The Kosher Eater Nation Blog

by Daniel Narvy

In the midst of Chol Hamoed, the intermediate days of the holiday of Sukkot, Chabad of UCI hosted "Pizza in the Hut", a 3 hour lunch activity immersing students, both Jewish and Non-Jewish, religious and secular, in the traditions and customs of Sukkot, the 8 day harvest festival that ends with Simchat Torah, the completion and start of a yearlong torah reading. In Pizza in the Hut, Rabbi Zevi and his wife Rebbitzin Miriam brought kosher pizza from Los Angeles to the "hut", the Sukka Rabbi Zevi and several students helped build on Ring Road next to the flag poles. Over lunch, students of various backgrounds learned about the holiday and the related customs.

            The event helped convey the warm, welcoming Jewish environment UC Irvine truly has, despite its anti-Semitic reputation. Not only was the Sukka built on one of the most popular parts on campus, but it was treated with upmost respect from students of all religions and backgrounds. Students from the Armenian Club, the Indian Club, the Evangelical Club, to name only a few, all stopped by to learn about the significance of the holiday, while Jewish Students had the chance to waive the lulav and etrog, to eat in the Sukkah and say the related blessings.

            Overall, the event was a great success in promoting Jewish life on campus. The Non-Jews got to take a peek into the fun, exciting aspects of Judaism while learning a few traditions, while the Jewish students who showed up were able to get a few extra Mitzvah points 

by Cathy Shutaya

 Chabad’s annual ‘Sukkah Hop’ has, for the last few years, been branded as one of the most fun events of the school year and one of my personal favorites. This year was no different. Sukkah hop successfully brings together Jewish students of various campus clubs and organizations including Chabad, Hillel, Anteaters for Israel, AEPi, AEPhi, and even attracts Jewish alumni students who come back to reminisce their crazy college days. We venture out on a school bus of approximately 40 people to meet up with students from Cal State Long Beach, at which point we all join to celebrate what Sukkot is all about—being together. Students ‘hop’ from one sukkah to another, filling up on tasty snacks, drinking a beer or two (students of age 21+, of course), and finishing up with a delicious falafel dinner and rocking out to live music. For some, this may be reminiscent of their own identity-reawakening experiences in Israel (as many students have already been on programs like Birthright).

Even with a midterm the following day, I couldn’t pass up on my favorite celebration of the fall quarter (luckily the midterm didn’t turn out to be worth studying for)…but that was a risk I was willing to take and hey, isn’t that what college is all about?

 Chabad sure knows how to throw a party, and as one UC Irvine student put it, “we hop hard”. I look forward to more hops in the years to come!

by  Alexis Goldring

 My first Chabad event happened to be the Shabbat Dinner in the Sukkah this quarter. I was extremely nervous, seeing as it was my first Chabad event, but all of the nerves turned into fun and excitement! Everyone was so welcoming and it felt like this was my 100th Chabad event! We had Chinese food under the stars in the Sukkah, where we all sat around for hours catching up and socializing. Then out of nowhere, Miriam decided that I needed to dance around the Sukkah singing Shabbat songs that I knew from Jewish camp when I was younger! Everyone was clapping and singing, it felt as if I was back in Israel again and nothing else mattered!

After the official dinner was over, everyone just sat around and hung out. It was so great meeting new people, people that I would have otherwise not met. The religious aspect of the Sukkah was so refreshing from the everyday bustle of school and studying. I am so thankful Miriam forced me to dance around the Sukkah because it truly made me feel special and apart of something bigger. I will definitely go to this event next year and hopefully many other events! Without a doubt, I enjoyed every second of the Sukkah under the stars and blissful feeling of being with so many other Jewish students who are just like me!

 This event was co-sponsored by the Hillel Foundation and The Rose Project of the Jewish Federation and Family Services of Orange County