On Thursday of last week, 6/24, we had a get together with alumni at a lounge in NYC. The event was an opportunity for us to see alumni whom we have not seen in a while, for alumni to see each other and a fundraiser for Chabad. It was also the kickoff to our summer in NYC (which I will write about on a later post).

At the event we presented two awards. The Alumnus Award, presented to an alumnus who stood out in their support and care for Chabad. The award was given to Andy Fruchter '06. Andy's support for Chabad has become personal as he continuously takes interest in the development and needs of Chabad.

The second award presented was the Bayit Yehudi Award. It is presented to an alumnus who personifies one of the highest values of Chabad Brandeis, the commitment to build a Jewish home on the foundations of Torah and Mitzvot. The award was presented to Kevin IBS '06 and Mylene Benmoussa. Beginning even before their wedding in the summer of 2008, Kevin and Mylene have role-modeled the commitment to building a Bayit Yehudi.

Now about the event itself. To be completely honest, we had concerns about how many people would show up. We have never done an event like this before and there was a cost associated with participating. With the help of a group of alumni who functioned as chairs of the event word got out. By the day of the event 60 alumni already registered, most of them in the last two weeks, and at the door 20 more appeared.

We were so delighted and moved by the number, and diversity, of alumni who came out that evening. We are deeply grateful and appreciative to each individual who came. Explaining to all present why this means so much to us, I shared, "At Brandeis you had few alternatives how to spend your time on Shabbat, so coming to Chabad was no big deal and does not carry as much value. In NYC though, after you been gone from Brandeis for numerous years, coming out for Chabad means the world to us."

Everyone had a great time catching up and hanging out. There was an open bar for the first hour, and at the end of the evening we raffled off an iPad. 

Congratulations to the winner Sophie Azeroul '08!

We also rolled out "From our Shabbat Table to Yours" the Chabad House at Brandeis Cookbook.

You can see photos from the event here.