Mega Shabbat, coordinated by the Swarthmore Chabad House and Chabad Board, took place this past Friday, bringing together students of different faiths and backgrounds under the Jewish tradition of Shabbat — the weekly Friday “holiday” dedicated to community, spirituality, and welcoming in the restful weekend ahead. With stomachs full and laughter filling the space, the weekend could not have started any better.
Attended by over 70 students, faculty, and staff, the Upper Tarble space was transformed into a family-style dinner experience. The evening began with a Matzah Ball Soup Mixer — the soup made famously by Chabad Co-Director and Head of Student Engagement Reizel Wolf — followed by a catered Kosher meal and dessert made by students. Throughout the evening, singing and prayer reading were led by Rabbi Mordi and Reizel, teaching students about some of the traditional Jewish customs. Additionally, Chabad Board President Rebekah Gendler ’28 and Provost and Dean of the Faculty Rich Wicentowski shared a few words about the meaningfulness and joy of this occasion.
Behind the scenes, students from Chabad signed up to be “hosts” for tables, encouraging other students from all corners of campus to attend the event. Lauren Wilk ’28, a Chabad Board member and host, commented, “I always love going to Shabbat each week to unplug and be present with friends, so being a host at Mega Shabbat was a great way to bring my other friends to a festive event and show them more of what we do at Chabad.”
Additionally, Gendler, who led the event planning, felt that “Mega Shabbat was a unique opportunity for us to step outside of our comfort zone and create a space for the Swarthmore community to join together to celebrate Jewish identity. As a student leader, planning this event was a special moment to engage with a wide range of students and faculty on campus — spreading the word about this event and how we needed mass participation to make it happen.”
After the success of this event, the Chabad Board plans to continue hosting campus Shabbats in the semesters ahead. Until next time, “Shabbat Shalom!”
