Chabad at the University of Arizona, a branch of Chabad Tucson, played a key role in organizing the first ever Arizona Intercollegiate Shabbaton, attended by some 120 Jewish students this past weekend.
A joint project of Chabad on campus at UA, ASU and NAU, the Shabbaton presented an exciting setting for Jewish students at Arizona's state universities to meet new faces and spend time with like-minded students. The event was co-sponsored by Chabad on Campus International Foundation.
"I met a lot of students from ASU and NAU at the West Coast Shabbaton and at the recent New York Shabbaton, so it was great to pick up where we had left off," says Jenna Langert, a double major in business economics and Judaic studies at UA.
"At Chabad, we feel part of one big Jewish family," explains Langert, a regular at activities at Chabad of the U of A, run by Rabbi Yossi and Naomi Winner. "Over the Shabbaton, we got to know a lot more students who are part of our extended family."
It was an immersive Shabbat experience, with Friday night services, a candle lighting ceremony and a five-course gourmet Shabbat meal on Friday evening. On Shabbat afternoon, one student from each university shared a thought on the Torah portion of the week during lunch.
After lunch, students chose from a menu of classes on relevant topics, like Jewish marriage, sacred Judaism vs. cultural Judaism, and Jewish identity.
Capping the Shabbaton was a musical Havdalah service with an after-Shabbat BBQ and bonfire. Rabbi Zalman Levertov, Executive Director of Chabad of Arizona addressed the students during the BBQ event.
