I worked the Texas A&M Chabad Texas Shabbaton on February 23rd, 2018.  In order to comply with religious observations, it was necessary to have many committees to help out with all of the different aspects of the event to make sure that everything would run properly before Shabbat begins.  Once Shabbat begins, we are not allowed to drive, use any sort of electricity or do any work because it is considered the Jewish people’s day of rest until the next sundown. Shabbat takes place from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday.  All of the committees worked continuously for two days prior to the event. I was put on the welcoming committee to welcome all the Jewish college students from the South as well as from around Texas for a weekend of fun activities while celebrating Shabbat Aggie style. We handed out goody bags with chips, granola bars and water as well as their hotel room key.  Do to the religious aspect of Shabbat, everyone stayed at the La Quinta so that we were able to walk back and forth to Chabad. The experience of The Shabbaton was amazing but being a committee worker made it even more special because I was able to see how our hard work impacted others. It was impressive to see a two day event come together in just a couple of days.

Some observations from the event included how smoothly the event ran even with the religious restrictions in place, everyone felt welcomed and at home and transitioning everyone from one activity to the next was seamless.  The goal of the event was to show other Jewish students that they always have a home in Aggieland and afford them the opportunity to meet other Jewish students while celebrating Shabbat.

The one and only recommendation I have for this event is to possibly pick a different location in the South each year so that we can see how each school does their own Shabbat.  I recommend this because Texas A&M has hosted this event for the least the past five years, if not more. It is time to make a change and head to a new Jewish community.