This past weekend 55 students from various cities in Russia gathered in Rostov for a unique Shabbaton featuring inspiring lectures, games and lively discussions. This special gathering ignited an interest in Judaism among many young people who are the future of the community.

The Shabbaton began with an outdoor Kabbalas Shabbos filled with joyous singing and dancing on the street. The Friday night meal turned into a farbrengen which lasted until 3:00 am, listening to Jewish stories and engaging in thought-provoking discussions about the importance of marrying Jewish and establishing a Jewish home.

During the Torah reading on Shabbos 4 girls chose Jewish names and five boys were called up to the Torah for the very first time in their lives. On Shabbos afternoon participants attended a variety of lectures, and during Seuda Shlishis students shared inspiring stories from their personal lives. One girl mentioned that ever since her great-grandparents were killed by the Nazis, her family has hidden their Jewish identity. But around a year ago she decided to visit the shul and realized that being Jewish does not have to be kept secret anymore.

Motzei Shabbos the program continued after havdallah with a BBQ, a question and answer session and discussions lasting until the morning. On Sunday students put on teffilin for first time and attended two more lectures. At the conclusion of the Shabbaton, during a feedback session, one student commented, “it’s amazing to see so many people come so far in their awareness and observance of traditions, it’s really inspiring”. All the students who attended indicated a strong desire to share in more programs and Shabbatons of this nature.

“This Shabbaton opened my eyes to the tremendous potential for growth among the young people in the community,” said Rabbi Chaim Danzinger. “Seeing how much each student gained from this event makes me feel that we have to redouble our efforts to reach out to the youth IY”H, with programs that engage them and raise their awareness.”

This Shabbaton was made possible through a generous grant from the Miralishvili Fund (Keren Miralishvili)

Some of these students joined us this past summer on our bi-annual Birthright (Taglit) trip to Israel, and are now proudly continuing their journey exploring their Jewish roots.

It was an incredible experience for them! They visited Safed, Tiberias, the Dead Sea as well as many other cities… The highlight of their trip was a Shabbat spent in Jerusalem and their visit to the Western Wall. Most of them experienced Shabbat for the first time, and came back with a real sense of Jewish pride.

Since their arrival back in Rostov many have started attending Shabbat services Friday night and about 10 of them have joined our STARS Judaism course.