Nurturing Jewish Life and Pride on Campus

BY: IDAN CHAZAN (C‘22, MA’23)

Deerfield, Illinois President, Georgetown Jewish Student Association 2021-2022

I started my time at Georgetown before Chabad arrived. One winter afternoon in 2020, right before the pandemic started, a friend (fellow Georgetown JSA board member and later president of Chabad Georgetown) approached me and told me about a Chabad rabbi and his wife who were interested in coming to campus to host a Shabbat. Could it be done? It certainly could be done, I supposed, but would it be well-attended and successful? I didn’t know. Fast forward two weeks, my friend and I meet Rabbi Menachem and Racheli in an AirBnB that they rented in the Georgetown neighborhood to host Friday night services and dinner. It was the basement of a larger house. We walked in to a set of tables with about 25 seats. I thought to myself, “there is no way we’ll fill the room.” So, I suggested we remove about 10 seats in order to make it appear as if the room was fuller when other students arrived. Little did I know at the time that if Rabbi Menachem and Racheli are determined to fill – or, more accurately, overfill – a room, they will succeed. By the end of the night, in this tiny AirBnB basement there must have been at least 30 students, many of whom I had never seen at any other Jewish event on campus, who shared a Shabbat meal together.

Fast forward again to the first Friday night back on campus after a year and a half of virtual learning. Rabbi Menachem and Racheli moved into a house – no longer just a basement – that they would establish as Chabad Georgetown’s home. They asked me how many students I thought would attend that first Shabbat dinner – “20, maybe 25,” I said. Yet, again, I was mistaken. Over 50 students, many of whom did not even know what Chabad was or who Rabbi Menachem and Racheli were, arrived.

We scrambled to find more chairs and tables – of course, more than enough food was prepared. The evening was a remarkable milestone in the history of Jewish life at Georgetown.

As I conclude my final semester at Georgetown, over three years removed from the first Shabbat dinner and more than a year and a half removed from the back-tocampus Shabbat, I am no longer surprised by Chabad’s Friday night dinners that can exceed 75 students. Why? Well, Rabbi Menachem does have superb marketing skills and Racheli prepares the best challah in the entire D.C. area. But there’s more to it. Chabad Georgetown offers Jewish students experiences that I believe can be summed up in a word: overflowing.

Everything about Chabad Georgetown is overflowing. Overflowing with people – let’s just say that on many Friday evenings we need to pull over a few extra chairs than were expected. Overflowing with spirit – when you walk in to a Chabad Georgetown Chanukah party, you see the spirited dreidel competition, spirited candle lighting, and, of course, spirited donut-eating. Overflowing with food – never ever has a student left Chabad Georgetown hungry, and never ever have Rabbi Menachem or Racheli needed to be concerned about Saturday afternoon lunch. Overflowing with opportunities – such as the women’s club challah braiding events or discussions about Jewish identity, the “Sinai Scholars” or “Your Israel” education courses, holiday services (and meals!), barbeques, bagel brunches, farbrengens, football games, one-on-one learning, and national conventions of Jewish leaders and students.

Most importantly, though, Chabad Georgetown is overflowing with Jewish pride. There is nothing hidden about the Jewish identity of the space. There is a mezuzah and sign on the door. There are kippot in the entranceway. There are sifrei kodesh and prayer books in the salon. There’s also nothing hidden about the Jewish identity of the people in the space. Students come to Chabad Georgetown because they know that they can be openly and proudly Jewish there; they can celebrate their Judaism and embrace the fullness of their identity, heritage, and traditions. Chabad Georgetown provides an unwavering safe haven to support Jewish Hoyas, cultivate and enrich Jewish identity, and fill the community with an overwhelming sense of Jewish pride.

(And I must – must! – add that the Chabad Georgetown family that Rabbi Menachem and Racheli have built, us students, are overflowing with joy and love in welcoming the newest member of the family, Sarah Bracha.)

55% JEWISH STUDENT ENGAGEMENT In just 2 short years!

6.2% OF GEORGETOWN STUDENTS ARE

Chabad Georgetown Alumni Society

We are excited to announce the launch of the Chabad Georgetown Alumni Society which will provide a dynamic network offering lifelong connections, professional development opportunities, inspiring events, and a platform to continue celebrating and nurturing our shared Jewish heritage extending far beyond the geographical boundaries of Georgetown.

Chabad Georgetown serves Jews of all affiliations and backgrounds in the Georgetown community, and is currently working to develop a more formal affiliation with Georgetown University.

Chabad Georgetown has provided me a space to embrace and strengthen my Judaism, while also fostering a community of passionate students who have become life-long friends. The impact Chabad Georgetown has had on me is enormous, and I am forever thankful for it and all that it gave me in my short time at Georgetown.

Max Paley (C’23)

During my freshman year, Georgetown lacked the necessary infrastructure to accommodate Jews like myself, and I even advised my sister to consider another school with a stronger Jewish community. However, with the dedicated efforts of Rabbi Menachem and Racheli, and the vibrant community we have built here at Chabad, if my sister were to ask me today, without hesitation, I would unequivocally recommend Georgetown as a place where she can flourish and find a supportive and inclusive Jewish environment.

Joseph Abergel C’23