16 | APRIL 18 • 2024
J
N
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