Highlighters

– inspiring anecdotes from Baruchians

Miracles
& Thanks

By Isabel Goldin

When life gives us Thanksgiving on Chanukah, we can have fun and make a menurkey or a turkel. But let us take a moment to appreciate the symbolism of these two holidays coinciding. Chanukah is a celebration of miracles, Thanksgiving a holiday of gratitude. When was the last time we took the time to be thankful for the miracles in our lives?

We can walk around under a dark cloud, over-analyzing and worrying. We end up carrying the weight of the world on our shoulders and forget that the world is actually carrying us. Or we can choose to be grateful and recognize what is wonder-full. They can be the small things such as a seat on the train, a short line at the coffee shop or a chance meeting with a friend on the way to class. The reasons to be happy are endless if we make a habit of it.

The Big Miracle

My mother beat her second battle with cervical cancer when I was seventeen. After fifteen years of treating the tumor the cancer came back, requiring a regimen of chemotherapy and radiation. It was a difficult time for our family. With the miracle of modern medicine and many prayers, she was cancer free! The experience taught me to live life to the fullest and to appreciate the people I have in my life. I definitely feel like the luckiest girl in the world every time I turn to my mother and see her standing by me, having been given her third chance at life.

I asked others at Baruch to share the miraculous moments and attitudes of gratitude. Here are their voices:

Thank You Dance

Shaniece Simone

class of 2015

As a child all I ever wanted to do was dance. Dancing and the theatre made me truly happy. At age ten I was accepted to the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre. Unfortunately, even with a partial scholarship it was still quite expensive. My mom, a single mother with four children, could not afford it.

I tried not to get my hopes up. Just before the deadline to register my mother told me that I was all set and it was all paid for. I never felt so happy—I went around with the cheesiest grin on my face. Even at such a young age, I could see her sacrifice and struggle to give me a chance at success, even if she had nothing to eat for days, couldn’t shop and wore the same jeans every day.

I appreciate my mom’s caring, more every day as I see success in my chosen path and I am continually grateful—not just on Thanksgiving. But on this day I focus on all the good and remind myself to be try to be selfless, too.

All My Friends

Mariam Anuashvili

class of 2016

Every friend is a small miracle. In my Junior year at High School I had a falling out with my best friend that lasted for eight months. I went through a difficult time and I will always remember and be grateful for her resolution in picking up the phone and calling me unexpectedly. I appreciate her presence in my life all the more now. This Thanksgiving I am grateful for the newly acquired friends I made at Baruch and the acceptance I have experienced here at school as a transfer student. The help of Baruch’s Student Life and the people I meet through their various programs has made a difficult adjustment very smooth and joyous.

Earning for Learning

Tanribul Hanrique

class of 2016

Like many people, there was much in my life I took for granted. But after living in Bangladesh for seven years I’m thankful for everything I have, most importantly, the opportunity to go to school. Young people today think education is a punishment— I felt the same way for a good part of my life. I hated waking up and going to school. I didn’t imagine myself going to class every day if the decision was up to me. In Bangladesh, I saw children as young as six doing construction work and I attained a new perspective. I realized that there are many places worse than a classroom. How hungry these young children were to have what I did not value. I started to view knowledge as a something I truly wanted. Now, I’m at point where I actually enjoy learning. So anytime you become discouraged, just imagine yourself working at McDonalds instead, asking people “you want fries with that?”

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– acknowledging acts of goodness & kindness

 happy summer

“How are you spending your summer?” is an oft-repeated refrain among Baruch students these days. Answers range from relaxing in resort areas, to interning or working in the city, summer classes to fast-track graduation and trips to exotic far-away places. But Jonathon, Ben and Rachel (not their real names) volunteer their time off from learning to help others. Every summer since high school, they have worked as counselors at Camp Simcha (meaning “happiness” in Hebrew) alongside doctors and other medical personnel, bringing joy to children with chronic and life-threatening illnesses.

