KU Chabad recently held a “Jewnity Shabbaton,” hosting nearly 100 Jewish students from universities with smaller Jewish communities for a Shabbat retreat.
The Shabbaton was held in light of rising antisemitism on campuses across the country.
Representatives from schools including Iowa State University, Drake University, the University of Nebraska, the University of Missouri and the University of Kansas convened for workshops led by their respective Chabad on Campus rabbis and rebbitzens. The Shabbaton was held at Circle S Ranch outside of Lawrence, Kansas.
“I felt closer to my Judaism than I have in a very long time, and I met people who feel like they could become lifelong friends,” Leora Gotlieb, a University of Missouri student, said. “I felt so connected and accepted by everyone there. We danced, we laughed, we prayed and I cried of happiness because I got to do it all with my best friends who understand me better than anyone else ever could.”
“The Shabbaton is unifying for area students and gives them an understanding of the broader Jewish community,” said KU Chabad co-director Nechama Tiechtel, who organized the Shabbaton with co-director Rabbi Zalman Tiechtel. “When they come together in such a way, from different campuses, it helps them to return to their schools inspired to get even more involved and to help others do the same. What happens throughout one weekend becomes an invaluable tool for the future of Jewish communities, arming young men and women with enhanced learning and leadership that they will bring with them, wherever they live.”
Mushka Tenenbaum of Chabad of Omaha, Nebraska, joined with her husband, Rabbi Eli, and a group of students from the University of Nebraska.
“This Shabbaton was an incredible opportunity where students can get together and see how Chabad is larger than just on their campus,” she said. “Everyone is united as one big family. It definitely gave them encouragement as they returned to their small Jewish community on campus.”
