For those Jewish students who like Friday night services but don’t like it when they take an hour, there is the Quickie Shabbat.
Currently run by Jewish Campus Service Corps Fellow Jake Wilkenfeld-Mongillo, Quickie Shabbats at UA Hillel began last academic year, when they were run by the previous JCSC.
The special services are held once a month on Friday evenings when Hillel is not holding its bi-weekly services, and run about 15 minutes. The Quickie Shabbats involve candle-lighting, kiddus, and challah blessings with a couple of songs thrown in. They are open to students of all denominations, and students are encouraged to bring friends.
“It’s just a little bit of Shabbat ritual,” Wilkenfeld-Mongillo told CampusJ, adding “it’s nice to have during the weeks when Hillel isn’t having services.” He said that while attendance so far this year has varied from two to 15 students — compared to the 60 or so for the various denominational services combined when regular services are held — he is hopeful that more will start attending as it gains. Depending on the crowd, the Quickie Shabbat attendees sometimes have dinner together near campus afterward.
The next Quickie Shabbat is February 16 at 6:00 p.m.