Shayna Baruch College has another connection with Camp Simcha, through one of its former campers. Shayna Borevitz, who fought with cancer from the age of 14, spent time teaching and interacting with the women of the Jewish Woman’s Club at Baruch during club hours, sharing the deep life lessons she herself learned in her three-year struggle with the diagnosis, treatment, remission and return of the dreaded disease. On December 22, 2011, just 18 years old, Shayna (meaning “beautiful” in Yiddish) Bracha (the feminine version of Baruch, “blessed” in Hebrew) passed away. But she will always stay connected to the students here at Baruch College. Some of her friends share their experiences with the Baruch Light:

Liya Shayna was not typical in any way. She taught everything by example, and had a positive attitude, despite, or maybe as a result of her suffering. She answered criticism and negativity with modesty, yet complete confidence and optimism. She was only 17, much younger than me, but she had so much wisdom and a real understanding of others and a real clarity about what is important in life. Her experiences matured her; she utilized all her multiple talents, and in the end, accomplished so much and affected so many more people around her than someone who leads a longer life. Shayna’s unique perspective in life and the sensitivity with which she offered her advice, will always be a presence for me. Her passing was an epiphany to me, that I should reflect her goodness and reach out to others and focus more on what’s truly important in life.

Shayna welcomed my friend Anna and me to join her family for the holiday of Purim last year with open arms. We didn’t really know what to expect from a religious home and we were concerned about being judged by them. But the experience was the complete opposite. We were showered with gifts and food. That night on the train going home, Anna and I discussed Shayna and her amazing family and how accepted we felt in her home. While we were talking, a homeless man wandered by, asking for food.  I looked guiltily at the large food package on my lap, and impulsively handed it over. I didn’t tell Shayna what happened, concerned she might feel bad that I gave it away. But Anna must have told her, because when she came next to school, she brought me another basket.

Nicole When I think of Shayna, I see her smile. She had true joy in life. Her upbeat attitude and her eagerness to share her knowledge drew me in to the room. I could sit there for hours, just listening to her ideas.  When I came back from Israel and heard the news of her passing, I could not accept it. I cannot understand how G-d would allow it to happen. But I clearly remember one of Shayna’s lessons to me: that if something is destined, it will happen, and despite our lack of understanding, there is a greater purpose to everything that occurs in this world.

Karen I feel so lucky to have met Shayna, and to have the experience of gaining from her vast knowledge. I was shocked to find that she was so young; she spoke with a maturity beyond her age. She exemplified true kindness and I hope to learn from her ways.

Anna It is hard to describe Shayna in just a few words…she was so unique that only meeting her in person could really describe her angelic presence. I first met her last year, when she came to teach a few girls at Baruch College. I was stunned – we all were – by how knowledgeable as well as poised and mature she was for someone her age. I never missed her classes for it was my small connection to Judaism. Here, she taught me the smallest things and I would be so captivated and enthralled. One thing that really captivated me about her was her fire to live, to be happy and to be totally and completely selfless towards others.

One day, she surprised me with a beautiful Passover Haggadah, my very first, and one I will now have forever to use every year on the Holiday. She also gave me my first real Purim experience when she invited me to listen to Megilat Esther at her home with her warm family. I will never forget it, and I will be grateful to her forever.

Though Shayna is gone, I have so much of her to live with: her book, her stories, her home, and her kindness.

a good cancer

 Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, author of the Tanya, underscores the great merit – and responsibility – attached to every single action, even one that may seem insignificant.

 A parallel for this concept is found in understanding how cancer spreads. It begins with one cell that starts growing and multiplying abnormally. If this growth is not stopped, it destroys the groups of cells of which it has become a part.

 If this is the case in a negative matter, imagine how much more powerfully this principle applies in the positive sense. When a person decides to work on “one cell,” and to ensure that it grows and reproduces exceptionally well, this single “cell” may well prove to be the optimal catalyst for all of the surrounding “cells”.

