Jewish organization hosts hundreds for ‘Mega Shabbat’ dinner ...Middle East

Hundreds celebrated the start of the Jewish day of rest at Chabad at UA’s “Mega Shabbat” dinner Friday evening inside Bryant-Denny Stadium.

Attendees, mostly students and their parents, mingled, ate traditional Jewish dishes and celebrated their Jewish identity at a time when antisemitic hate incidents have risen across the world.

In the Jewish faith, Shabbat is the sabbath, or day of rest. It begins Friday at sunset and ends Saturday after nightfall. The tradition has its roots in the Book of Genesis, part of the Torah, where God is said to have rested on the seventh day after creating the world. Jewish people avoid work during Shabbat, and many avoid use of electronics like smart phones. Families typically gather for dinner Friday night.

“Shabbat is the original gathering, the original community, the original place where we remember that we belong to something bigger than ourselves,” said Kussi Lipskier, the rabbi for UA Chabad, in a speech to attendees. The organization is part of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement, which has houses worldwide, including on college campuses. The houses serve as Jewish community centers.

The event began with a “Matzah Ball Social,” where attendees mingled and ate traditional Jewish soup made from round dumplings called “matzahs.” As the sun began to set, attendees took their seats at round dinner tables as speakers kicked off the event.

“Tonight, instead of cheering for a team on the field, we are here because we belong to a team that is far older, far deeper and far holier,” Lipskier said to attendees. “Tonight, we are here because we are Jews, and we are proud of that. As we like to say around here, ‘Roll Tide with Jewish Pride.’”

Women in the room then gathered to light candles, which Lipskier’s wife, Rosie Lipskier, said symbolizes pushing away darkness and bringing calmness and peace. She said women typically light the candles before Shabbat dinner because they are “builders of atmosphere, of warmth, of emotional safety.”

Before dinner began, attendees sang “Shalom Aleichem,” a poem traditionally sung at Shabbat to ask God for peace, and raised their glasses of wine and grape juice as Rosie Lipskier offered a customary blessing known as Kiddush. As participants dined on beef brisket and chicken, they joined in singing and clapping to songs of Jewish pride.

“Mega Shabbat” has been an idea for two years, said Sasha Gilbert, a sophomore studying general business and president of Students Supporting Israel. She said the idea came from other campuses that have also put on large Shabbat gatherings.

The event came as antisemitic hate incidents rose globally and in the U.S. in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war, according to the Anti-Defamation League. Some colleges and universities have also faced criticism for their handling of antisemitism on their campuses.

“We’re making a statement: we’re here to stay,” Gilbert said.

In remarks to attendees, Tamar Oren, president of the UA Chabad Jewish Student Group, said she has found belonging and mutual understanding in the organization.

“But then there are the moments when being Jewish on campus feels isolating,” she said. “Heavy things are happening in the world, and there have been times I’ve sat in class and thought about how am I the only person in the room who is carrying the weight of it all.”

She added that in Chabad, she finds people who are “going through the same thing.”

“When I was going to Alabama, people were like, ‘you’re not gonna have any Jewish friends there. There’s no Jews here,’” Gilbert said. “I think this proves it wrong. This is pushing the envelope. I think this makes a huge statement that, ‘hey, if you’re Jewish, it’s safe to be here.”

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