Grant’s Mom: As some of you know, my husband and I both went to UAlbany in the early 1980’s, he founded the RZA group while I was President of Hillel. We met here and got married 3 years after our graduation. My blessing to all of you is that you find your beshert, someone very special with whom to build a Jewish home together.
Eliot H’s Dad: Shabbos House and all of you here have really been extended family for our son, so speaking of family, here’s something my son learned from my sister, his aunt. Every Friday afternoon he calls his grandparents to wish them a Good Shabbos. I am not a grandparent yet, though I look forward to that blessing, but I see how much these calls mean to my parents. Everyone can do the same. Take the time to call someone beloved to you, it will mean the world to them.
Rachel L’s Mom: My 3 daughters have been involved with Chabad at their college campuses, both here and in Binghamton. But I feel that my connection to Chabad goes back twenty years, when my father passed away on the very same day as the Lubavitcher Rebbe, on the 3rd of Tammuz, in June of 1994. While I obviously felt the loss of my father, it was reassuring to know that he went up to heaven together with illustrious company. Now that my mother passed away recently, I’d like to think that they are all up there together.
Mr. I. (Ben’s): When we first came up here to look at UAlbany, we visited Shabbos House and I remember Rabbi Mendel said that he won’t pressure Ben, won’t be on top of him, our son Ben will have to come when he wants to. And look how things turned out! Ben comes here on his own, all the time, he’s invested and involved and helpful and made this a big part of his college experience.
Rochel L’s Mom: At first with Homecoming Weekend and later with this Parents Weekend, our daughter told us not to worry about it, that its mostly for freshmen parents and there was no urgent need for us to come up. But then she told us that the Rubins asked about us coming, and that it indeed was OK for non-freshmen parents to come, too, so we’re very glad we came…
Iris B’s Dad: When I was young, I looked far and wide for a Jewish girl, but somehow I couldn’t come up with one that worked for me. So I went to Israel. I was walking down Dizingoff Street in Tel Aviv and that’s where I met the girl that would become my wife. Her parents weren’t easily convinced. After all, I was just an American tourist, who says I was even Jewish!? I needed some way to impress them, to demonstrate my pedigree. So I began rattling off my Bar-Mitzvah Torah reading, and they cut me off saying, “Ok, ok, ok…”
Raquel B’s Dad: At first we were quite worried for our daughter to come up here to school without friends, but thankfully she is part of a very nice community with freinds, and a family atmosphere away from home. It’s very comforting for us as parents to see her involved and so comfortable here.
Yonatan A’s Dad: In this week’s Torah reading of Chayei Sarah Avraham insists that the Kallah come back with Eliezer, he did not want Yitzchak moving back to where she lived – because Avraham understood the strength of home-court advantage. That’s what was on my mind when our son went away to college. How delighted we were to find that he continues to have the home-court advantage right here at Shabbos House Chabad!
Gadi L’s Dad: Echoing some of the other parents sentiments, it really means so much to us that our son found a home away from home here, and has some a great place to belong and be part of . In his first years we kept hearing so much about Shabbos House, but we didn’t fully understand it until we came up to visit and see it for ourselves. This semester we’ve visited twice!