UALBANY IS NOW ON SPRING BREAK
COZY SHABBAT
We are having Cozy Shabbat (our version of quieter Shabbat weekends over academic breaks) dinners and lunches both weekends of Spring Break, but no Minyan. If you are up here either weekend, please join us!
3/23-24 – PURIM WHEN YOU RETURN
Purim is Sat Night 3/23 into Sunday 3/24 which is the last day of Spring Break. We will have Cozy Shabbat here that last weekend of break. On Sat Night we’ll have Megillah and something light. Sunday night as students return we’ll have Megillah at 6pm followed by a festive Purim feast and festivity welcoming you back to the rest of the semester…
3/23: PURIM NIGHT
Small Megillah reading here on Sat Night starting 8:15pm. Maybe a small crowd, but the whole Megillah! We’ll have sushi-salad, bourekas and related treats here following the reading.
3/24: PURIM DAY
Given students’ trickle-back return from Spring Break, we’re doing a late-day Purim Party on Sunday. We’ll do the last Megillah reading of the day at 6:15pm followed by a festive Purim holiday meal, with student comedy, mix-your-own mocktails, lively festivity and more. Hopefully the energy and vibe will go for a while – so even if you come later, we should have good things happening.
WHEREVER YOU ARE, the 4 PURIM MITZVOT + CUSTOMS:
There are 4 mitzvot of Purim, plus popular fun customs. In Hebrew all 4 Mitzvot begin with the Hebrew letter Mem:
1) Megillah – hear it night and day. Customs
2) Matanot L’Evoyonim – charity to the poor. All year long there are many forms of charity, to support schools, hospitals, synagogues, and organizations etc. But on Purim, the mitzvah is to give to people in need. Orgs can also help do that, including Shabbos House which sends out Tzedakah funds on (and leading up to) Purim for alumni who need some help, to worthy organizations here and in Israel who help people in need. If you use shabboshouse.org/donate for this purpose, please indicate in the notes or email us that it is for “Purim Charity”.
3) Mishloach Manot – food packages to a friend. Can be elaborate packages and to a bunch of people, or just two simple foods to one friend fulfills the mitzvah.
4) Mishteh – the festive spirited Purim meal. It’s supposed to be a fun happy celebration!
Purim customs include graggering noisemaking to drown out Haman’s mentions in the Megillah reading, dressing up in costume to remember how Esther hid her identity and how G-d himself is hidden behind the curtains of the Megillah story – G-d’s name isn’t mentioned once but the telltale signs are throughout. Of course, Hamantachen filled triangular cookies are also a classic customary Purim treat. Some also eat Kreplach (filled soup dumplings), too. Both hide their filling to one degree or another.
3/25: SHUSHAN PURIM TABLE ON CAMPUS
Look for our table on Monday, first day back, indoors in Campus Center. “Shushan Purim” is the day after regular Purim when ancient walled cities like Jerusalem celebrated their Purim Day. We’ll have a little wall of Jerusalem at our table, give out Hamantaschen, and let the joyous Purim spirit linger on a bit longer.
3/26: NEW SERIES of 4 TORAH-TUES
We have 4 Torah-Tuesdays now left to the semester, and they’re all part of an extended 4-part series on Jewish Song. The first, this coming Tuesday, is titled: “Jews Sing the Darnest Things” as we get to know some of the commonly sung synagogue songs and what they mean.
3/20-3/28: SHABBOS HOUSE & UALBANY’S “MARCH MATCHNESS”
So UAlbany has a big fundraiser push for these 8 days or so in March, where there are matching funds and donations (of any size) can be earmarked to specific departments, athletic teams, or even Shabbos House! The direct link for “The Shabbos House Fund” at UAlbany is: albany.edu/giving/shabboshouse or people can give through the main March Matchness page and split their gift to various programs. Most people who donate to Shabbos House do so directly to Shabbos House, but this can be another way to support Shabbos House, (and get our name out there) and it still be considered a donation to UAlbany – and UAlbany gets matching funds.
4/5-6 – REGIONAL PEGISHA IN MONSEY
We’ve hosted every four years in Albany since 2014! This year the regional Chabad on Campus Pegisha Shabbaton will be hosted in Monsey NY and we hope to bring a nice group along. We’ll leave here Friday noon-ish and return late on Sat Night. Speak to us for more info, but it is by registration only. Let us know if you need some help subsidizing part of the $36 cost per student or if you have other questions. Register via Chabad on Campus at: https://chabadoncampus.org/regional/ Registration closes soon, by or just before the end of March.
Also Further Ahead:
– CAMERA on Campus is hosting a young engaging speaker from Israel at Shabbos House, save the date for Wednesday April 3rd at 6pm.
– Shabbos House Lchaim Student E-Board Elections are 4/9. Stay tuned.
– Pesach/Passover is coming! We will have almost all the meals here! Look for schedule soon! Need a holiday religious letter for missing classes/tests etc? Please use this Passover 2024 form and we’ll write the letter and send to you. Don’t leave until last minute!
– And the annual Grad Party (this year is a huge senior class!) will be Sunday, May 5th.
THE PASSOVER LETTERS
We’re doing more letters this week but only based on this Passover form. You can change your mind and form entry later about which parts of Passover you are staying or going home for, but for writing religious letters it is easiest for us to work off the form. FYI: We will have Passover Seders, holidays meals etc for all who are staying up here. More details later..
Love,
Mendel and Raizy
Rohr Chabad Jewish Student Center
Many thanks to all students engaged and involved in Jewish campus life, which is a tremendous antidote and response to whatever negativity and darkness out there. You (and we all together) make a huge difference, generating much positive energy and light! Completing the Circle!
Enjoy the unusually pleasant rare February weather while it lasts. Supposedly it will be turning much colder this coming week, possibly even some snow!
Good Shabbos, looking forward to celebrating together.
Love,
Mendel and Raizy
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SHABBOS HOUSE