Thousands of Jewish College Students Meet Up at International Shabbaton

After the year Jewish students have had, Rabbi Ariel Stern knew he had to do something special for them.

Rabbi Stern and his wife Mushky have been serving the Jewish student community at Dawson College, in Westmount, Quebec, for nearly a decade. Overall, the school has been a positive space for Jewish students. This year, however, rising antisemitism brought immense challenges for Jewish college students around the world. 

So Rabbi Stern reserved 70 spots at Pegisha, the largest annual Jewish student gathering arranged by Chabad on Campus International. Pegisha brings students to the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York for a weekend filled with warm Shabbat meals, workshops and speakers, joyous celebrations, and a grand havdalah ceremony.

The 70 spots Rabbi Stern had reserved weren’t refundable, so Chabad Dawson got to work filling them. Jewish Dawson students created a hosting committee, inviting their friends to join them for the weekend. Interest in the weekend quickly grew, and this weekend, Chabad Dawson will be joining Pegisha for the first time filling every one of the 70 reservations with students.

“One reason students were excited was obviously for the trip — to get to go to New York City,” said Dean Fleming, a sophomore at Dawson College. “But it’s also because Chabad is such a happening place, and everyone comes together — they wanted to take it to the next level, and Pegisha allows us to do that, and to connect with students from other Chabads.”

They’re not the only Chabad center seeing increased interest in Pegisha this year. Not long after registration opened earlier in the academic year, it sold out. A waiting list quickly grew, with hundreds vying for a reservation. Typically, about 1,200 students attend Pegisha. This year, Chabad on Campus International realized that that simply wouldn’t cut it.

“In this critical moment, we could not turn away a single student,” Chabad on Campus International COO Rabbi Avi Weinstein said. So they booked a second venue, and this year will see the largest-ever gathering of Jewish college students: 2,000 of them, hailing from 176 colleges.

When two of his students were attacked on the way to a Shabbat dinner at the University of Pittsburgh, Rabbi Shmuli Rothstein rushed to their side, after which they joined Chabad at its safe, welcoming Shabbat dinner. Less than a month later, Rothstein, director of Chabad at Pitt, rushed to help another student who’d been attacked on campus while wearing a Star of David necklace. This weekend, Rabbi Rothstein will travel to Crown Heights with a group of students to participate in Pegisha, and he says they are determined to continue to be there for Jewish students. 

“It’s unfortunate that this is the reality for Jewish students, but their resilience continues to inspire us, and we will continue supporting them in every way we can.”