JULY 13 • 2023 | 13

n Monday, May 29, Chabad 
on Campus International 
sent 149 Jewish students 
from universities all over 
the country to Dubai. Ten 
participants joined from 
Michigan State University’s 
Chabad House, run by Rabbi 
Benzion and Mrs. Simi Shemtov. The trip 
was an earned reward from JewishU in 
recognition of the students’ commitments 
to having engaged in formal Jewish educa-
tion over the academic year. 
JewishU is an academy that offers col-
lege students dozens of unique classes 
that demystify everything Jewish. From 
history to philosophy, and everything in 
between, students find that JewishU pro-
vides an accessible and engaging platform 
for a comprehensive Jewish education 
alongside their college experience. The 
classes offer students an avenue to explore 
Jewish philosophy and teachings while 
gaining JewishU credits. Michigan State 

University’s Chabad students completed 
a collective 200 hours of learning. This 
qualified them for a fully paid, once-in-a-
lifetime trip to the United Arab Emirates 
(UAE). 
While on this trip, students got to see 
the Burj Khalifa (tallest building in the 
world), go on a wild desert journey ATV 
off-roading, and then a desert camp expe-
rience for dinner and late-night entertain-
ment. 

They explored the Old City markets and 
visited the Palm Jumeirah (the world’s first 
man-made islands). At night, they even 
cruised around on a triple-decker yacht 
with stunning views of the city, singing 
and dancing together. 
The last day, the group traveled to Abu 
Dhabi where they toured the Qasr Al 
Watan Presidential Palace. The trip also 
included many Jewish experiences that are 
unique to the UAE, such as visiting the 
Abrahamic Family House, a multi-faith 
complex with a synagogue, church and 
mosque. There were also visits to the only 
Holocaust exhibit in a Muslim country 
and the first Jewish preschool in the UAE. 
The itinerary included daily Torah lessons, 
spectacular speakers, dining at kosher 
restaurants and an inspirational Shabbat 
program. 
We, both on the Chabad student board 
(Alex is president), were two of the lucky 
Michigan State students who attended the 

149 Jewish students fill the 
Abrahamic House Synagogue. Rabbi 
Yehuda Sarna shares that he is 
brought to tears seeing the room 
filled completely with Jews for the 
first time. 

ALEX MISON AND JARED PAZNER 
SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

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