During our conversation Chanie noted that we are not being successful in staying in touch with alumni. Keeping the relationship with alumni vibrant is something we consider of the highest priority.
For one, the time we spent together while they were at Brandeis was deeply meaningful to us and there was a lot of time and heart invested into it. To see it wither away is sad.
In addition, the type of relationship they developed with us as their Jewish mentors is something they most likely do not replace after they leave Brandeis. That makes us their remaining Jewish mentors, a responsibility we cannot abandon.
Chanie came up with a brilliant idea. How about spending the summer in NYC? Many alumni live there and we can spend the summer hanging out with them. Brandeis is after all very quiet in the summer. It will also be a nice family vacation. The idea was born.
Now came the hard part, finding something affordable. We were after all looking for a large apartment, were we can host Shabbat dinners, for 6-8 weeks. Looking online I learned that it can get very expensive, way beyond our means.
With the help of our cousin who lives on the Upper West Side, and G-d, we found the perfect place. An apartment on the Upper West Side that was available for seven weeks and had large hosting area (by UWS standards), and the price was extremely affordable. There was a catch though, we needed to dog-sit a cute little Maltese. No problem, our kids would love it.
So now we are here. We just completed our first week and Shabbat. About that another time.
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