This coming Thursday will mark Yom-HaShoah Holocaust Remembrance Day on campus, with a 24-hour vigil of Name Reading, Holocaust Films, and Minyans on the Podium, as well as Holocaust Speakers (one is a Holocaust survivor, the other is a US Army Liberator) 6pm on in CC 375.

We took a longer route down south, since we stopped way-up on a mountaintop to visit and bring Passover food to an older man living alone about an hour south-west of Albany. It was so scenic and the windy ways up the mountain were itself an adventure. Since it is Chol HaMoed (intermediate days of) Pesach, we took the kids to the Ross Park Zoo in Binghamton, they always enjoy a zoo. It's a small place, but tastefully designed and cared for.

SEDER II: This one was even cozier, with about 25 of us, also starting at 8:30pm but ending at 11pm, and enjoyed a higher interaction level. The Rubin Kids were up for both Seders (just about). On both nights, all had their appropriate share of Matzah, Marror and wine or grape-juice, of which there was a great selection. Plus, there was plenty home-made Passover food, Raizy cooked up a storm.

During the discussion about the missing $600K yet to be raised, one of the participants received his daily motivational email via blackberry that read something like this: "Don't be afraid to take chances, if you don't take chances you won't be successful and it won't get done." It got a great chuckle and helped set the theme that the construction has to go forward even before we have all the funds in place.

Rabbi Israel Rubin pointed out that there were 3 sets of people around the table, representing the 3 Pillars upon which the world rests (Ethics of Our Fathers) "Torah" representing those who run Shabbos House, "Service" refers to the architect and engineer who volunteered many professional hours on this project and "Acts of Kindness" are the major supporters behind this project.
 

Thanks to L'chaim Student Group (sa funded) group sponsorship and special Student Association Supplemental Funding, Shabbos House made a major Passover food shopping at the Kosher Price Chopper in Colonie in preparation for the Seders for students not headed home, as well as for the 2nd days of Passover. A huge, special thanks to the Party Warehouse on Fuller Road for a major contribution of paper-goods for use at the Seders and Passover and year-end events at Shabbos House.
 

Thanks to the student teams who rolled sushi, prepared salads, schlepped out the couches, set-up tables, and more. And to those who served, cleaned-up, brought back in the couches... It takes a lot of work to make the Shabbos House Friday Night atmosphere possible, and we appreciate everyone's help.

Despite an icy film on the walkways and cold rain outdoors, it was full inside (and even too hot!) at Shabbos House (though there was room for more) for a special themed "Superbowl Shabbat". The menu included 2 types of wings, celery sticks and ranch dressing and many other football-related specialties. In addition to the weekly Table-Card, there was a booklet (by Rabbi Mendel) of Jewish Football messages and trivia. Balloons, tablecloths, centerpieces all added to the football themed decor.

Tu Bishvat Seder at Shabbos House. Thanks to Craig Messer's student initiative (and his mom's help) we hosted a Cozy Tu Bishvat Seder at Shabbos House for about twenty people on the last day of Winter Break. We had an assortment of fresh and fried fruits, both exotic and not, plus grape-juice of varying colors. While this wasn't originally planned, due to the winter break scheduling, it was an great event.

Shabbat morning prayers were at Shabbos House instead of Chapel House, to allow Rabbi Mendel to read his Bar-Mitzvah parsha (Yitro) and participate in the services, while keeping an eye on the little kids at home. A few girls came early and got lunch all set-up, thanks to Aviva of Hillel for ordering deli, breads and salads, the students for chopping up fresh salads and setting up the tables and desserts, and Rabbi Mendel's two Chulents didn't turn out that bad after all. A little watery, but allright. It's not the same without Raizy, of course, but no one went hungry and the atmosphere was great.

Special guests included a gentleman Tanni from Queens, our old friend Avi Klinkowitz, and alumnus Danyel Goldberg who brought up enough clear plastic tablecloths through Spring '08 (or close enough).

The Fall 2007 "What's Cooking?" newsletter will soon be mailed to homes of students and alumni, you can browse it online here in PDF format. Progress is going forward on the new Shabbos House Student Center building. Check updates using these PDF pages from the newest updated building brochure: Good Problems, Better Solutions and Building Plans, Pledge/Contribution Page, and an updated list of all Building Contributors through November 2007.

On Friday Night people shared about events and highlights of their week, and we talked about the Parsha (weekly Torah portion) with help from Sara and Moshe.

