to our new Interns for Spring '01 Matt Freedman (computer stuff) Atara Marzouk (shabbos prep) and there might be an opening for a third intern. Interested? Contact us.
	Rubin Family Mazal Tovs: Rabbi Mendel's sister Esty Cohen in Melbourne Australia had a baby girl. We wish them (husband Mendel & son Moshe (named for the same grandfather as our Moshe) much Nachas!
	New Home in Albany Congratulations to Dan and Atara Marzouk on their purchase of a new home on Kakely Street near New Scotland Ave, in Albany. Dan works for Universal Underwriters on Route 155 (a car dealership insurance company) and Atara is finishing up her last year at UAlbany.
	Campus Construction: For those who aren't here to see it: Construction on the new (upscale) Student Housing - Empire Commons - on Fuller Road keeps progressing. Also the Art Studio (located SE of Indian Quad) Building (curiously shaped - not another box) is coming along. The new Life Sciences Building looks stunning, although it is still only a metal frame (alongside the Podium on the Eastern side).
	Why the dumpster? As Shabbos House grows so does our waste. Shabbos House is located in Guilderland NY, a suburb of Albany, where your taxes do not pay for waste disposal, instead we contract to private companies. It got too much for the local mom and pop companies, so we needed to get a cute dumpster. We won't need dozens of assorted color trashcans, and the animals (squirrels, woodchucks, ravens etc..) will not be able to get at it anymore.
	Hillel News: Being that Arie Lipnick will be spending Spring Semester in DC, current Hillel VP Rich Wachtel will be taking charge, and Ben Tabar will be joining Hillel Board as well. Special Thanks to David Liebshutz (Executive Director) and Rebecca Charhon (Director of Jewish Campus Life) of Hillels NENY for the excellent coordination and cooperation with Shabbos House and all the Jewish Student Groups.
	Logistics Special Thanks to Chaim Spilman, our General of Logistics at Shabbos House (though in the US Army his specialty is infantry and military intelligence) who spearheaded our campaign to make even more room in little Shabbos House. The Little House That Could! On big weeks, by setting up the room before everyone comes, and situating the benches, chairs and tables just so - we get the maximum space. One of the miracles told about the Jerusalem Holy Temple, was that although space was tight and there were lots of people, everyone managed to somehow fit in.
	Jamming Nights.. this Fall 01 semester have taken a new twist with the Ben Lieb's orchestration and Yishai Cohen's full drumset. See a bunch of Jamming Night Pics. The "Hands are the.." and the "Pianoman" were the best hits, followed by the "Favei" and other favorites. Next semester we will only have one Jamming Night, due to the early onset of Passover, and the Omer season which follows in which we traditionally refrain from hearing live music.

	Kids say Thanks Mushkie, Chanie and Moshe thank Dave Shahverdi (memory game and puzzle) Marissa Frankel (menorah bear and treasure chests) Abby Crapo (art set and a musical steering wheel) for the thoughtful and much enjoyed chanukah presents. Thanks to the Marzouk Family for the great children's books with Oofs and #'s.
	Entebbe - Pride in Israel The Entebbe Movie / Challah Baking Night was an inspiration and a shot in the arm, after all the terrible terrorist attacks in Israel (in the Ben-Yehudah Pedestrian Mall and on the Haifa Bus) the preceding week. Sponsored by Tagar, Rabbi Mendel searched all over and finally found "Operation Thunderbolt" on EBay, and got it from Canada just in time!
	Recent Learnings Our last learning night this semester was a "background-sourcesheet" that Rabbi Mendel researched and prepared explaining the profound insights found in the children's Chanukah animated video called "Lights". We watched the video, then read through and discussed some of the sources, and people kept adding insights and ideas gleaned from carefully watching and reading into the film. Among other learning nights this semester covered: The Letters Shin-Bet ; The Neighbor Law ; Background on Tefillin ; Tackling a Tough Piece of Talmud.
	Mikvah Informational Together with Rebecca Charhon, Raizy discussed MIKVAH with the Jewish Women's Group, following a video presentation "Still Waters Run Deep".
	updated 10/15/01 (there's been a break in updating this page...)
	ah - Simchas Torah! words can not describe it, you had to be here to experience the lively spirit, the dancing, the singing and comraderie and the good times had by all! Thanks to Eric Himy and Jeremy Soussan for introducing us to some great Sefardic / Moroccan songs. Freshmen: Ben Lieb, Jason Kersch, Matt Friend, Saul Malansky - among many others too numerous to name - kept the fiery dancing going.. Thanks to Farah Fidler, Michelle Adler, Stacey Brecher, Revital Hay, Daffney Weisser, Amber Abramson and the Galperin Girls and many others for keeping the dancing going and the atmosphere warm and welcoming. Welcome to the Persian Crew! We were a bit worried after the old guard graduated, but BH we're happy to welcome back a whole new group of great Persians: Eitan Hakimi, Jason Hakimi, Steve Goldche, Jon Kerendian, among others - as well as the current ones. Welcome to Alumni who came up to enhance our festivity! You really add so much to the celebrations, it is great to see you back. Rachel Commer, Mitch Green (incredible Ata Horaysa bids - and follow up!), Shaina Marrus (haven't see you in so long!) Fred Lotwin and Stacey Wolinetz, Ronen Segal and Lukas Brenowitz (works at the Israeli Consulate in NYC). 2 big pots of Matzah-Ball Soup went quickly. Everyone had a great time. P.S. This year, as last, the police did not visit our dancing Sukkah. And no, the deck is still holding up. there's so much more to write about this awesome dynamically spirited holiday.. and there's so many more names to mention.. everyone really contributed to make this holiday special.
