Jewish groups host largest traditional dinner at Pitt

The smells of rich foods and sounds of friendly conversations filled the third floor of… The smells of rich foods and sounds of friendly conversations filled the third floor of Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Friday. More than 600 people filled the banquet hall of the building as part of Shabbat 1000.

The goal of the event was to host the largest attended Shabbat meal ever on a college campus in Pittsburgh, according to a press release issued for the program.

Chabad House on Campus, the Hillel Jewish University Center and the Jewish Heritage Program all combined in an effort to organize the program.

After a late start, Shabbat 1000 kicked off by recognizing distinguished guests, including Pittsburgh Mayor Bob O’Connor.

“This is what Pittsburgh is all about, bringing people together,” O’Connor said in his welcome speech. The mayor, who revealed a Shabbat 1000 shirt hidden beneath his button-down, acknowledged the fact that the event brought Jewish and non-Jewish people together.

Shabbat is a traditional celebration for people of the Jewish faith. In order to avoid any confusion among those who have never taken part in a Shabbat meal before, all the blessings that are part of the event were printed in a program.

Another method employed, which was in part to combat the poor acoustics in the room, was the use of signs with such things written on them as “quiet,” “cheer” and “laugh.”

Student Rachel Jones played the role of lead host at the event. She said that she has helped for the past three to four months with the planning of Shabbat 1000.

“I enjoy taking part in things that I am passionate about,” Jones said. “I thought that it was important to expose Judaism to both Jews and non-Jews.”

Jones also noted that other schools have hosted Shabbat 1000 in the past.

“We decided it was time to bring it to Pitt,” Jones said. “It was time because we are all strong individuals, and we really wanted to work to make it a success.”

According to a press release, Student Government Board aided in the funding of the event.