Elected officials and community leaders gathered at the Broome County Office Building last month to declare March 29 as National Education and Sharing Day in honor of the 124th anniversary of the birth of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the Lubavitcher Rebbe.

Born in April 1902 in the Russian Empire, the Rebbe eventually became one of the most important Jewish leaders of the 20th century, embarking on a mission to promote unity among the Jewish diaspora around the world. In 1994, the U.S. Congress awarded him a congressional gold medal in recognition of his outstanding and enduring contributions toward world education, morality and acts of charity. He is the only rabbi to have received the honor.

Leaders assembled at the building to issue proclamations recognizing National Education and Sharing Day, first declared in 1978 by President Jimmy Carter upon Congress’s request after the Rebbe proclaimed 1977 to be a Year of Education. Among those in attendance were Broome County Executive Jason Garnar ‘99, Mayor Jared Kraham, Broome County Sheriff Fred Akshar, Vestal Town Supervisor Maria Sexton and representatives from the offices of State Sen. Lea Webb ‘04, Assemblywoman Donna Lupardo MA ‘84 and State Sen. Peter Oberacker.

“The fact that so many of you local leaders here in our community find this event annually important enough to issue proclamations and take time out of the busy schedules that you all have, with so many things pulling at your schedules, sends a very encouraging message, inspiring message to our whole community as of the importance of this,” Rabbi Levi Slonim said at the March 23 press conference.

Binghamton University President Anne D’Alleva, who was unable to attend the conference, also issued a proclamation recognizing Education and Sharing Day. In her letter, she thanked the Rohr Chabad Center for Jewish Student Life for its advocacy and efforts to raise awareness of the day.

At the conference, Garnar underscored how education encompasses not just material learned in school, but a broader teaching of values.

“It’s about helping young people grow up with kindness, responsibility and a sense of purpose,” Garnar said. “And that message really fits who we are right here in Broome County. We believe in community, we believe in looking out for one another and we know that when we teach our children to care about others and stand up for what’s right, we build a stronger future for everybody.”

Kraham then spoke, acknowledging the important role of Chabad in the lives of many students and the importance of advancing civics education.

“I think it’s important, on a day like today and every day, that we encourage people, like the Rebbe did, to lean into community, to lean into civic education, to lean into giving back,” Kraham said.

In 1974, the Rebbe introduced a charity campaign to encourage people to make small, habitual donations to organizations of their choice. This campaign became known as Ark, which stands for Acts of Random Kindness. Slonim said Chabad at Binghamton partnered with Akshar’s office to introduce the campaign at his facility.

Those at the press conference donated money as part of the initiative.

“Giving back has been part of the Jewish faith for thousands of years,” Slonim said. “It’s something that’s written clearly in the Bible, of giving of our resources. And in 1974, the Rebbe introduced a charity campaign to take it up a notch and it wasn’t a fundraiser for a specific cause or for philanthropists to write big checks. It was really a grassroots campaign to try to help us all become givers.”