Anticipation of the first football match of the year! We had exactly one day to find a place to live. Baruch Hashem, we quickly found the perfect spot. It was roomy, and, most importantly, close to campus. “Can we move in tomorrow?” we asked. They were a bit taken aback, but agreed to let us sign a lease immediately. With that set, we ran to Walmart to “furnish” our new home with some mattresses, card tables, and lawn chairs.
Our first Shabbos davening was held in the “shul” around one card table, and our meager Shabbos meal of frozen challah rolls and tuna fish around the other. After our festive repast, we took a walk around campus. As we passed one fraternity building, a student poked his head out the window and called out, “Hey look! It’s Abraham Lincoln!”
The first day we set up a table on campus was incredibly memorable. It was September 11, 2001. Across the quad was a TV screen, replaying the horrific scenes over and over again. We handed out fliers for our first Rosh Hashanah minyan, and the tragedy made people more receptive to spirituality than they might have been otherwise. A week later, our tiny room was packed with over 40 students for Rosh Hashanah services!
Before social media and smartphones existed, growing our community depended almost entirely on our campus tabling. Armed with nothing more sophisticated than a paper and pen, we stood for hour upon hour at that table, writing down students’ names and phone numbers. I’d call everyone on that list every week, inviting them for Shabbos. After calling consistently for a while, some agreed to join.
