To the editor:

Susan Lamb’s article, Dreidel Spin-Off fails to break record, rushed through the excellence of the Dreidel Spin-Off, an event that many students have been working on for the last month or more, in order to quickly criticize it.

Lamb briefly mentioned the spinning of the dreidels but moved right into the attendance. She could have spoken about how over 900 students, faculty and community members gathered together to celebrate charity, a festive holiday and try to break a world record as a community. Or she could have emphasized the hard work of many students to recruit and publicize the event (and their success). Instead, she wrote how people chose to leave partway through. There were many reasons for that, including a biology test at 7 p.m. and class. Lamb indicated that these students were leaving out of boredom. Rather, they decided to come to the event just to support all the work that has been put into it, knowing they had to leave early.

Lamb also puts down the event for the actual dreidel spinning starting 45 minutes after the Facebook event markets. The Facebook event and all fliers advertised the event to be from 6-7 and told audience members about the Crosby performance and the culmination of the Toy Drive, which the article only mentions in passing.

The article also slights Rabbi Levi Slonim, the Program Director of Chabad, who has been working on this event since the summer, for asking the crowd of over 700 people to quiet down. Lamb was quick to point out what he might have done wrong, but this event would not have happened without his dedication and hard work.

There was no mention of the diversity of the student organizations that attended or the delicious, free food that students spent the day preparing or information about Chai Lifeline, the recipients of the toys collected and money raised. The article does not accurately portray the positive atmosphere of the event.

I was extremely upset as I read through this article. This was a really big accomplishment of Binghamton and united so many different student organizations and people. I hope when people look back at this event, they remember how Binghamton united and the amazing amount of toys collected for children with cancer.

Lucy Schwartz
Major Programs Coordinator, Chabad
BU Junior