	updated 10/02/01 First Days of Sukkos So far so good! BH for the beautiful weather, both days and nights in the Sukkah. It was refereshingly cool, without the brutal cold chill we were used to in years past. Though we enjoyed the hot cider, it wasn't as steamy as in the frosty nights of the other years. Raizy cooked up a different storm for each meal, and we took a break from the traditional gefilte fish for other opening courses. One night baked fish and roast-beef, another night meatballs and spaghetti, a potato soup and other goodies. Monday Night, the First Night in the Sukkah was the biggest turnout, especially considering it was a school-night. Tuesday morning we had a big full Minyan, while Wednesday morning it took a long while - but we finally got there. Of course, we sang the Sukkahleh Song each night. The Yiddish version was led by Chaim, Sarah F. and Scott Gultz. Sarah Szymcowicz gave us the Israeli historical background to the lively "Mayim, Mayim" song. This year's special was that 6 students slept out in the Sukkah on the first night, in the cold chill. Thanks to everyone who helped with setting up the Sukkah and serving for each meal. Abby Crapo made all the desserts with Raizy, we especially enjoyed the vanilla-choco pareve ice cream. We welcome Raizy's parents and siblings, the Galperin Family of Brooklyn, who are here for their 5th annual Sukkot visit. They are very helpful and a most welcome addition to our Sukkot atmosphere. Special Thanks to TAGAR (SA) for co-sponsoring the cost of some of the Sukkot celebrations. Sukkot is harvest festival which is most beautifully celebrated in sunny Israel. Jerusalem is gorgeous when it is adorned with thousands of Sukkot, from every terrace and rooftop. Mini-Shabbos Post Yom-Kippur It must have been our smallest Shabbos in years. The Shabbos after Yom Kippur when most students were still away on their extended Yom Kippur break, about a dozen of us enjoyed a cozy Shabbos meal together, and a few returned for a heimish Shabbos Lunch. It was very pleasant and relaxed, and a refresher before the big Sukkot week-long events. Sukkot Building BBQ What a turnout! Under the threat of rain we had a special tent set up for the BBQ, but it remained sunny all afternoon until very late. Seventy students passed through to hammer, shlep and throw on the pine branches, and enjoy hotdogs and burgers on the side. Special Thanks to Shmuly Rubin for leading the Sukkah Building effort, and for all those who assisted. This year's Tall Guys included Matt Friend, Saul Maslansky and David Shavhverdi. Ben Lieb, Gabe, and many others worked long and hard to make sure we had a roof over our heads.

	updated 9/22/01
	Shofar Factory at Campus Center On Thursday, Sept 13th, many students dropped by our Shofar Factory table to cut, drill, sand and polish their very own Shofars. More than 60 Shofars were made! This year, a bright colorful banner lit up the otherwise drab afternoon, and the sounds of the shofar echoed off the walls and dome of the small fountain area. The booth was manned by Rabbi Abba Rubin and Yossi Rubin, Rabbi Mendel's brothers who are handy with these things.
	New Folding Benches Due to the overflow crowds (Thank G-d and the good students who feel comfy here) in cozy little Shabbos House, we built our own wooden benches with folding metal legs (brought from Brooklyn by Shaun Zeitlin - always of assistance) so that more students can fit. We plan to build some more along with a custom small table to fit in the tight space near the new prayerbook bookcase underneath the bulletin board. Shmuly Rubin (Rabbi Mendel's brother back from England, built the benches).
	Ben's Book Club Ben Kallos spent several Friday Nights and Shabbos afternoons at Shabbos House, sunk deeply in the couch, intently reading "Tuesdays with Morrie" (by Mitch Albom). Others caught on, and the two copies of the book changed many hands, all reading on the couch (well, both couches). We are slowly but steadily increasing our library of books, so that those who wish have quality inspirational books. For those who haven't been poking around (we encourage it!) our bookshelves, we have quite a collection of good Jewish books - in English - enjoy them!
	Marshall's Bar-Mitzvah The Bar-Mitzvah was some years back, but Marshall Haber stepped up to the bima this Saturday and read his Parsha flawlessly, as if it (the BM) was yesterday. We also congratulate Seth Mellin on his birthday this week, both were inscribed on Friday Night's Birthday Cake. Seth treated us to a tradition brought to us by alumni Gregg and Anony, via Dan. Shabbos Day we had cold-cuts in addition to the Chulent, and we enjoyed more of the excellent Honey-Cookies which Abby Crapo baked with Raizy.

