Traditions are not unheard of for the small, but mighty Jewish community. On Friday, September 22, the Union Jewish community gathered in Old Chapel for their annual Mega Shabbat dinner. 

While Hillel and Chabad, the two Jewish organizations on campus, usually celebrate shabbat separately, they came together to celebrate. There were over 150 students, faculty, and community members in attendance to show the strength of the Jewish community. 

This event notably took place between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur—the two holiest holidays on the Jewish calendar. 

As attendees arrived, they gathered in the yard behind Old Chapel for matzah ball soup and social hour. It was a great unity moment to talk to Jewish acquaintances. Before everyone headed inside for Shabbat dinner, a group photo was taken. 

As per Jewish tradition, before eating dinner, a number of prayers were recited. Dinner was served and included salad, noodles, grilled chicken, and of course challah! More important than the food, however, were the conversations everyone had. Relationships were formed, and further developed from these conversations. 

In particular, Nicole Orlofsky ‘27 enjoyed getting to know her Jewish classmates even more through dinner. “It gave me a sense of community and reminded me that I have so many peers who I get to connect with regarding aspects of our Jewish identity,” Orlofsky said. “I enjoyed hearing about everyone else’s experiences, and being able to bring in Shabbat together was a really special moment.”

Overall, Mega Shabbat helped to represent the strong Jewish community at Union. Through events like these Jewish students, faculty and community members are able to celebrate their religion in a meaningful manner. As the academic year continues, the Jewish community will unite through similar events to celebrate their faith.