–from Mind over Matter, a compilation

of the Lubavitcher Rebbe’s teachings

on Torah & Science

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my wedding story

It was a gorgeous day in June two years ago and a day that I will never forget. It was my wedding day. My immigrant Russian background dictated that I would first go to college and then find a great paying job that would eventually generate a large savings account. And I fantasized, like many girls, that when all conditions lined up to perfection, I would celebrate my wedding in style: a large reception on the beach, a stunning gown, masses of flowers… Circumstances changed, and my association with traditional Jewish values that instilled the centrality of marriage and family turned my perfectly ordered life on its head.
I was now a recent college graduate, standing at my own wedding. Through the kindness of many community members, with their long-established (centuries old!) practice of providing financial aid to the affianced, I still enjoyed the wedding of my dreams. A mentor offered us his beautiful beach house on the Jersey shore as a venue. Another teacher sponsored some of the catering. The DJ volunteered, as did the singer, and a make-up artist as well. My wedding was not just special because of the amazing location and all the trimmings, but it was special because of all the various people who gave us all they could to make it happen.
My wedding story taught me how lucky I am to be a part of a society that takes care of each other.. It made me realize how G-d placed us in this world to give to others in a kind way. Today I am happily married with a beautiful 14-month-old baby. I wanted to share this message of kindness in the hope that it will inspire you! It has surely inspired me to give back to others and I will always be grateful for all the kind people that G-d sends my way.

A Fellow Baruch Grad Student

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hidden blessing

I graduated James Madison High School three months before turning 17 with exceptional state Regents’ grades. But the SATs were my downfall, I scored less than 1400. I felt discouraged and, with added lure of immediate capital, I turned to work instead of college. I started out at a pizza joint at nine dollars an hour, but having just acquired my driving license, I soon traded “up.” I got behind the wheel of a commercial ’86 Chevy Sierra, towing donated junk cars from faraway places to a scrap yard in East New York.

I received two traffic tickets in quick succession. I had to pay for gas, which consumed a lot of the $30 tow commission. On top of this, the truck kept breaking down. One day, incredibly, it recovered from a stall on the Manhattan Bridge. My boss, myself and a mechanic reclaimed the truck and attached car from the roadside, after I abandoned them on the West Side at 4 AM. Once my savior was a huge MTA vehicle, come to extricate me – and relieve all the commuters trapped with me – from the Battery Tunnel. That day, I felt like being a star of some prize-winning Hollywood movie.

After two months of this craziness, I turned to a different job, one with great company and decent pay. But installing garage doors for up to 12 hours a day was fraught with hazards that included great heights, dangerous tools and mighty torsion springs. It was also tedious work, requiring perfect measuring skills. And I had to travel long distances to stock supplies, another traffic violation aside.

I’d finally decided I’d had enough; I was going to make drastic changes. I sent applications to Baruch College, Hunter and Kingsborough. I got accepted to all three, despite my dismal SAT grade. I should have immediately broken into a song of thanksgiving to G-d, but it would take greater workings for me to recognize divine phenomena in my life.

My first day of classes at Baruch College was January 28th, 2011. That same day, my dear father passed away in Israel from lung cancer. I was notified of his illness as his end was near. I had spoken to him on the phone a few days before his announcement, and had visited him in his home in Israel, but he had acted normally. He even won a game of billiards when I visited, enduring pain I cannot imagine, without even the slightest expression of discomfort. He shielded me from his illness; he wanted me to go on with my life, as he knew I had just enrolled in college.

My younger brother and I took an emergency flight to Israel, narrowly missing an air travel shutdown due to inclement weather, and I was able to be with him when his soul departed. I stayed for a period of mourning, then came back to the US and the new term. Every one of the five professors whose classes I missed during those first two weeks of school were utterly sympathetic and accommodating. So I began my studies at Baruch College. My longing for my dad is immeasurable up until this day, but in a sense, I feel that now he is even closer to us, praying for us, and guiding our family through all our hardships.

