Shabbaton Happy, College Students Deepen Jewish Identity With Chabad

LOS ANGELES, CA — Quadrupling its usual Shabbat dinner attendance, Chabad of USC had n choice but to put up a vast outdoor tent to accommodate all the students tha participated at last week’s Shabbaton.

That Shabbat300, as the event was dubbed, pulled in 270 Trojans is owed to student creativity and the tradition that sees Hillel and Chabad regulars dining together once a semester. The mega event was more than a dinner, more than an attempt to see just how many bowls of salad and trays of cake it would take to satisfy a massive crowd, but a way to help the doubtful feel safe with Shabbat.

“Most students are reluctant to go to places where they do not know the people there, by getting so many people to participate, we hope it will build up the level of comfort necessary to participate,” said Rabbi Dov Wagner of Chabad at USC.

Or, as one of the student organizers Lara Bledin put it, “People feel safe getting lost in a crowd.”

In the past, the “Jewnity” event brought 110 students together for Shabbat dinner, but Jaydi Samuels, a senior, and Bledin, a sophomore, wanted this year’s event to be huge. Together with Rabbi Dov and Runya Wagner, they set a goal of 300 participants. Then Samuels and Bledin started bouncing ideas around for a theme that would up the excitement quotient and fo

Article Continued (Lubavitch.com)