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Chabad on Fulton
Jewish Student Center
Annual Report 2018-19
“Thanks to your giving, over the course of my four years at Vassar, I grew not only as a Jew, but also as a leader.” Read Sylvan’s story about how you empowered him to change the Vassar Jewish community!
Thank you for creating Sylvan’s story! This report is a celebration of you and your impact! But Sylvan’s story is just one of the hundreds of students that you support. He is just one of the students you have allowed us to be there for. We appreciate your concern for Vassar Jewish students’ wellbeing. It is only through your giving that Rabbi Daniel and I are able to dedicate our lives towards inspiring the Jewish future. Our student community is so fortunate to have such kind, generous people who care deeply about the development of every student individual Jewish identity. I’d love to hear from you about your experience while you were a student at Vassar or what is like to be a parent of a Vassar student. Email me anytime: dalia@chabadonfulton.org or my cell after 8pm kids bedtime 845214-6286. I hope you enjoy reading how you have changed his life, forever! Dalia Sanoff Director, Chabad on Fulton
Cookie Decorating Event
Dalia Playing Driedel during a Chanukah Lighting in a Dorm
Thanks to you,
“I grew not only as a Jew, but also as a leader.” By Sylvan Perlmutter ‘19 Over the course of my 4 years at Vassar, becuase of your giving, I developed a deeper and deeper hunger to know more about Judaism and make Jewishness a more present in my daily life.
Jewish texts, history, and identity.
At first, I was hesitant to fully participate in Chabad. I was raised in the Conservative movement and thought that my personal approach to Jewish practice It was difficult to and values would not satisfy my need for a mesh well. But as I began Rather the goal is deeper Jewish connection to provide a space to form friendships with at first. Campus politics, students in Chabad and for Jews at Vassar specifically surrounding the got to know Daniel and to be as Jewish as Israeli-Palestinian conflict Dalia better, I realized they wanted to be. that there was no pressure and the BDS movement, injected an element of for me to adopt every anxiety and conflict into Jewish life that I facet of Chabad’s approach to Judaism. struggled hard to overcome. Rather the goal was to provide a space However, as time went on, I began for Jews at Vassar to be as Jewish as they increasingly participating in Chabad and wanted to be. And so I began to study found a community of intelligent and regularly with the Rabbi and readily ate the curious fellow students and an amazing gefilte fish every Shabbat. Rabbi and Rebbetzin that made me feel My senior year, I had the honor of welcome and stimulated my interests in
look around the shabbat table and take serving as Chabad president. It was a pleasure in just how many more people trying role. I had to to contend with were joining us than in my freshman year. the standard intransigence of college Chabad’s presence at Vassar has definitely bureaucracy as well as respond to antisemitic incidents on campus and increased the rate of participation in in the country, but I had a board of Jewish life amongst students at Vassar intelligent and deeply committed fellow and after graduation. students working For example, I am with me and we were Chabad’s presence at currently in Israel for a 5 able to handle every Vassar has definitely month intensive Hebrew obstacle. increased the rate of language program and I am proud of the participation in Jewish plan remain afterwards projects we were able life amongst students to study for a masters in Jerusalem. to accomplish, from a Taste of Judaism My time with Chabad event where we made Uzbeki Jewish food definitely played a role in giving me the to a photo exhibition on contemporary confidence to pursue this path, and I am Antisemitism that educated the greater excited to see the positive role Chabad Vassar community. I grew not only as a will play for Vassar students in the years Jew, but also as a leader. to come! At the end of my senior year, I would
(Right) Sylvan at the opening of Contempory Antisemitism Exhibit in the College Center. Spring 2019 (Below) Sylvan’s inspiring words during the Pittsburgh Vigil. Fall 2018
‘Taste of Judaism: Cuba’ event, Sylvan shares with the communnity about his family’s history in Cuba. Spring 2016
Sylvan at Chanukah Lighting in Rocky. Fall 2015
At first, we were concerned about sending our son to Vassar... But you gave us peace of mind!
“Rabbi Daniel and Dalia encouraged Sylvan to delve into Judaism, studied with him, and gave him the space to do it his own way” By Lauren Busch and Ruben Perlmutter
When our son, Sylvan, was considering whether to attend Vassar, one of our few concerns was the quality of Jewish life on campus – whether Sylvan would be able to explore his personal sense of Jewishness on a campus that had a reputation for student body hostility toward expressions of Jewishness and any brand of Zionism.
on a self-proclaimed atheist who grew up in a Conservative movement home). Sylvan met equally curious fellow Jewish students at Chabad.
And, most important to these parents, the Sanoffs took care of Sylvan when he was sick, bringing him soup! The Sanoffs not only treated Sylvan this way, but are Our fears were not overblown. However, trying to so treat the entire Vassar Jewish even with an active pro-BDS movement, community. recent graduates who encouraged their peers Participation in As parents we will be Jewish campus life has to “slap a Zionist” and forever grateful to a school administration grown exponentially, you for creating an generally indifferent to especially on the the concerns of Jewish High Holidays, when oasis in a sometimes student groups, Sylvan people who weren’t hostile environment did manage to make very otherwise involved in good friends among the Jewish life at Vassar student body at large. came to Chabad and connected with their Jewishness. And Sylvan was encouraged to But more important, he found a home help lead and participate in that growth as away from home where he could experience student president of Chabad on Fulton. and contribute to Jewish life on campus: Chabad on Fulton. As parents we will be forever grateful to the Sanoffs for creating an oasis in a Rabbi Daniel and Dalia Sanoff welcomed sometimes hostile environment, for taking Sylvan with open arms. They encouraged care of our son, and for ensuring that he Sylvan to delve into Judaism, studied with will remain actively involved in Jewish him, and gave him the space to do it his own spiritual, cultural and intellectual life way (not forcing an orthodox approach throughout his own life.
