KU Hillel brought back its Shabbat Around KU (SAKU) event on Friday, Jan. 28, for the new semester.
Students around Lawrence volunteered to host Shabbat dinners for groups of KU Hillel students, and Hillel reimburses each host for food costs. SAKU serves as a way to connect with others involved in Hillel around a dinner table.
University of Kansas sophomore Demi Fine hosted a few of her friends at the Kappa Delta sorority house and ate food from Noodles & Company.
“Shabbat Around KU was so fun to participate in this year, and getting to bring in Shabbat with my closest friends was such a highlight of my week,” Fine said. “The tradition of this event is something that brings our community together even when we are all in different places, which I think is so amazing.”
“SAKU was an awesome way for me to host a dinner with my roommate and celebrate Shabbat with some of my closest friends in our home,” said KU sophomore Nina Katz, who celebrated with her roommates.
Shabbat Around KU involved dozens of KU Hillel students participating in the event on- and off-campus. As the semester continues, Hillel staff say they will continue to build momentum from the successful program to involve more students in Hillel’s programming.
“Shabbat Around KU prepares our students for the next stage of their Jewish lives, which includes hosting Shabbat dinners of their very own,” said Suzy Sostrin, KU Hillel Executive Director. “We love having this staff-student partnership where we can prepare the next generation of Jewish leaders.”
“I loved being able to invite my Hillel friends into my home for Shabbat dinner through SAKU,” KU junior Whitney Bobrosky said. “It gives me the opportunity to learn how to host Shabbat with the support of KU Hillel.”
KU Hillel has a variety of Shabbat programming throughout the semester to engage students in the KU Jewish community. This semester, hundreds of Jewish students have joined KU Hillel for Shabbat 5:30 (casual Shabbat dinners at Hillel), services and Kosher barbecues. KU Hillel staff say that they aim for students to experience Judaism in their own ways and form new traditions among friends.
On Feb. 25, KU Hillel will host its next Shabbat 5:30.
