When I transferred to UT, I barely knew anyone in Austin. And the experiences I have had with orthodox Rabbis in the past weren’t the best… perhaps because I come from an Orthodox community that has had a lot of difficult finding a Rabbi that fits our necessities. However, when Chabad at UT invited me to come spend a Shabbat with them, I didn't doubt it for a second.
Rabbi Zev was the first one to open his doors to me to join a small but very strong Jewish family here in Austin. Since that first experience, I try to spend as much time as I can at Chabad. Whether this means attending Shabbat services, praying for Yom Kippur, celebrating Purim, or any event they might have, every single time I come, I feel like I’m at home. Rabbi Zev and his wife Ariela do a great job welcoming people and creating a strong Jewish family, where your background, ideology or your Greek life involvement doesn't really matter. For at least one hour a week, we all sit together and enjoy each other’s company as a big family! My goal for this year is to get as many people as I can to come to Chabad so they can enjoy this experience as much as I do.
I am also a member of Sammy. Last semester, a couple of leaders at Sammy decided to meet and discuss the future for our fraternity, because we believe that as a Jewish Fraternity, we should be more involved on campus with Jewish organizations. Although many of us are involved on a personal level we are looking to help more members have a Jewish experience during college. Lead by Jake Dworkis and myself, the fraternity has started having Shabbat dinners at the house once a month. We have had a great turnout so far! Our last Shabbat was on September 28th; it was a date event and we were honored to have Rabbi Zev lead over one hundred people with a great Shabbat sermon and blessings before dinner. Those who attended had so much fun that as we were having dinner, numerous people asked us to continue hosting Shabbat dinners and any other events that would bring Judaism into the fraternity. Now, we are looking forward to our first Sammy Shabbat dinner at Chabad on October 26.
