Follow ChabadInfo & Never Miss an Update!

Follow us on Instagram Subscribe to our WhatsApp status and broadcast Follow us on Tiktok Follow us on Facebook Follow us on X Follow us on Google News Subscribe on YouTube

Nearly 1,000 students gathered on Shabbos Bereishis at Washington University in St. Louis for Shabbat 1000, a first-of-its-kind campus-wide Shabbat dinner organized by WashU Chabad, bringing Jewish tradition and community to one of the university’s most prominent gathering spaces.

Close to 100 tables filled the historic Brookings Quadrangle, where students from across campus came together to welcome Shabbos.

The evening featured a performance by Jewish rapper Ari Lesser, followed by Shabbat blessings and a traditional dinner. As Shabbos began, students put away their phones and stepped away from campus routines to connect with one another. A Kabbalas Shabbos service was held later in the evening.

The initiative grew out of student interest in creating a large-scale Jewish cultural event at WashU. While Chabad regularly hosts Friday night meals attended by hundreds of students, organizers hoped to make Shabbos accessible to an even wider audience and establish a new campus tradition.

Rabbi Hershey Novack, Shliach at WashU Chabad, said the gathering reflected the Jewish community’s commitment to participating openly in campus life and sharing its traditions with others.

“Shabbat 1000 is not about creating a record,” Rabbi Novack said. “What we’re really trying to do is demonstrate to ourselves, to the Jewish community, that Judaism is rich with tradition and meaningful in 2026.”

University Chancellor Andrew Martin also addressed the gathering, thanking students for taking part and expressing support for the Jewish community on campus.

The organizers hoped to give Jewish students a strong sense of belonging while introducing their classmates to the beauty and meaning of Shabbos.

1