ב”ה
First hand reports on the challenges of the COVID college experience and
How you impacted Vassar Jewish students
Purim Fun
Chabad on Fulton
Jewish Student Center
Annual Report 2020-21
“When I started in the Fall, I was scared that Zoom would be the only way I can connect and interact with others....”
Shalom and Thank YOU!!! Allow me to introduce myself, I am Sam G. (‘24) from the NYC area. I was beyond fortunate to have your support as I navigated what none of us asked for, to start college during a pandemic… I arrived on campus with all the jitters of a typical college freshman, but without the freedom to explore my interests and make friends. Luckily for me, I found Chabad and your loving care! It was an uneasy feeling about how I would meet other students or feel the warmth of a Jewish community I remember from home. It was on my mind the whole summer and was stressful when I first moved to campus. Chabad, with your help, did so much to welcome new students by hosting virtual welcome events and putting on outdoor shabbat dinners so that first years had fellow Jews to share a meal with in the first few weeks of school that were so isolated. Every dinner, crafting event and Jewish study session brought me closer to a group of people that helped me through one of the most difficult times of all our lives. In this annual report, I wanted to share with you my first hand experiences that you helped form. I hope you will enjoy reading about how your giving made my and many other students’ year that much better! Now as I prepare for my sophomore year, as a result of your giving, I have friends and a supportive Jewish community to look forward to seeing again! Warmly, Sam G. Class of 2024
Being able to go to a physical campus was a privilege not many college students were able to experience last year. My friends at larger schools were sent online just weeks after classes started.
Bagels and Lox Yom Kippur Break-Fast
At Vassar, the campus practiced a “We Before Me” approach which got us through the year with very few COVID cases but meant we were very restricted in what we could do.
It was simply not the freshman year you or anyone else was used to. We had to mask up even while outside, many classes were on Zoom, the dining hall was “grab and go”, we couldn’t visit our friend’s dorm rooms, and we couldn’t go off campus. We even had assigned bathroom stalls for a while!
Shabbat to Go Pick Ups
All these restrictions meant most programs were a shell of themselves. But Chabad put on tons of programming just so first year students could feel more supported. Small things like check-ins, care packages, walks on the farm with Dalia and Rabbi gave so many of the first years reassurance and a touch of home that we needed to get through the year.
Rabbi and Dalia were there for us at all hours of the day. They committed
themselves to making sure I had a familiar face to call on when I was feeling isolated and homesick. I felt so much less lonely when I talked to other first years at Chabad events. There was something about that space we all needed.
With our freshman orientation being on Zoom, things were strange to say the least. I visited Chabad’s open house hours during the virtual student organization fair. Once things settled down, I tried out some of Chabad’s virtual events. One of my favorites was the Mezuzah Decorating. The Sanoffs and the Chabad student board personally delivered the supplies to students’ doors. Schmoozing ensued. Later I felt so relieved when I wasn’t the only one logged onto the Zoom. And even more relieved that my painting skills were far from the worst. Jews and crafts, eh? I wasn’t sure what to expect when the High Holy Days came around. I missed going to Temple with my parents, having a Rosh Hashanah luncheon and Yom Kippur break-fast surrounded by mishpachah (family). With all the restrictions, I didn’t expect any sort of service with other people. But Chabad put on the full range of services for the High Holidays. Kol Nidre, Rosh Hashanah at Graduation Hill, Tashlikh, and Yom Kippur All outside, distanced, but together and meaningful. Services for Rosh Hashanah were inspiring looking over Sunset Lake. Hearing the prayers I grew up with was surprisingly comforting. The annual
reflection grounded me spiritually.
As I looked across the lake at the crimson-colored leaves of fall, my mind wandered to the next year. I hoped the next time I was hearing these prayers, seeing the colors change, the pandemic would be a memory.
Jewish Communal Bonfire
Coming back to campus in January, I was even more nervous about what life would be like... In the fall, everyone was excited to get out and explore college. Even though it was difficult, people had the energy to try different clubs and meet friends. The sun was out and the days were long and warm. January in Poughkeepsie was a different story. We had to quarantine when we returned to campus, and the dining hall was still grab and go, meaning we could either eat in our dorm rooms or the sub-freezing temperatures outside. Chabad seemed so caring when we got back to campus. They dropped off care packages with snacks, a Jewish coloring book Rabbi Daniel made himself for us and even hand warmers for outdoor socializing. Student board members texted freshmen asking if we wanted to go on walks. Walks were the big social thing to do in the pandemic year. I came to love the Shabbat-to-go packages the Sanoffs cooked. Every Friday, Dalia pulled behind Davison with hot matzah ball soup and with a fresh baked challah. Schmoozing ensued. It wasn’t just first-years but a lot of upperclassmen also chatted for a long time in spite of the cold air. Even though we were all in the same area, it was nice to have an adult who wasn’t inside the Vassar bubble to ask about my life and to offer some sympathy as well as a little bit of Jewish wisdom to get us through the winter. Purim drop offs!
