Thursday night is officially “Jews Night Out” for Chabad at Ohio University.
Rabbi Levi Raichik and his wife, Chanee Raichik are hosting Falafel Fest and it will be the first event as part of the weekly series intended to bring Jewish students together. Participants will gather at Chabad, 44 W. State St., on Thursday at 5 p.m. for home-cooked falafel and mediterranean food. The food will be the focal point of the evening.
“I wanted to make (the event) as inclusive as possible and something everyone could relate to,” Levi said. “Everyone can relate to food, especially if it’s Jewish food.”
Chanee will prepare the meal. She said anyone who has been to Israel knows falafel is a staple.
Many students have already experienced Chanee’s “powers in the kitchen” at Shabbat dinner, which Chabad holds each Friday at 7 p.m., Levi said.
Jews Night Out will have a new and vital role in connecting Jewish students, Levi said.
According to Levi, Jewish students make up a small portion of the population at OU.
“The challenge is to get a whole bunch of them in the same room at the same time, and that’s kind of what we’re doing with (Jews Night Out),” Levi said.
Just as someone who is interested in sports would look for friends interested in sports, Greg Senkfor, a fifth-year student studying culinary nutrition, said it is important to have find friends who share a similar faith.
Senkfor said it is nice to find friends who were shaped by the same culture.
He said when he came to OU from Cleveland, he met some people who had never met a Jew.
“It’s not like we’re just walking around everywhere,” he said.
Senkfor said Chabad offers an opportunity for good food and good conversation.
“It’s mostly social,” he said. “It’s really just a place to come and hang out.”
Levi said he also hopes Chabad will give students a deeper understanding of what it means to be a Jew and to be proud of their heritage.
Chabad is a place for discussion, Senkfor said. He said it is interesting to explore traditional Jewish perspectives compared to his own.
When Jewish students leave home, they often leave behind an environment that accepts and promotes their faith.
“They went to Hebrew school. They had bar and bat mitzvahs. Then in college it is easy to get lost,” he said.
The Jews Night Out events will mix both cultural and educational opportunities to engage students.
For Rosh Hashanah, or Jewish New Year, Levi said Chabad plans to bring a beekeeper to demonstrate how honey is harvested. Dipping apples in honey is a tradition during the holiday, according to Chabad.org. Future events may include Jewish movie nights and ice cream or sushi socials.
“(Chabad) will … help a lot in students not just (remain) Jews in college but also (grow) as Jews through the college experience,” Levi said.
