13th Annual Mega Shabbat 

Shabbat Shalom! It’s time for the 13^th Annual Mega Shabbat on Friday, April 4, at 6pm at the Chabad of UCSB’s Rohr Chabad Jewish Student Center, 779 Camino Pescadero. The event is free and open to all, but registration is required. Parking is the usual at UCSB, and the event is held outside on the building’s grassy area and adjacent parking lot areas, so dress for the weather!

The Chabad at UCSB Mega-Shabbat Committee members are Rabbi Gershon Klein, the Executive Director of Chabad at USCB, and his wife and Board President Miri Klein; Chabad at UCSB Executive Student Board Co-Presidents Sarah Feuer and Jordan Fishburn;and students Galia Broussi Raich, Gloria Kompel, Paulina Gicqueau, Talia Rapoport, Yulia Ivanytskyy, Jake Nguyen, and Sammy Javedanfar. 

In addition to the usual formal program (see below) Rabbi Gerson answered my interview questions for our readers:

Q. For the Annual Mega Shabbat this year, what do you want attendees to experience and walk away with?

We want Mega Shabbat to be a time when people come together for something happy. A lot of times, we only gather as a community when something sad happens, like after a big tragedy or a hard time. And while it’s so powerful to support each other then, we believe it’s just as important to come together to celebrate good things too. That’s what Mega Shabbat is all about. It’s one big Shabbat dinner where Jewish students, their friends, and people from the community all join together for an evening of Jewish joy, connection, and of course good food.

We hope everyone who comes feels like they belong and experience the magic of Shabbat. We want them to leave feeling re-Jew-venated, filled with Jewish pride and/or with a better appreciation for the Jewish community. A few years back we had a student tell us after the event that he had been part of an extreme anti-Jewish group and he came to see what it was all about. He was so impressed. He said it completely changed the way he viewed the Jewish community. 

Another thing is, we all spend so much time on phones and screens, but Shabbat is a chance to put that all down and tap into our essential selves. Shabbat is a time to remember our purpose and ask ourselves why am I here. How can I best use my talents to make the world filled with more goodness and Hashemliness. (G-dliness). 

You know. For a lot of students, it might be their first time celebrating Shabbat. So, it’s a great way to experience something meaningful, and to experience where the whole idea of a “weekend” actually came from – Shabbat!

What are the talking points you will provide at the Mega Shabbat? 

– Jewish pride: Sometimes with hate around we can be tempted to shrink away. But this is a finger in the eye of hate. We’re proud in numbers, and we’re not going to back down. 

– Tapping into community, our purpose, and the bigger picture: Being part of a mega Shabbat, are all those things. Shabbat is a time to focus on all things inner. 

About the Event

The Mega-Shabbat is an all-ages event which served over 1,000 people last year. The program starts with an hors d’oeuvres reception. There is a photo booth and yarmulkes for men who forgot theirs. Before sunset is the candle ceremony to remind everyone to keep their light going. At sunset, all electronic devices are turned off. Women and children light the shabbat candles at each dinner table. Guests are served individual challah bread and grape juice for the meal blessings. Rabbi Gershon will lead the Kiddush blessing to sanctify the Shabbat and a blessing for the first course. Next there will be a Hamotzi blessing, everyone singing a special song at the second course, and the Bentching, which is a grace after the meal prayer, along with a dessert buffet.

Rabbi Chaim of Chabad of Montecito is joining again this year. Recently, he initiated a mentor program for Jewish UCSB students with the Jewish community in Montecito, and those mentors will be attending the Mega Shabbat. Rabbi Chaim explains, “Many of the students attending have built meaningful relationships with community mentors right here in Montecito, and several of those mentors will be joining them at the table. It’s a powerful reflection of the intergenerational bonds that define our community: Montecito residents investing in the next generation, and students finding grounding and inspiration in those connections.”  

411: Visit http://bit.ly/MEGASHABBAT25 to register