	updated 9/3/01
	Record-Breaking Friday Night at Shabbos House! 110 (somehow!) managed to fit inside little Shabbos House. "The little house that could!" Before Shabbos we removed the metal cabinet, which allowed for another table in the corner, and we had two benches which allowed for a table against the wall. The atmosphere was especially warm and exciting, and though the chicken soup was so delicious, it was impossible to serve - since people were sitting everywhere! Though it was a tight squeeze, everyone felt - "may we always have such problems!" Shabbos House is working towards a big expansion, but that will take time to fundraise towards. In the meantime we will always have room in the heart, and will do little space improvements (take out our big dining room chairs, get some benches etc..) to make sure everyone will always have a seat.
	Shabbos Lunch and Shalash Seudos: We had a nice Minyan on-time, and about 45 came over for Lunch (much larget than last year's best-kept secret). We had a couple of Dvar Torahs (see Time Out for Torah). Special Thanks to Alumni Ronen Segal and Rachel Commer who joined us, to Chaim's brother Meir who was visiting, welcome back to Josh Kaufman (visiting from NYU), and to Esther (Arie's) who was over for Shabbos. Some returned around 7pm to have the final meal (Shalosh Seudos or Seudah Shlishit) of the Shabbos. Daniel Rinkewich got us going with three renditions of the Mizmor L'Dovid song, and we also learned an old Shabbos House favorite (lyrics to be posted soon, thanks to Ben's encouragment) that goes to a Carlebach tune. We're thankful that students feel so comfortable to keep coming back and spending lots of time at Shabbos House.
	Record Learning Turnout! For our first learning of the new semester, we had a record turnout. Thanks to all who came and made the texts all the more interesting. Also thanks to those who helped schlep the old clumsy metal cabinet downstairs, in an effort to make a little more space in Shabbos House. Until we have the big expansion, we have to find small ways to make more room.
	Freshman Weekend Fall 2001: A hearty welcome to the SUNY UAlbany Class of 2005! We had quite a nice turnout for Freshman weekend, and look forward to meeting more and more of the new students as the year begins. Special Thanks to those who tabled on move-in day (Rich, Andrew, Arie and Sam), to the "old-timers" who helped Raizy with set-up, serving and clean-up on Shabbos (Teri, Atara, Chaim), and to the freshmen who volunteered as Chazan (Yishai, Ben and Jason). Not only was there a nice crowd for Friday Night, but we had a timely Minyan on Shabbos Day, and even had a Shalosh Seudos (3rd Sabbath meal, before the day ends). We are also glad to welcome two new Cohens ( Yishai and Eyal). New Car? Yes, our old black is no more. It lost its rear-end (didn't know cars had such parts or that they would be so costly to repair) and we bought a new-used (teal-colored) mini-van, which you'll see in our driveway when we're home. Welcome Back! Sarah Faillah is back from a semester abroad in Moscow, and already has a Torah Thought posted, see Time Out for Torah. Welcome back to everyone from their rich and varied summer jobs, internships and experiences. We've heard of all types of jobs - CLIP and Hineni Internships, promoting Golf Fundraisers for Cancer Research, Parks, Day and Sleepaway Camps, jobs at law firms, volunteering in hospitals, finance and stock stuff, and much more. Farewell! Andrew Schlussel transferred to University of Maryland and Josh Kaufman to NYU. Kevin Shurack and Max Lapkovsky (01 graduates) are spending a semester studying at Mayanot in Jerusalem. Rubin Family Tidbits: Moshe says a few words: Amen, Shabbos, Hallah, Hotdog, Ooof, Yikes and some other things. Chanie is almost completely toilet-trained and will be able to go to Nursery School this fall. Mushkie now plays some games on the PC. Rabbi Mendel and Raizy will again be teaching at the Maimonides School (3 mornings for Raizy, 5 for Mendel). We come home around noon, and then get to work on Shabbos House stuff. SUNYA's Kosher Kitchen: Rabbi Mendel will not be returning this year as Mashgiach at Kosher as it has now become a full-time position. Instead I will devote time and energy to Shabbos House, new programs, learning with folks, fundraising, and teaching at Maimonides (Jewish school in town). Rob Kandler will be the new Mashgiach on behalf of the Vaad, both at Dutch Kosher and at Dreidels, and he's a very nice guy. Rabbi Mendel will also be around for a little bit during some meal-times to meet students, some shmooze or a little Torah study. Dutch Quad Dorms: After years at Colonial, Dutch is the IN Jewish Quad again. having Kosher downstairs, and being the closest dorm to Shabbos and Chapel Houses, makes it very convenient - and good for the Jews. 320 Fuller: Shabbos House's Student Residence, two doors over on Fuller Road, is now in it's second year. Farewell to Shaun, Ed and Jevin and Welcome AriE, Matt and Steve O. Thanks for what they've done to make the Freshman feel at home.