Labor Day 2014 was an exciting and emotional one for us, traveling to attend an alumni engagement party on Long Island and also sending off our eldest daughter Mushky for a year of study in Israel. We left Albany at 11am, just as the Labor Day Minyan Brunch was getting underway (and yes! they did get a nice Minyan, complete with Torah reading and Shofar blowing, despite our absence and some of the students who traveled down for the alumni Simcha) and got down to East Meadow Long Island close to 2:30pm. Despite the holiday weekend there was little traffic going either way.
Ben Z. and Stephanie L. are both very dear alumni friends, have been a huge part of both the Shabbos House and Jewish UAlbany campus community, as well as later on (esp as Morah Stephanie taught Nursery at Maimonides) involved in the Albany Jewish community as well. It was an excitement for all of us to go down and celebrate with them, together with a nice group of alumni friends (including Michael S. who flew in from Lousiville, and Malcolm W.who was in from Israel) as well as a nice representation from the Albany community. The weather was great, food plentiful, great atmosphere and an opportunity to meet some of the downstate friends and community whom we have heard so much about but not yet met. Maybe wwe’ll post some pictures soon of the beautiful celebration celebrated with dear friends.
We spent all afternoon there, and about 5pm headed over to the Rebbe’s Ohel in Queens, to visit and pray there one last time as family before Mushky heads off to Israel. At the end of our visit we usually like to watch a clip of the Rebbe’s farbrengen from “The Living Torah” that’s playing there on our way out. This time the Rebbe spoke about the importance and value of positive thinking and joyous attitude even when dealing with setbacks and challenges.
We spent the evening at the Galperins, Raizy’s parents in Crown Heights. Finding parking was a nightmare, but we did very much enjoy spending quality time with family.
In the morning we bid Mushky farewell, took these goodbye pictures and set off for Albany in time to prepare for Torah-Tuesday that afternoon. Mushky went to the airport with friends going to the same seminary and what do you know – alumni Adam K. was on the same flight!
Do you see the Mazal-Tov Moving truck in the background? Appropriate indeed! 18 summers ago, that very same moving company moved us up from Brooklyn to Shabbos House in Albany with a 4-month old daughter named Mushky…