From the Desk of the Federation Executive Director: With Gratitude 5/15/20

A friend of the family recently passed from coronavirus. His devoted wife was unable to continue her daily visits to the nursing home where he had resided for several years. Desperate to be with him during his last days, her family placed a four-foot ladder outside his window. She put on a mask and carefully climbed the ladder. The nursing staff cracked open the window and she spoke to him during his final hours. This story touched my heart. It speaks to the capacity of human love. 

The Binghamton Jewish community has also shown tremendous love. Our Chesed Matching Grant Challenge was met with much success. We exceeded our goal of raising the $10,000 we needed to match. Chesed means lovingkindness and that is what we experienced during the campaign. I want to extend my warmest thank you to all of you for your support and contributions. The money will help us support our local organizations that will need help getting back on their feet once the pandemic is over.

I miss my extended family. We were supposed to have an unveiling for my father in April. With my mother and sister in Arizona unable to travel, we don’t know when we will be able to properly honor dad at his grave side. Knowing my father, he would probably try to make us laugh: “What, you are in a rush? I am not going anywhere.” 
So, life goes on. We here at the Hubal house are doing our best to stay isolated, leaving the house only as necessary. We had a video chat with my mother-in-law for Mother’s Day, when normally we would have gotten together for brunch. It seems odd that they are here in town, but we have scarcely seen them in the last six weeks. We isolate because we love them. We want them to be safe and we look forward to the day when we will be together again. 

The Federation office remains closed. We are moving forward with planning and fund-raising. Zoom meetings are far from ideal, but I am choosing to be grateful that we are able to conduct business. Please know that we are thinking of you all and holding you in our hearts during this most difficult time. Stay safe, reach out if you need help and remember that each of you are an important part of the rich tapestry that makes our community whole.