Quarantine Care Packages
Shabbat Dinner (taken before shabbat)
As the winter thawed, students ventured out more and more. Restrictions lifted little by little. In March we had our first in-person Shabbat. Inside the on-campus tent it was freezing! Raining! Windy! A total mess, but well after the hot food turned cold, we were still talking, laughing, looking eagerly to a more hopeful fall. Even with all the restrictions and isolation I still grew so much as a person in my freshman year. Academically, I challenged myself to explore new ways of thinking about the world and myself. Participating in Sinai Scholars was a big part of this journey too. It was an eight lesson course to help me understand what it means to be Jewish as an adult. After my bar mitzvah I escaped hebrew school and never went back. But being around like minded people at Chabad made me feel more comfortable to explore my Jewish identity. Taking Sinai Scholars classes gave me the platform to explore my identity as an adult in a judgement free environment along with people who took their own spiritual journeys to heart. I was spiritually and academically engaged in a way that I didn’t know was possible to combine.
Last year, your generous gifts helped Jewish students at Vassar create a semblance of community during the pandemic year. Now, as we excitedly await a return to normal, we are counting on you to help make possible, once again, the homey, nurturing community that students find with Rabbi Daniel and Dalia’s Chabad House.
Statement of Financial Activity July 1st, 2020 - June 30th, 2021
COVID-19 has negatively effected most areas of our economy and our organization is no different. We remain firm in our dedication to provding Jewish life to Vassar students regardless of any challenges. This year required Dalia and I to forgo our salary. To cover our deficit, we took a long term, low interest loan from the SBA disaster relief fund. We are positive that the new year will improve our financial well being.
Donations (Income) Annual Fund $83,437.23
Expenses Business Expenses Programs Charitable Contributions Contract Services Development Facilities and Equipment Operations Payroll Profession Trainings Travel Total Expenses Net Operating Revenue
$2,160.18 $49,303.61 $476.90 $2,370.00 $5,156.31 $25,527.18 $19,545.11 $0 $1,251.20 $1,377.14 $107,167.63 -$23,730.40
Thank you to our 2020-21 Donors Alumnae/i
Ed & Shari Adler Yoni Auerbach Mark Banschick Georgette Bennett Jane Berenbeim Elle Berger Cap Caplan Rachel Chaikoff Robin Charlow Natalie Cohen Andrew Eisen Joanne Feuerman Suzanne Fishman Kim Gantz Julianne Garber Mia Geiduschek Jeffrey Goodman William Goren Paula Gottesman Rachel Greenfield Alex Hess Florence Holtzman Jesser Horowitz Maya Horowitz
Marilyn Kaplan Emily Korzenik Henry Kunin Alice and Van Lanckton Anna Lazimi Judith Leader Robert Leikind Melinda Maidens Sarah Mamlet Carol and Bob Marcus Martin Mendelsohn Jordana Merran Ellen Milberg Zerlina Panush Bruce Raben Teme Ring Sarah Roth Joan Rothberg Anna Rothenberg Naama Silverman Epraim Spiro Jason Storch Jesse Szteinbaum Nancy Temkin Charlotte Waldman
Leah Weingast Victor Zhelinsky
Parents
Hannah Bloch Jacob and Rodica Cohen Jonathan Fischer Linda Fishman Daniel Forman Amy Glickman Leonard Goldstein Amy Harris Hedy Howard Miles and Roberta Kuttler Susan Okrent Naomi Perlman Ruben Perlmutter David Ratzman Lisa Rosenblum Alan Rosenthal Saul Rothenberg Mike Sherman Abby Stacks Laura Stein Eve Stern
Nancy Storch Marian and Edward Szteinbaum
Friends
Miryam Alburquerque Lenore Broughton Susan Budson-Fink Steve Cohen Norman Feingold Gregg Feingold Anna Gommerstadt Lipa Kaufman Susan Raskin Brion Shapiro Rose Shapiro Claude Sherman Marc Smith Eitan Webb
Annual Report for ‘20-’21 Scholastic Year (07/2020-06/2021) 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