Lander College for Men Welcomes Graduates for Annual Alumni Shabbaton

Alumni from the tri-state area and other cities, including Baltimore, Dallas and Los Angeles, converged on the campus last week. Meir Nemetsky flew in from LA with his wife and three children and one graduate, Rabbi Mordechai Burg, the menahel of Yeshivat Mevaseret Tzion, visited as well. Including faculty, spouses and children, close to 300 people were in attendance. Several families stayed in the dorms while others were put up with friends living in the Kew Gardens Hills community.  

Following Kabbalas Shabbos, Dr. Moshe Sokol, dean of the LCM, delivered a d’var Torah on the unique spiritual opportunities of working in a non-Jewish environment (sponsored by Tari and alumnus Ephraim Rosenfeld, in honor of Dr. Sokol’s ongoing dedication to the school) and welcomed the many returning students and their families.

“It is a real thrill to see so many alumni with their wives and children, flourishing in their careers, building homes and taking leadership positions in their communities,” he said.

Before Musaf the next morning, Rabbi Yehuda Shmulewitz, a Rosh Yeshiva and the Menahel of LCM, gave an inspiring and characteristically humorous d’var Torah.

Besides the opportunity to catch up with old friends, alumni enjoyed communal meals, davening and a variety of shiurim and divrei Torah. A Tea Room, fully stocked with snacks, fruit, drinks, hot apple cider and even chulent, was open throughout Shabbos, and alumnus Jonathan Yousefzadeh sponsored a Viennese dessert table in honor of the Shmulewitz and Kopitnikoff families. Rabbi Ariel Kopitnikoff is the director of student life and dormitory supervisor. Babysitting and camp services were provided free of charge throughout the weekend.

Just in case anyone was still hungry, N’Shei Lander, the wives of LCM Kollel and college students, baked and coordinated a gala homemade kiddush for Shabbos morning, which was sponsored by Shani and Aryeh Shapiro on the occasion of the bris of their newborn son.

The numerous learning opportunities throughout Shabbos included:

• a Daf Yomi shiur by Mashgiach Rabbi Moshe Bamberger, sponsored by Avrumi Vais in memory of Hachaver Rabbi Zvi ben Rabbi Moshe Halevi
• a Shabbos morning drasha by Rabbi Shmulewitz, sponsored by Lital and Michael Yehoshua in honor of Rabbi and Rebbetzin Shmulewitz
• a question-and-answer session with Rosh Yeshiva Rabbi Eliyahu Soloveichik, sponsored by Linda and Rabbi Barry Nathan, the director of recruitment, in honor of the Soloveichik family
• a shiur for women, “N’Shei Chayil—Old Values in a New World,” by Rebbetzin Chana Tanenbaum, sponsored by Kayli and Aryeh Young in honor of the Tanenbaum family
• a Sichos Mussar shiur by Rabbi Shmulewitz, sponsored by Faigy and Avihud Kimmel in honor of Rabbi and Rebbetzin Shmulewitz
• a pre-Mincha shiur, “Silver & Gold: The Mishkan in Our Lives,” by Magid Shiur Rabbi Dovid Mirsky , sponsored by Natanya and Meir Milgraum in honor of Rabbi and Rebbetzin Mirsky
• a shalosh seudos sicha, “The Great Wall of Trump,” by Rabbi Bamberger, sponsored by Shoshana and Jordan Kaplan in honor of Rabbi and Rebbetzin Bamberger

After Shabbos internationally renowned, juggling comedian, Michael Karas performed for the adults, while Uncle Moishy character Nachum the Clown entertained the children in a separate room. A “Dairy Deluxe Melave Malka” followed, which was sponsored by Michal and Ari Lasker in honor of the dedication of the LCM alumni board.

Finally, returning alumni were treated with complimentary copies of “Great Jewish Wisdom,” Rabbi Bamberger’s sefer of inspirational quotations by Torah personalities, sponsored by Sarah and Yitzchok Fuchs;  Evan Honigsfeld; Jaclyn and Dani Sova; and Allison and Noah Weichselbaum, in appreciation for Rabbi Bamberger.

“We’re very fortunate to have such active alumni who appreciated their time here and even now are still interested in keeping their ties to the LCM community,” said alumni director Rabbi Aryeh Young.

The Lander College for Men is an undergraduate division of Touro College, in service to the Jewish community. Established in the fall of 2000 and located in Queens, N.Y., the Lander College for Men is grounded in a dual curriculum of intensive Torah study and a wide range of academic programs, and students major in professionally oriented disciplines. Lander College for Men provides students with an environment that produces ethical, mature, and well-rounded professionals committed to scholarship and career growth. Dedicated to Touro’s mission of perpetuating the Jewish heritage, Lander College for Men prepares students to uphold the ideals of Torah and pursue positions of professional and communal leadership. 

 About the Touro College and University System

 Touro is a system of non-profit institutions of higher and professional education. Touro College was chartered in 1970 primarily to enrich the Jewish heritage, and to serve the larger American and global community. Approximately 19,000 students are currently enrolled in its various schools and divisions. Touro College has branch campuses, locations and instructional sites in the New York area, as well as branch campuses and programs in Berlin, Jerusalem, Moscow, Paris and Florida. New York Medical College, Touro University California and its Nevada branch campus, as well as Touro University Worldwide and its Touro College Los Angeles division are separately accredited institutions within the Touro College and University System. For further information on Touro College, please go to: http://www.touro.edu/news/.