Name: Abie Mizrahi
Major: Finance
Future Plans: Undecided
One of my major criteria in choosing the school for me was the ability to maintain my Jewish lifestyle for four crucial years. After asking a few friends that attended Binghamton University at the time, I was reassured that Binghamton had a Chabad House and everything would be taken care of. When I pictured my four years of college, I saw myself attending Binghamton University and spending Shabbat at Chabad. Four years later and about to graduate, it feels like I’ve worked a full time job at Chabad while attending Binghamton University on the side. If I could go back in time I wouldn’t change a thing. For four years, Chabad has been the facilitator for all aspects of my Jewish life at Binghamton. I’ve attended nearly every Shabbat and Holiday meal, prayed with them on Yom Kippur, and enjoyed countless religious and social programs. I even introduced Sephardic songs into the Saturday afternoon line up. It was here that I established valuable relationships and lasting friendships. Early on, I was immediately trusted to head up programs of my own. I put together the Chabad intramural sports teams and volunteered at many events. In sophomore year, I organized the Midnight Madness Raffle to raise money for an organization I volunteered for back home. By my junior year I ended up serving as President of Chabad’s E-board, a position I never expected to fill as a freshman. As I get ready to move on to the next stage of my life, I constantly think about a major lesson that I’ve learned during my time at Chabad. No matter where I may be in world, no matter what environment I might find myself in, it is still possible to thrive as a Jew. In a town as small and random as Binghamton, Chabad has developed a thriving Jewish organization. It deeply affects the lives of thousands of students and community members and I’m confident that it will continue to so for years to come. As we all move forward it is extremely important that we continue to support Chabad so that in can continue to grow, thrive, and provide for future generations in the same capacity that it has provided for us.
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