Shabbox Shalom! Jewish life lights up across campus

State College, PA, November 13, 2015 – ‘Shabbox Shalom!’ set to launch the week of November 16, hopes to empower students to create their own Jewish space on campus. For the first time ever, Penn State Hillel helps students bring Shabbat home by providing a ‘Shabbox’ for personal weekly Shabbat ritual.

‘Shabbox Shalom’ created by Penn State Hillel’s Student Co- Vice President of Religious Life, Jamie Butler and Morgan Ingber, and the Religious Life Committee, aims to light up the homes of Penn State students. ‘Shabbox Shalom’ is exactly how it sounds; a box for Shabbat. Shabbox Shalom provides the basic tools, in a box, to host your own Shabbat. The box includes Challah, made fresh each week by Penn State Challah For Hunger chapter, candles, grape juice, a Kiddush cup, and small card with Shabbat blessings. The box is meant to spread Jewish life on campus and empower students to ‘do Jewish’ on their own terms. Each week, students can go to www.pennstatehillel.org and register for their own Shabbox, for free. From there, each host is responsible for their own Shabbat-prep. Once Shabbat is over, the host can apply for reimbursement through Penn State Hillel’s Jewish Programming and Allocations Committee (JewPAC).

“It’s an incredible opportunity to engage Jewish students in a new and accessible way. Jewish college students are looking for innovative ways to connect with old tradition and ‘Shabbox Shalom’ provides exactly that.” – Jamie Butler

“We recognize that different students have different needs. By empowering these students to create their own Jewish experience, through ‘Shabbox Shalom’, we can continue to strengthen students’ Jewish identities and encourage them to build Jewish community across campus.”– Rob France, Assistant Director, Penn State Hillel

Look for our ‘Shabbox Shalom’ Table in the HUB on Tuesday, November 17 from 12:30-2:30pm. For more information and updates, please check out www.pennstatehillel.org or our Facebook page, Penn State Hillel.

Penn State Hillel’s mission is to enrich the lives of the estimated 4,000-6,000 Jewish students at Penn State so that they may enrich the Jewish people and the world. Penn State Hillel is committed to excellence, innovation, accountability, and results.

Contact:

Community Engagement Associate, Hannah Giterman

Email: hbg12@psu.edu

Phone: 440-223-2015