Nearly 2,000 students from 160 universities across six countries gathered in Crown Heights for Chabad on Campus International’s annual Pegisha Shabbaton, a four-day event held from Thursday through Sunday, according to Collive.
This year’s theme, "Made for This," focused on Jewish identity, connection and student leadership.
Students visited 770 Eastern Parkway, the Rebbe’s Room and home, and the Library of Agudas Chassidei Chabad. They watched a sofer, or Jewish scribe, write letters in a Torah scroll and learned about institutions including Hatzalah and the Mitzvah Tanks.
“Jewish students spend much of the year as a minority on their campuses,” said Rabbi Yossy Gordon, CEO of Chabad on Campus International. “For one extraordinary weekend, they experience the joy of being unapologetically and proudly Jewish, surrounded by fellow students who share their Judaism and their sense of belonging.”
The weekend included Shabbos meals hosted by Crown Heights families, musical performances, Torah study, workshops and discussions. Speakers included Columbia University professor Rochy Kamman, Boston University professor Binyomin Abrams, author Doron Kornbluth and DailyGiving founder Jonathan Donath.
Students led TED-style presentations about their experiences and work on campuses.
The gathering highlighted Crown Heights’ role as an international center of Chabad-Lubavitch life and Jewish learning. For students who often experience Jewish life as a minority presence on campus, the weekend offered opportunities to meet peers, engage with religious traditions and build connections with the Jewish community.
One of the weekend’s events was an outdoor musical Havdalah on Lubavitcher Rebbe Way, also known as President Street, in front of the Rebbe’s home. Organizers described it as the first event of its kind at that location. Participants visited the Ohel, with time slots arranged throughout the weekend.
The Shabbaton concluded Sunday with a program featuring music and accounts from young Jewish leaders and speakers, including Bondi Beach shooting survivor Leibel Lazaroff, Sabbath-observant college baseball player Elie Kligman and University of Southern California student president Ava Schwartz.
