By Lillian Glaros and Oliver Mack
About 1,000 Jewish community members and allies gathered at the University of Maryland’s Reckord Armory Friday night to celebrate the largest Shabbat of the semester.
Maryland Hillel, this university’s Jewish Student Union and Chabad organized the “Shabbat 1000” event, according to Adam Bershad, Hillel’s director of engagement and Israel experiences. The event included Hebrew prayers, traditional food and efforts to honor victims of Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel.
Friday’s event marked this university’s second-ever Shabbat 1000 celebration and helped strengthen the community, Bershad said. Shabbat honors Judaism’s traditional day of rest that falls every Friday evening and lasts until Saturday night.
The event has been “incredibly important” for many students, senior computer engineering major Eliav Hamburger said.
Hamburger said being part of this university’s Jewish community has been one of the “cornerstones” of his college experience.
“I want to be a part of that community spirit and show people that we’re not afraid to be who we are,” Hamburger said.
[‘It was heartbreaking’: UMD students grieve hostages held by Hamas, killed in Gaza]
Like Hamburger, senior philosophy major Michael Lurie said the campus’s Jewish community is very important to him. It has helped Lurie find some of his best friends, he added.
“[The community] is where I found my religious identity and I’m just so happy that this event is a chance to bring everyone together,” Lurie, who is a member of this university’s Jewish Student Union and Terps for Israel organization, said.
David Fritz, a sophomore aerospace engineering major, said Shabbat 1000 has been an important space for community members to grieve.
Last year’s Shabbat 1000 took place a few weeks after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel at a time when many students were “mourning and hurting,” Fritz said.
“Seeing everybody here together puts a strong message out and probably helps people feel more at home,” Fritz said.
[Maryland Hillel breaks ground on new, larger facility]
On Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas killed at least 1,200 people in Israel and took about 250 hostages, according to the Associated Press. Since the attack, Israel’s military forces have killed more than 41,000 people in Gaza, the Associated Press reported Saturday.
About 100 hostages are currently held by Hamas in Gaza, the Associated Press reported Saturday.
At several tables, event organizers draped empty seats in posters that honored each hostage held by Hamas.
“We’re still hoping the hostages come home,” Bershad said.
During the event, attendees also sang Israel’s national anthem,“Hatikvah.” The rendition was led by Kol Sasson, a Jewish acapella group at this university.
The event highlighted the strength and resiliency of Jewish community members, Hamburger said.
“You have a built-in group of people you can rely on no matter what’s happening,” Hamburger said. “Having a community that can support me … means a lot.”
