Jewish college students around the world are gearing up for the annual Chabad on Campus International Shabbaton, set to take place Oct. 22-24 in New York.
Dubbed the “Jewish Mega Event of the Year,” the autumn Shabbaton, a project of the Chabad on Campus International Foundation, brings nearly 1,000 students from 100 schools in North America and Europe to the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn for an immersive weekend focusing on cultural explorations and leadership growth.
“This will be my third New York trip, and I just love it,” says Matt Rissien, a 24-year-old from the University of Kansas who’s heading his campus’ trip this year under the guidance of Chabad-Lubavitch Rabbi Zalman Tiechtel, director of the local Chabad House.
“Every time I go, it’s so much fun, and the experience in Crown Heights is just unique,” adds Rissien. “The atmosphere is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced.”
Rich in cultural significance, the weekend includes tours of Jewish sites and the opportunity to meet Jewish leaders and entertainers, and allows participants to network with hundreds of their peers.
“The part that I really loved was meeting all those new people that are there for the same reason, to learn more and share ideas and talk about their Chabad House on campus,” says Matt’s younger sister, 19-year-old Emily Rissien, also from the University of Kansas.
The sister, who is returning for her second year, was one of two students from her campus selected to participate in the Shabbaton’s adjoining Leadership Conference. She’ll be joining Brittany Choikhit, student president of the local Chabad House, on the program, which will bring students together with business and communal leaders.
“I’m really looking forward to the leadership program,” says Choikhit, a junior majoring in design with a minor in Judaic studies and psychology. “We’ll be able to talk to each other and feed off each other for ideas and events on campus. I think we can also help people out a lot, too, as most of our events here on campus have been really successful and fun.”
In addition to the leadership component, this year’s Shabbaton will also feature a scholarly track for students with more advanced Jewish knowledge, and an expanded women’s program, says Tiechtel, who is chairing this year’s event.
“Our goal is to cater to every student, which is why we have a very big smorgasbord of options,” he says. “People come back because they love it so much. There are no words for the atmosphere. On the one hand, everyone becomes a family, and there’s a tremendous sense of Jewish unity. On the other hand, there’s a very unique blend of people from different cultures.”
Everyone Knows the Words
The weekend experience revolves around a memorable Shabbat experience in which students are placed at homes of local Crown Heights families. After the Friday night meal, students will reunite for inspirational Chasidic gatherings and a visit to Lubavitch World Headquarters. The agenda on Saturday includes a communal lunch followed by workshops, lectures, networking and a musical ceremony marking the conclusion of the holy day.
A Saturday night carnival will offer live musical entertainment and a combination of games and other activities.
Boris Lipovetsky, 21, a senior at Babson College in Massachusetts who describes the Shabbaton two years ago as a life-changing experience, says the entire weekend exudes a special kind of energy.
“When one person starts singing a song, everyone knows the words. Someone starts dancing, and everyone knows how to do the dance,” he explains. “It was really the first time in a very long time where I was in an environment with so many students I could connect to, not only on a spiritual level but on a cultural level.”
The business management major missed last year’s Shabbaton while on a semester abroad in Australia, but harbored no thoughts of missing this year’s bash.
“When [Boris] came back, that was one of the first things he said to me: ‘That Shabbaton was amazing. I want to be a part of it,’ ” recalls Rabbi Moshe Bleich, director of the Wellesley Weston Chabad serving Babson and Wellesley College.
For Rabbi Yossy Gordon, executive vice president of the Chabad on Campus International Foundation, the goal is provide a positive growth experience for each and every student.
“For some, it might mean an intense educational experience, for another it might mean being uplifted by a Chasidic melody, and for others it might mean learning something relatively basic,” says Gordon. “100 percent of students walk away with a growth experience.”
Start a Discussion