After my father’s passing, I began a journey of greater spiritual awareness. My father believed that everything that happens to us in life is for the good, even negative experiences and I try to follow his example. There is no happenstance in this world, and as I work towards my major and future career here at a blessed college – Baruch, in Hebrew, means blessed – I work towards finding G-d’s providence in my daily life, and how He is constantly guiding me in my path in life, I search out opportunities to thank Him by acting with goodness and kindness to all my fellow students here.

Hannan B., Baruch ’14

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the go-to guy

Carl Aylman has been a much beloved figure for both myself and literally thousands of Baruch students over the past three decades. His tireless work in the students’ interest has helped both individuals and organizations achieve their dreams and goals. In addition to being a student of his during my freshman year law class, I have seen Carl as a mentor in everything that has to do with Baruch. He has been my go-to guy for four years, and I wish him the best in retirement. Baruch was blessed to have his presence.

-Ben Guttmann, 2011

USG President

elevator encounter

Baruch College is rated the most diverse school inAmerica. With so much fast-paced, heart-pumping action and hundreds of students rushing to classes with only moments to spare, cramming into small elevators designed for half the capacity they habitually carry, it is probably the last place one would expect to find much thoughtfulness.

But I certainly have. Aside from the surprising sense of kinship and community I experience through various club associations, there have been times when classmates who I have know for less than a semester offered to hold classes for me, and shared their knowledge and “inside” information to put me on track.

I challenge any student walking into Baruch to find the same: from the helpful advisors, the wonderful rabbis on campus, or even a random bystander who is waiting to treat you with a random act of kindness.

-Daniel Dvorin, 2012

smile!

Unfortunately, I was doing poorly in a class and I required additional help from my professor. Whenever I would see her I frequently displayed a somewhat melancholy countenance due to being overwhelmed and slightly embarrassed by my subpar performance. Despite the fact that my professor could have been cold and nasty towards me as a result of her having to go out of her way, and because I was bringing down her class average, she would always greet me with a huge smile and assist me with grace. I noticed that she seemed to greet everyone like that. Recalling Ethics of Our Fathers 1:15, “…receive everyone with a cheerful face”, I was affected positively by her display of good character.

-Y.H., 2012

gps for the soul

My life changed at Baruch.  It was not the kind of change like switching from an incandescent light bulb to a more energy efficient LED.  It was more like turning the ship around because someone gave me the map and I realized I was sailing in the wrong direction.  My story does not involve a ship or light bulbs, but it does involve direction – spiritual direction – and it’s all thanks to the kindness of a fellow Baruchian.

We met at a mutual friend’s birthday party in March 2010 at the Globe bar/grill on23rd Street. I was impressed when I heard about his journey to Judaism because he was wearing a yarmulke and in the early stages of a beard.  I myself am Jewish but was not raised in a religious home. I was curious to learn more about his story and hoped that he could guide me in my spiritual quest.

A week or two later we got together for lunch at a kosher restaurant near theBaruchCollegecampus and shared some stories and opinions.  We had a lot in common.  Growing up, we had non-religious upbringings, played sports in high school, and started our college careers away from home, where we enjoyed a good keg party.   But most importantly, he explained to me – with genuine kindness – that everybody is on a spiritual journey.

I could tell that he had found a very happy medium and I wanted to experience that myself, so I asked questions about Judaism and the religious lifestyle which was foreign to me.  He was completely open to my thoughts and attempted to answer many of the questions that I had about religion in general and Judaism in particular.

At that point in my life, I had read several self-help books about the meaning of life and new-age spiritual gurus.  I tried different meditation techniques, and when that didn’t work, I would rely on hedonism.  But my new friend explained to me with a big genuine smile, that G-d loves all of His creations and did not put us in this world to sit on the top of a mountain and remove ourselves from reality, nor did He put us here to completely indulge in this world.  At that moment, my ship began to slowly turn around.

Within a few months of our first rendezvous, he introduced me to the Rabbi, who was kind enough to have us stay with his family inCrownHeightsfor my first full Shabbat experience, which was unforgettable.  For more than a year now, I was helped on my journey back to Judaism and it all started with a simple act of kindness.

He showed me the map.

-Bryan Conboy, MBA 2012