Chabad Fights Anti-Semitism By Spreading Pro-Semitism We take it for granted that the way to address the evil of anti-Semitism is to fight it. It’s a natural part of our vocabulary. We fight, we confront, we condemn, we call out. We refuse to stand idly by. All of that makes perfect sense.
Did it work? Does it work? Does fighting darkness with light really change anything? Are there any metrics to measure success? Chabad doesn’t worry about standard metrics. Its key metric of success is: How many people have we helped today and how many good deeds have we enabled? Maybe that’s the way love works. It doesn’t calculate. It just gives.
But on this 25th anniversary of the passing of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, leader of the Chabad movement, it’s worth reflecting on his approach to fighting This kind of love can be disarming. It’s hard darkness. You never heard the Rebbe call for to hate someone who believes only in acts of protests or demonstrations. He By spreading the goodness, even if it’s not your never urged his followers to hit goodness of Judaism in religion. the streets to confront evil. such a visible and loving By spreading the goodness Instead, he urged them to hit way, the Rebbe showed of Judaism in such a visible and the streets to spread goodness loving way, the Rebbe showed the world a Judaism and kindness. the world a Judaism that is hard that is hard to hate The Rebbe himself was to hate. He responded to antiidealistic, but hardly naive. He was a man of the Semitism with the gentle but potent force of world, a scholar and philosopher, fully aware pro-Semitism. of the dark side of human nature. Maybe he For all of us who believe in fighting antisaw that there already were plenty of groups Semitism through standard methods, we owe the fighting humanity’s darkness through the standard Rebbe a debt of gratitude for contributing his methods of confrontation and condemnation. transcendent approach of goodness and kindness. He took his movement in another direction, Whether or not we believe it’s “working,” it’s closer to who he was. It would fight darkness hard to imagine our world without it. with light, hate with love, despair with hope, Adapted from a Jewish Journal article by David Suissa | July 7, 2019 complaint with action.
Statement of Financial Activity July 1st, 2018 - June 30th, 2019
To be honest, our finances are our biggest struggle. But, this year we saw a 13.9% increase in our annual fund! It is far from where we need to be in order for the Sanoff’s to receive a respectable salary. But we are invested for life and our dedication is the key to our success! Donations (Income) Annual Fund $98,775.10
Expenses Business Expenses Programs Charitable Contributions Contract Services Development Facilities and Equipment Operations Payroll Conferences Travel Total Expenses Net Operating Revenue
$1203.57 $22,431.26 $1,496.40 $4,115.00 $7,776.56 $29,992.79 $28582.91 $1,194.28 $137.80 $3,751.45 $100,681.66 -$1,906.56
THANK YOU!!!
For making Vassar Jewish students smile
Our 2018-19 Donors Students
Yoni Auerbach Jesse Hartman Jesser Horowitz Sarah Roth Sophie Schoenbrun Yair Stein Jonah Tuckman
Alumnae/i
Ed and Shari Adler Dean Ben-Benjamin Elle Berger Jane Bergner Hannah Bloch The Chakoffs Natalie Cohen Mallory Dugan Aimee Dweck Victoria Eli Linda Englander Joanne Feuerman Paul Fix III Kim Gantz Julianne Garber Eliot Gerson Sam Goldberg William Goren Melissa Green Amy Harris and Joss Geiduschek Alex Hess
Julia Holz Maya Horowitz Laurie Josephs Marilyn Kaplan Joanne Kay Emily Korzenik Henry Kunin Anna Lazimi Judith Leader Robert Leikind Judith Lewittes Susan Lierberman Melinda Maidens Carol and Robert Marcus Martin Mendelsohn Jordana Merran Jonathan Nadler Phillip and Nancy Namanworth Rachel Pittelman Vruce Raben Simon Rabinowitz Jim Raker Teme Ring Glenn Schwartz Natalie Silverman Ian Snyder Russel Spiro Rosamond Stern Oli Stephano Jason Storch Megan Tallmer
Michael Weiner
Parents
Sigal and Eran BenPorath Ariane Brandt Lenore Broughton Liz and Larry Brownridge Robin Charlow and Saul Rothenberg Linda Coe Jacob and Rodica Cohen Ziva Dahl Keith Firestone Linda Fishman Susan and Jon Gerson Jon Gerson Amy Glickman Samuel Goldberg Leonard and Myrna Goldstein Jeffrey Goodman Hedy Howard Stacey Kalberman and Neil Kopitsky Miles and Roberta Kuttler Emily Marbach David and Lois Miller Susan Okrent Ruben and Lauren
Perlmutter Laura Pravitz-Rosen Lisa Rosenblum Alan Rosenthal Mike Sherman Sam Sokolov Abby and Nelson Stacks Laura and Ariel Stein Eve Stern Nancy Storch
Friends
Miryam Alburquerque Avraham Brothman Steve Cohen Alex Cohen Gregg Feingold Norman Feingold Susan and Allen Fink Chaya Gansburg Eric Jacobs Lipa Kaufman Mark Manin Ellen Milberg Lily Namanworth Peggy Sarlin Claude Sherman Nancy Temkin Namanworth Eitan Webb Jeremy Zucker
Annual Report for ‘18-’19 Scholastic Year (07/18-06/19) Chabadonfulton.org | rabbi@chabadonfulton.org | 845-214-6734 | 94 Fulton Ave, Poughkeepsie, NY 12603 Chabad on Fulton is the assumed name of Chabad on Campus Dutchess, Inc. a 501(c)3 registered with the state of New York. We are unaffiliated with Vassar College