* Translated by Janine Muller Sherr
Shavua tov from New York! Sometimes you’re able to see a historical process unfolding before your eyes, and the little details tell a larger story: More than 2,000 students came to take part in the annual Shabbat, “Chabad on Campus.” The record number of participants is due to the significant challenges that Jewish students have faced on campuses over the past year.
I heard from many of these students how they rediscovered their Jewish identity after Oct. 7. It was a date that forced them to take sides and to clarify who they really were. Will assimilation now give way to a renewed connection to Israel and to Judaism? If only this will be the case…
I came here to lecture, but the lectures weren’t the important part. The main point was the warm embrace. People flew for hours in order to receive a Jewish hug — during the Shabbat meals, kiddush, Havdalah, and during the prayer services.
After grappling for the past year with antisemitism on campus, facing Palestinian protests and the hypocrisy of their teachers, students now had the opportunity just to be with other Jews. Students danced in circles with people whom they had never met before.
After Shabbat was over, the students were asked: “What would you say was the highlight of this Shabbat for you?”.
Rachel from Los Angeles responded: "When 1,000 students lit Shabbat candles and recited the blessing together. That wasn’t the most emotional moment of just this Shabbat; it was the most emotional moment of my entire life.”
“I thought Judaism was something that died with my great-grandfather,” said Eli from Toronto. “I didn’t know that you could express your Judaism through singing and dancing!”
Jessica, who came from a small college campus in Alabama and recently began to wear a necklace with a “Magen David,” told me that this was the first time that she had attended a Shabbat like this one, and that for the first time in her life she was thinking about taking a trip to Israel. (Remember: Most American Jews have never visited Israel.)
When I was asked to sum up this Shabbat experience, I said: “This Shabbat clearly demonstrated that we may be the smallest nation, but we are the biggest family!”
