CAMPUS KINUS KEYNOTE
Raizy is away for a few days this week at the Chabad on Campus Shluchos Kinus conference in Parsippany NJ. On Wednesday afternoon, she and our daughter Esther Miriam will be the joint keynote speakers at the closing banquet!
GRAND DRAW THANKS AND WINNERS
Thanks to all who participated in the Chabad on Campus Grand Draw. For Shabbos House this was a very helpful jumpstart as we look towards the new year, welcoming Freshmen Move-In starting on the 18th of August. Grand Draw winners are: Grand Prize: $18,000 Kiya Eshaghian, Second Prize: Trip to Israel for 2 Michelle Rosenberg, Third Prize: $1,800 Stephanie Bahn-Poteet, Fourth Prize: USD 1,000 Akiva Feinsod, Fifth Prize: $500 USD Barry Hellman, Lena Khavinson.
THOUGHTS ON THE FLOODING
Flooding was big in the news this month, first the devastating terrible floods in Texas on July 4th, and in mid-July closer to home in areas of NJ and NY. Here’s Some Thoughts on Flooding and its Messages that we put together (from past and recent posts). We’re not meteorologists, climate scientists or mavens on public policy but the Baal Shem Tov taught there are life lessons to be learned from everything.
GRAND JURY
Mendel has been serving on Grand Jury for 8 Fridays this summer (August 8th should be the last one). Deferred at first but summer seemed best time to get it done. It’s turned out to be quite the interesting experience, learned a lot from the many cases (sometimes as many as 5 per Friday). We can’t share any details as the proceedings are secret and these cases haven’t yet gone to trial, but there are many lessons to learned at least in vague abstract. We wrote some up at Like a Rose Among Thorns, and The Eye That Sees. We’ll share more (to the limited extent possible) as the weeks go by.
ALUMNI REUNIONS
Two small alumni get-togethers we’re planning are (1) this coming Sunday, July 27th, 2pm near the Rebbe’s Ohel in Queens, and (2) 11am-1pm on Sunday August 17th, likely in Crown Heights, Brooklyn (right off the subway), location TBA. If you can make either of these, let’s be in touch, would be great to see you. We’ll have some food, and some time together to see each other and catch up. We’ll have to get back to more reunions again soon! But also looking forward to alumni weddings and Simchas, alumni visits for Cozy-Shabbat and opportunities to see each other and connect.
COZY SHABBAT
This past Shabbat we had an alum visit from one of our first years, this coming Shabbat we look forward to have a few alumni from more recent years. We’re here doing all the Cozy Shabbat weekends this summer.
THE CHAYENU – DAILY STUDY CHAT
A good thing this summer is that we’ve gotten back into the regular groove of our Daily Study Whatsapp Group (message us to the join link). We share an insight or two, a message, usually in text, sometimes a voice note, sometimes an image. Something each day. It’s a way to keep up with daily study of the Parsha of the week (and select Rashi commentary) or sometimes a piece from the daily Tanya study. It’s most meaningful for those who follow the daily study, but regardless everyone should be able to get something from it.
OUR PHILLY VISIT
Mendel had a speaking engagement in Philly two weeks ago. We turned it into a two-day trip for the two of us. We stayed the night at alumni Wendy (’07) and Andrew in Bala Cynwd and that was very special. The next day we toured Old City Philadelphia’s historic sites, here’s a post about the Liberty Bell (about its verse and its shape), and another post remembering Herman at his Mikveh Israel synagogue, and we’ll probably soon post another post (under “Mendel’s Messages”) of other meaningful things we saw and enjoyed together.
A FEW OTHER UPDATES
We’ve spent quite a bit of this summer studying with and preparing alumni for marriage. We ordered a bunch of new (and re-ordered) SWAG for Shabbos House. Chani made a new “Doodle Bag” for Shabbos House which is pretty cool. We’ll turn it into stickers, too. We tabled at 11 Orientation/Connection Days meeting new students. And we began working on the Fall semester calendar. Still awaiting final confirmation on the Kosher DIning back on campus, but had a number of meetings and communications on it, and it seems to hopefully be on the way. And starting to plan new sets of Torah Tuesdays class themed series.
SOME FAMILY UPDATES
Rivka turns 11 this week! She has one more week of local day-camp before heading to Camp Emunah in the Catskills. Esther Miriam is an assistant counselor in the same Day-Camp with Bunk One, and she heads to the Camp Emunah Teen Camp in a week as well. We’ll be taking them down to the Catskills on Tuesday the 29th. Bluma is a day camp counselor in Squirrel Hill Pittsburgh until mid-August and this week she got to meet the man behind Itche Kadoozy!Bassie was camp photographer and social-media manager at Camp Gan Israel Poconos this summer, but comes home at the end of July (she may be headed for second month at a camp in the Catskills). Chani and Sara have been home much of the summer, but are coming back home now from a week of travel to their cousin in Biarritz France. Moshe is in/out this summer, doing work, study, some Kosher supervision and some travel. Down in Florida the grandkids are enjoying daycamp. This week they had a sidewalk bake and drink sale on their street raising funds for Chai Lifeline and they were very into it!
THE THREE WEEKS
We’re now in the period called “The Three Weeks” remembering the Jerusalem Temple. This Shabbat is Rosh Chodesh Av, which begins the period (within the 3 Weeks) called the Nine Days, which culminates with Tisha B’Av – the fast day of the Ninth of Av. The traditional wish for this time of year is “Yayhafchu Yamim Eilu…” may these days be transformed to days of joy and gladness, indeed, may they be transformed, and may we do our part in transforming bitter to sweet, negative to positive, sadness to joy!
Love and best wishes!
Mendel and Raizy
Rohr Chabad Jewish Student Center