Chabad on Campus: Thank You, Crown Heights
We received in our inbox a grateful letter from Chabad on Campus, addressed to the Crown Heights Jewish Community:
Dear Crown Heights Community,
When Chabad on Campus International reached out to the Crown Heights community to host 1,200 university students for its largest annual Shabbaton to date, hundreds of families jumped at the opportunity. It didn’t matter that it was just a few weeks after the community hosted guests from Israel for up to a month, and weeks before they would host thousands of Shluchim for the Kinus. Families graciously opened their homes and welcomed hundreds of Jewish college students from diverse backgrounds for the weekend.
We would like to relay to the families of Crown Heights the incredible impact they had on the students throughout the weekend. Many students attribute the time they spent with their host family as the most meaningful and inspiring of the Shabbaton. Being welcomed into the community and experiencing the hospitality and generosity of your homes and families instills a sense of Jewish pride in the students that spills over into their everyday lives back at school and at home. At the conclusion of the Shabbaton, many students took on hachlatos, such as wrapping tefillin, keeping Shabbos and kosher, wearing a yarmulke, lighting Shabbos candles, going to yeshiva, and committing to only date Jewish. In large part, this was due to the positive impact of the Crown Heights community and host families.
“My favorite part of this weekend was Shabbat dinner. [The host family] was so warm and welcoming, I felt like I had known them forever. We all felt like one big beautiful family. There was so much food and it was incredible,” said a student at Wagner College. “I have the utmost respect for the Chabad community that is teaching Judaism to students all over the world and making students feel at home when they are away from home. I have never felt such a strong connection to my religion as I have had this semester.”
Julie, of the University of West Virginia said, “I wouldn’t have wanted to stay with any other host family. I felt so at home. I was incredibly lucky to stay with this family [and] I can’t wait to go back and see them!”
In a Facebook post, one student exclaimed, “[The Crown Heights Community] are keeping in mind the Rebbe’s message to love every Jew, no matter what. The Rebbe [helped form] leaders, not followers. I am grateful to all the families who opened their homes!”
When asked for their highlight of the entire Shabbaton experience, Amy from University of South Florida simply replied, “My hosts!”
Chabad on Campus International would like to thank the holy community of Crown Heights, the Rebbe’s community “Kahn Tzivah Hashem es HaBracha”, and host families for their partnership—for being positive Jewish role models for the 1,200 students you so generously welcomed for the Shabbaton—the impact of which knows no bounds.
Sincerely,
Chabad on Campus
