2,200 Students at Binghamton U. Shatter Record for Largest Campus Shabbat Dinner
A mega Shabbat dinner on Friday night served to unify the Jewish community of Binghamton University in New York with a record 2,200 students participating. The Rohr Chabad Center for Jewish Student Life sponsored the April 5 event, saying that it was the largest gathering of students in one place for a Shabbat dinner. This year marks the 30th anniversary of a community-wide Shabbat meal that began with 1,000 participants in 1994 and was led by Binghamton co-directors Rabbi Aaron and Rivkah Slonim.
Today, there are 4,000 Jewish students at Binghamton; 1,500 of them are active with Chabad during the school year in one capacity or another. The “Shabbat 2400” dinner at Binghamton has spawned similar programs on campuses across the country and around the world.
Before the onset of Shabbat, students were welcomed with video greetings from prominent influencers: Montana Tucker, Inbar Lavi and Mayim Bialik. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul also addressed the crowd. The services then began with Jewish women coming together to welcome Shabbat with candle-lighting before the dinner; highlighted by Shabbat traditions such as kiddush and Shabbat hymns and songs.
