16 | APRIL 18 • 2024 
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M

ichigan State University’s 
Mega Shabbat brought some 
400 students, faculty and 
parents together at Spartan Stadium’s 
MSUFCU Club for a powerful evening 
of connecting with the community. The 
March 15 event was the largest-scale 
Shabbat dinner to be held on campus, 
says Rabbi Benzion Shemtov, 
co-director, MSU Chabad.
The event, held overlooking the 
stadium, began with a matzah ball social 
and Spartan Strong mitzvah auction, 
followed by dinner and a dessert buffet. 
There was a photo booth, a tefillin stand 
and also opportunities for participants to 
get henna designs or air-brushed kippahs 
and T-shirts. Signing up to take on a 
mitzvah entered participants in raffles to 

win jewelry, sports tickets and more. 
They had hors d’oeuvres, then sat 
down for brisket that had been cooked 
in the stadium kitchen, which was made 
kosher for the event, and heard from 
speaker Michigan Supreme Court Justice 
Richard Bernstein. 
“I feel like the students really needed 
this, at this point, with everything 
happening,” Rabbi Shemtov says. 
“Students needed to see that Jewish life 
on campus is thriving. We’re here. It’s 
fun … and it was equally important 
for it to be big, for students to see so 
many people are involved, that the 
Jewish community is big, and we’re here 
together.”
The event, which started in 2019, 
struck a different chord this year for 

everyone involved given world events 
and the more complicated context 
of being Jewish on campus, Shemtov 
explains.
“There’s always so much talk about the 
rise of antisemitism on campus, which 
is true, but here you come to an evening 
where it’s all positive — it’s all light, it’s 
just so beautiful. Everything is set up, 
and so many students are involved,” he 
says, adding that students fundraised for 
the prizes and the mitzvah raffle, took 
care of centerpieces, set up the matzah 
ball social and more.
Harry Feber, an MSU sophomore from 
West Bloomfield, brought friends and 
family to the event. “We filled up two 
tables of 20 people. It was really, really 
awesome,” says Feber, adding that he had 

OUR COMMUNITY

Passover with MSU Chabad

MSU Chabad is making kosher-for-Passover meals available to students throughout the week. MSU Chabad also 
offers a seat at their two Passover seders: First Seder is Monday, April 22, at 8 p.m.; Second Seder is Tuesday, April 
23, at 8:30 p.m. Each seder will offer a beautifully set table, upbeat atmosphere, great food and lots of fun surprises.
Sign up at JewishSpartans.com/Passover.

Justice Richard Bernstein addresses the crowd.
Juniors Blake Phillips, Logan Forman, Brooke Bell, Molly Mishulin and Jaden Rockind

Michigan State Chabad attracts 
400+ to March 15 event.
Mega Shabbat

KAREN SCHWARTZ CONTRIBUTING WRITER

“IT FELT LIKE 
YOU WERE IN THIS 
BIG FAMILY.”

— HARRY FEBER

