Israeli Campus Paradox: Much more Jews, Considerably less Shabbat

At Tel Aviv University, upcoming doctor Jordana Hikri was going through a classic Israeli paradox.

Hikri expended her undergraduate many years at Dartmouth, where by the Jewish student population hardly fills two university buses. Nonetheless Jewish life on campus was active, and her calendar was booked with Shabbat dinners, holiday getaway celebrations, and Jewish activities. In Tel Aviv, Friday night time is for clubbing.

“I was incredibly involved with Chabad at Dartmouth, says Hikri, who located herself lacking Rabbi Moshe Leib and Chani Gray of Chabad at Dartmouth. She skipped their Young ones and also the intellectual environment all over their Shabbat desk.

“Israel can be a problem spiritually. Everyone seems to be Jewish, and people get it without any consideration. The rituals They can be applied to each 7 days are now not practiced besides by those who are religious.”

But when her boyfriend launched her to Chabad at Tel Aviv University, Friday evening was Shabbat yet again.

Chabad on Campus Associates at TAU, Rabbi (Shay) Yeshayahu and Chava Gerlitzky, are actually welcoming learners for their Shabbat desk every week for three years now. Numerous of their visitors are American college students learning at TAU hoping to recreate their Chabad-on-Campus encounters although in Israel.

“They recall the heat so fondly. They skip their Chabad household,” reported Rabbi Gerlitzky. Of the 80 students around the Shabbat tables at the start of this semester, he estimated fifty% attended because of their positive experiences with Chabad at their home universities.

Jeremy Dery, president of Chabad at TAU's abroad university student things to do, posts adverts about Chabad's Shabbat dinners on a few bulletin boards from the Carter Making, the house foundation for overseas college students, and at Einstein dorms, in which nearly all overseas students live.

“Nearly Every person I'm sure went to Chabad on campus in the States,” he mentioned. “Until eventually they know Chabad is in this article, they are a little depressed. They do not know what they are going to do for the vacations.”

Most abroad learners would not have spouse and children in Israel, and TAU does not provide vacation programming. Ariel Ben Solomon, who attended universities in Wisconsin and Switzerland just before coming to Israel explained that Chabad at TAU “is the one selection for accomplishing Shabbat when you are being from the dorm for that weekend.”

For the Gerlitzkys' Shabbat desk, college students are exposed to a traditional Shabbat with the Israeli twist. Each Gerlitzkys communicate English, and their youngsters are crowd pleasers. The menu is more Mediterranean than the stateside equal, with far more hummus and olives, much more fish, and more spices during the meals. Aside from that, say college students who may have put in Shabbat prekvalifikacija with Chabad on campus inside the U.S., the encounters share hallmarks of warmth and excellent discussion.

Orly Zaguri, a native Israeli, breaks from her architecture scientific studies to spend Friday night time with Chabad. She finds that the majority of American learners need to know Israeli slang, and she obliges, teaching them “sababa” and “magniv,” both variants on interesting. Assembly a fresh crew of students each semester assists Zaguri see the charms of her challenging state anew.

Soon after Shabbat ends, scholar arrive absent with a lot more than full bellies and delighted memories. Rabbi Gerlitzsky officiated at Ariel Ben Solomon's wedding day six months back. Now, the Solomons are constructing their lives with Recollections of Shabbat with Chabad.

“Rabbi Shay creates a energetic atmosphere. I figured out the best way to do Shabbat and the foremost vacations from him, and he made it eye-catching. Now we do Shabbat in our household.”