Four years ago I came to Binghamton University. To some this may seem like a long time ago, but to me it seems like it was just yesterday. As I look back on my time here at Binghamton Chabad has had an immense impact on my life. I did not come here with an immense knowledge of Judaism like many others had but I had an immense thirst for it. Unlike many of the other students who were regular attendants at Chabad services and their various other activities I had not gone to yeshiva and was fairly less observant. I hesitated to go to Chabad at first due to my pre-conceived notions of how a Jew like me would be viewed by Jews like “them.” I felt that I would not be accepted and so I did not allow myself to enjoy the various resources and gifts that Chabad presents, selflessly, to every Jewish student that comes to Binghamton. It was not until I met two “Persians,” who had gotten to know the Rabbi and the students better
than I had, that I started to go to Chabad House. Aside from the compassion that my parents had showed me I had known very few people who were willing to do things for others for very little in return. Chabad House in Binghamton, in my opinion, is the pinnacle of what the Rebbe, of blessed memory, stood for. They have brought the light of Judaism to countless generations of students that pass through their doors. In my opinion, Judaism began with Abraham bringing people into his home and feeding them in hopes of opening a whole new world to them. It is this tradition that has been, and G-d willing, will continue to be carried forth by Chabad House into the future.