Scholarship Recipient Gives Back

What do the first recipient of the Chabad Hunterdon County Scholarship fund, the wife of a chemistry professor, and the designer of this years’ www.mychabadauction.com website have in common? In the case of Liorah Abrams, they’re all the same person.

When Liorah first met Rabbi Eli and Rachel Kornfeld, she was Michelle Sutciffe-Burin – a “former” architecture major at Virginia Tech, living with her aunt and uncle in Clinton New Jersey and trying to decide what direction she wanted her life to go in.

Michelle had left Virginia Tech in the middle of her degree due to a combination of factors, not the least of which being a general sense of uncertainty about her life. Her aunt and uncle had found Chabad to be a warm and welcoming place and suggested to Michelle that she reach out for guidance. With their encouragement, she reached out to Chabad for assistance with her life’s direction in general and to help her explore her Jewish roots and heritage. After a number of months of exploring and trying out many aspects of Judaism, she wanted to pursue it more seriously. The question became ‘how’?

Rabbi Kornfeld suggested that Michelle consider a trip to Israel where she would be able to live and learn at the best Jewish schools in the world, and the idea resonated deeply with her.

There was only one challenge: financials. She had been working and saving, but had ongoing bills that, along with a plane ticket, would quickly deplete her funds and she saw no way to manage tuition. She says she’ll always remember what Rabbi Eli said when she voiced her interest, and corresponding problem – “Just buy a ticket. Just buy a ticket, and we’ll find a way to take care of the rest.” – and that’s what they did.

He reached out to the local community, which had grown very close with Michelle, and asked for assistance in facilitating her trip to study in Israel. Many people gladly contributed, and one of the senior members of the community, Harry Lipka a”h, became a primary “secret” donor.

Thus was born the Chabad of Hunterdon County Scholarship Fund, which provided the funds needed for Michelle to spend 11 months learning in Tzfat, Israel at the prestigious Machon Alte School for Advanced Jewish Studies. The knowledge and spiritual fortification she gained there led her to make many permanent lifestyle changes, including embracing her Jewish/Hebrew name of Liorah and a renewed sense of commitment to a lifestyle build and based on the values and principles of her Jewish faith and religion.

That was part one of this story, which has since come full circle. After returning from Israel, Liorah began working for a Chabad community, and eventually met and married her husband, Dr. Binyomin Abrams. At the time, he was a PhD candidate at NYU, where he had reconnected with his Jewish roots through the Chabad rabbi there, Dov Yonah Korn. Since then, they have had two beautiful girls and moved to Boston, where Liorah’s husband is a Chemistry professor at Boston University, who also speaks around the country about science, religion and torah. Liorah’s passion for art and design were rekindled, and she decided to use the skills she had learned in college to develop herself professionally as a graphic and web designer and marketing consultant. She was able to start her own business, Liorah Abrams Design, and immediately reached out to Chabad and other community and establishment leaders she had met along the way to offer her services. Her most recent commission, redesigning the www.mychabadauction.com website for Chabad of Hunterdon County’s annual auction, which benefits the very scholarship fund that gave Liorah her chance to change her life, was naturally especially significant for Liorah, who understands first hand the impact this fund has had on the local community.

Since the time that the Scholarship Fund was established, it has helped hundreds of families providing educational grants for Hebrew School, Summer Camp and underwriting educational programs. In light of the financial stresses of the past three years requests for assistance have nearly doubled, the fund has not turned any request away and will continue to respond to the growing need.

Chabad of Hunterdon Annual Auction is the primary source of funding for the scholarship fund. This year’s event will feature 53 prize packages including a private jet weekend vacation for six donated by Jared Isaacman, cash prizes, phenomenal travel packages, popular electronics, and much more. The event takes place at the Beaver Brook Country Club on Sunday, March 4th at 6PM. The evening will feature a Cocktail reception and world renowned mentalist Marc Salem who will be perfuming his acclaimed Mind Games show, the NY Post’s Frank Scheck theater critic Feb 20th review raves “Mind reader’s show ESP-ecially enjoyable.”

The winners need not be present and may purchase tickets online at www.mychabadauction.com by phone at 908-238-9002
Admission is $50 which includes $25 worth of raffle tickets.