The Justice

"PARTYING" AT CHABAD: Manny Halberstam '10, Tyler Morrill '10 and Grady Macklin '10 at the Chabad Purim Party in March. Many non-Jews say they enjoy Chabad festivities.

The aroma of a home-cooked meal engulfs you the moment you step inside the Chabad house at 54 Turner Street. Off in the distance, two candles stand tall while chairs are efficiently squeezed together with just enough room to fit every person comfortably.

As handfuls of students begin to arrive-about 140 every Friday, all dressed up in their finest Sabbath attire-they fill the empty seats row by row. Some offer to finish up any of the housekeeping tasks before the Friday night dinner begins; others catch up with one another on the week that has just passed. A relaxed atmosphere devoid of school or work pressures fills the air as twilight has transformed into night.

For the large Jewish community on campus, the Brandeis Chabad house is a symbol of spirituality, social events and a warm family atmosphere. Yet seated at the Shabbat tables each week are a multitude of non-Jewish students, who seek in the Chabad house the same peaceful, celebratory feeling.

For Daniela Montoya-Fontalvo '11, attending the dinner at Chabad was a kind of first for her.

"I had never been to anything Jewish before in my life and really wanted to see where and how my Jewish friends spent part of their Friday evenings," she says.

Attending religious events was not new to Montoya-Fantalvo. As a Catholic, she used to attend services every Sunday and says she "loved going to church for the sense of community." Little did she know, but by following her Jewish friends to a Friday night dinner, she would find the same type of comfort and warmth within the walls of Chabad that she found in church-regardless of the fact that she is not Jewish.

"Everybody at Chabad was so accepting, warm and inviting," she says. "It is amazing to take part in singing, eating and spending time together in such a comfortable environment; I was surprised that I didn't feel out of place at all."

"Jewish students really take this for granted," Montoya-Fonatalvo says. "I wish I had something similar to this on campus."

In fact, many non-Jewish Chabad attendees I interviewed all expressed the same appreciation for the communal attitude and warmth that Rabbi Peretz Chein, his wife, Chanie, and the Brandeis students who celebrate at Chabad exhibit.

Continued...

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