It’s not easy being a Jew on college campuses these days.
The Anti-Defamation League reported this year that the number of students who have personally experienced or witnessed antisemitism or seen an incident of antisemitism has skyrocketed since the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks by Hamas on Israel.
So, as the High Holy Days approach and Jewish students look to embrace their culture while away from home, what are campus Jewish organizations doing to offer students a home away from home?
Ephraim Levin, a rabbi and co-director at the Chabad House at the University of Pennsylvania, said that the Chabad has seen a surge in attendance this year, averaging close to 170 people each Friday night for Shabbat. They are planning on having services both nights and both days of Rosh Hashanah.
“Then, we’ll be having a lunch, but we expect bigger turnouts at the evening meals,” he said.
At the Drexel Chabad House, Rabbi Chaim Goldstein said that there is a dynamic unique to the West Philadelphia university. Since the school starts much later than other colleges, students are sometimes not even on campus yet when the High Holidays roll around. This year, though, they are, and they are acting accordingly.
“Rosh Hashanah begins on the second day of classes, so it makes it a little bit difficult for students who are coming in and beginning classes, but it’s very inspiring to see that many students have contacted the professors and are taking off to spend time with their families or here on campus with their home away from home in Chabad,” Goldstein said.
At the Mamash Chabad House on Lombard Street, about two blocks away from the intersection of Broad Street, attendance figures are high, according to Rabbi Doniel Grodnitzky. The Mamash Chabad isn’t affiliated with a university, but it is aimed at college students and young professionals.
“Our plan is, God willing, every year we have around a thousand people who are involved in our holiday programming from Rosh Hashanah to Yom Kippur to Sukkot and then Simchat Torah,” Grodnitzky said. “We just try to create a space where everyone can feel comfortable and connect and pray and eat.”
Grodnitzky added that the High Holidays are a time when the Mamash Chabad sees a lot of new faces. Some come with friends; others come alone.
At Penn, this time of year also yields fresh interest in Chabad programs. The sukkah they have for Sukkot, for example, is big enough to hold close to 300 students. In classic Chabad fashion, this can be partially attributed to the organizations going to other Jews, not waiting for them to come to them.
“Right on Locust Walk in the middle of campus, we do a sukkah,” Levin said.
Goldstein said that their chapter of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement does a walk along the Schuylkill River, traveling through campus and toward Market Street. A classic Rosh Hashanah tradition will be part of it.
“We’ll be bringing our shofar along as we’re walking, and we’ll stop and do a short prayer and blow the shofar for them. so that way they’re able to participate.”
At Penn, Levin also travels to different spots around campus to blow the shofar for Jewish students.
“We spend a lot of time doing that,” he said.
Goldstein knows, of course, the best way to get a room full of college students to assemble: offer delicious — and most importantly, free — food. He called food “the path to the soul,” and said that the brisket and apples and honey are a hit whenever they have the chance to prepare them.
While many college Jews report feeling unsafe on campus right now, Levin said that he is thankful for the steps that the University of Pennsylvania has taken to make Jewish students feel comfortable.
“I think the University of Pennsylvania has been very supportive and encouraging for our community to be together, especially the last two years,” he said. “I think that we will see this surge in involvement over the last year continue into this year, and I attribute that [to the fact that] there’s more around students coming and wanting to be part of the Jewish community, and the university being there to support them.”