Progress is going forward on the new Shabbos House Student Center building. Check updates using these PDF pages from the newest updated building brochure: Good Problems, Better Solutions and Building Plans, Pledge/Contribution Page, and an updated list of all Building Contributors through November 2007.

This coming week, our school has half-day AM Judaic-only sessions. Later in the week we plan to head down to NY, spend time with family, meet up with alumni, attend the Lipper engagement, and go to the Rebbe's Ohel. While it may sound strange, we will be heading back up here before New Years Eve.
 

Being a short Shabbos, some students stayed around much or all of the afternoon. After Havdalah we lit the Menorahs. A student passing up happened to see them through the window and came inside to light.

New for this Friday Night, Raizy prepared Matbucha (spicy mix) and a cranberry-apricot chicken. Along with Latkes during the main-course there were 2 types of doughnut-holes for desert.

Following dinner approx 40 students stayed on for the "Farewell Farbrengen" bidding farewell to graduating December '07 seniors (Laura Gerson, Harlan Rozenberg) graduating masters degree (Ariel Lipper) studying abroad students (Sheryl Hoffman, Yitzy Hoppenstein) and transferring student (Jordan Zager). Everyone around the big table (we joined 6 or 8 tables together) offered a L'chaim and a wish to the students who are moving on, as well as to each other and the great atmosphere at Shabbos House.
 

Chartwells/Kosher Dining shorted us on Latkes, because Price Chopper shipped them the mini-Latkes instead of the triangular ones, so there was little choice but to add a jelly doughnut to the Latke Eating Contest. This time - the winner would be the first to polish off all the Latkes and the Jelly Doughnut! Ariel Lipper (graduating masters student) was the hands-down winner, with Ari Akaberi, Keith Rosenblum and Dan Schwartz were runners-up.

Impromptu Oneg at Shabbos House following the Hillel Shabbat dinner in Campus Center, honoring Ariel Lipper's engagement, with friends and well-wishes.

Rabbi Yaakov Werde, who was formerly involved with Chabad work on campus at SUNY Buffalo, the University of Miami and other places, and is now a computer programming teacher who travels for business around the country, was stuck in Albany with Shabbat coming early on Friday. So, we were glad to have him join us for Shabbat! He read the Torah at the morning minyan, shared important life messages at Shabbat Lunch and shmoozed with students all Shabbos afternoon, including a good game of Apples to Apples. In addition to his computer expertise, and Torah knowledge, he is also a certified and practicing Mohel and is father of 10 children and grandchildren, too. To top it all off, he will be staffing the birthright israel bus that Yitzi Hoppenstein is traveling on this winter break.

Since it's planning stages six years ago, construction costs and material prices have skyrocketed, plus we now have more extensive site-work (storm-water, parking etc) to deal with. Currently we are getting preliminary bids from respected area contractors and will post new information as it develops.

We'll soon be meeting with our architect and engineers and plans for the new building will be going forward very soon. We hope to announce a construction timeline as soon as possible. There will be Phase II of our Building Fund Campaign announced soon as well. Friends, this is history in the making for the UAlbany Jewish community, especially for so many students and alumni who have been waiting for this moment for so long!!

For Shabbat Lunch at Shabbos House we set-up nine tables and took out 2 couches, to accommodate the many families who came by all throughout the afternoon.

Again, the meals in the Sukkah were varied, delicious and rain-free. We did have bees, though. There were good crowds and good Minyans for all the prayers and meals in the Sukkah.

As in past years Raizy's family, the Galperins, came up to join us for their 11th Sukkot with us, which is the same number of years that we have been here in Shabbos House. This year Mendel is Bar-Mitzvah, counts for the Minyan and helped out with Torah Reading, as did Shimon who flew in from yeshiva in Detroit. Many alumni remember tight minyans wishing that Shimon, and later Mendel Galperin would be Bar-Mitzvah, and now they both are.

Miracle of miracles - the rain held up. It did not rain once while we were eating in the Sukkah, though there were some lighter rains in between some meals. And for the first days of the holiday there were no bees. The times together in the Sukkah were meaningful, lively, pleasant and very special. Following the night meals little farbrengens developed with Rabbi Galperin, Rabbi Mendel and amongst the students and little crowds lingered on in the Sukkah.

On Thursday afternoon, the first day of Rosh Hashanah, Rabbi Mendel, Mushkie and Chani, and Mendel's sister Rivky walked up to campus for a 5pm mini-service at Shabbos House with Shofar-Blowing, an abridged one-page service and holiday foods. Following that we walked to a neighbor with a fish pond out back and did the Tashlich ceremony.