Record Number of Student at Shabbat Dinners

Shabbat 1,000 pulls in record numbers of students for multi themed Shabbat dinners across the UK at Chabad on Campus.

Record numbers of students dined with Chabad on Campus last Friday evening, 11th Feb, marking Shabbat 1000. The initiative, announced at the recent winter conference of Chabad on Campus, was launched as a national unity Shabbat for students across the UK.

Chairman of Chabad on Campus UK Rabbi Eli Brackman was delighted with the success of the event. “Shabbat 1000 demonstrates the profound collective impact which our 13 Chabad student centres nationwide are having on Jewish students,” he said. “We are inspiring tomorrow’s leaders with a stronger Jewish identity and to be more involved in Jewish life” he added.

Special featured guest speakers and a variety of themed menus, such as a meat extravaganza buffet at Leeds, as well as Middle Eastern and Sushi at other locations, made for an exciting dimension to the event, attracting larger-than-usual attendance. Chabad at the South East Coast ensured that students at University of Kent and University of Southampton, where there are no permanent Chabad centres, were also able to participate in Shabbat 1000, and delivered suitcases filled with Shabbat provisions, including chicken soup, shnitzel and kugel.

One student who attended Liverpool’s Italian dinner said that co-director Mrs Tzivia Brown’s “cooking skills never cease to impress. She can cook up any dish of any culture, which just proves that we can all keep kosher without compromising what type of food we eat”. He added that “The crowd and atmosphere was fantastic, and I am looking forward to more events like this in the future.”

Chabad at South London Campuses served Chinese cuisine at its best attended Shabbat dinner to date. Co-director Mrs Sora Cohen said that, “While the menu was different at each centre, Shabbat 1000 connected students with the bigger picture, knowing that they were celebrating Shabbat along with hundreds of others throughout the country.”