Chabad on Campus in Israel: Lending a helping hand to students seeking their Jewish identity

For many readers, the term “Chabad on Campus” conjures images of friendly rabbis and their wives working with unaffiliated college youth on North American college campuses, exposing them to the basic tenets of Judaism. In truth, this issue has no borders, and Jewish college youth – even in Israel – are thirsting for knowledge about their faith. 

It was for this reason that INEXTG (Israel’s Next Generation), a US-based nonprofit organization that supports the development of a positive Jewish identity among Jewish youth, has created a similar organization in Israel. Chabad on Campus Israel is headed by Rabbi Moshe Shilat.

Chabad on Campus Israel can be found at virtually all of Israel’s universities and campuses – 40 in all, from north to south and everywhere in between. Like their North American counterparts, Chabad centers on Israeli campuses are staffed by trained, engaging, and energetic couples, who work to inspire, guide and support Israel’s leaders of tomorrow, by strengthening their Jewish identity through classes, activities, and Shabbat meals. 

Chabad shlichim (emissaries) maintain positive and cordial relations with student associations in Israeli colleges and universities, and Chabad on Campus is recognized as an integral student organization.

Some of Israel’s young and up-and-coming leaders have had positive experiences in Chabad on Campus during their university days. For example, Raz Kinstlich, mayor of Rishon LeZion, has been a friend of Chabad since his days as the city’s director of construction and infrastructure at the College of Management Academic Studies. 

“I saw that their activity comes from a pure and true place, with no self-interest, and from a sincere desire to help all Jews.”

Kiryat Shmona Mayor Avichai Stern became familiar with Chabad as a student at the University of Haifa. “Chabad is the essence of all that is good. The organization helps all students and lends an ear for every problem. 

“When everyone goes home, the Chabad movement remains 24/7 to take care of those who stay in the dormitories and at the university, not only during the week, but also on Shabbat and holidays. The youthful spirit of Chabad attracts all the young people studying on campus.”

One of the goals of Chabad on Campus Israel is to maintain a connection with college students at other Chabad houses in the world. Recently, a delegation of students from Chabad on Campus Israel flew to New York and met with fellow Jewish college students from Columbia, Princeton, Yale, and Harvard. 

As part of their visit, the delegation prayed at the grave of the Lubavitcher Rebbe and met with Ofir Akunis, the Israeli consul general in New York. While visiting Times Square, the students released hundreds of yellow balloons skyward and issued a prayer for the release of the hostages held captive in Gaza. 

TO GAIN a better understanding of how Chabad on Campus functions in Israel, this writer recently spoke with Rabbi Chilik Kaplan, director of the Chabad on Campus at Ono Academic College in Kiryat Ono, and Rabbi Lazer Klein and his wife, Devorie, heads of Chabad on Campus Hanamal (The Port) in Haifa. 

Thirty-six-year-old Kaplan is one of two Chabad emissaries working at Ono Academic College, one of Israel’s largest colleges, with an enrollment of 25,000. Kaplan’s background is well-suited for working with young Israeli college students. He grew up in Tel Aviv and spent three and a half years working at the Chabad branch in Sydney, Australia. “I loved working with students,” he says. 

Kaplan has lived in Kiryat Ono for 13 years and has been active in Chabad in the city for some time. When he heard that Chabad on Campus was planning to open a center at Ono Academic College, he applied for the position, reasoning that his prior experience in the field would serve him in good stead. He has headed Chabad at the school for the past nine years.

“Serving as a shaliach at Chabad on Campus is important for both sides. For us, it is significant to make a positive influence on the future generations of Israeli leaders who will lead the country. For the students, it is very important because, at this age, they are setting the format of their lives. We can influence them to strengthen their Jewish values and identity.”

Recently, Chabad at Ono Academic College, with the help of Rabbi Shilat and the CEO of the school, received a designated area in one of the school’s new buildings for its activities. The Chabad Center at Ono is open 24 hours, seven days a week, including Shabbat and holidays. It’s an inviting space for college students and features a coffee corner, a piano, guitars, couches, and a library of Jewish books. 

“Over 500 students per week pass through the center,” says Kaplan. “It is an anchor for students who see us as a guiding force and positive influence.”

Students come to Chabad at Ono to drink coffee, make music, chat, and learn more about Judaism. Each day, Chabad offers afternoon and evening activities, ranging from a class in Tanya, an early work of hassidic philosophy, on Monday evenings to a Tuesday afternoon class on the weekly Torah reading, which is offered together with shakshuka. 

One of the most significant courses offered at Chabad at Ono, titled “A Look at Life,” is a 10-week course that provides college students with a basic understanding of Judaism’s approach to life and personal growth. More than 300 students have taken part in the course in each of the last two years, and Kaplan says that years later, he continues to receive positive feedback from former students. 

Klein notes that these classes engender a personal connection with the students. He has officiated at the weddings of numerous students who have little allegiance to organized religion but wanted to have a traditional Jewish wedding due to the positive connection that they have with the Kleins. 

While the courses and classes that Chabad offers provide an intellectual grounding to the students, the movement’s Shabbat meals offer a more spiritual and soulful approach. Many students spend their weekends in Ono’s dormitories, and as Kaplan explains, the Shabbat meals hosted by Chabad provide an integral service. 

“It is very important for students because students who live far away need a family feeling that someone is opening their heart, with a Shabbat atmosphere, a family environment, Shabbat kiddush, singing, and tasty food,” says Kaplan. In addition, the communal Shabbat meals at Ono provide a sense of community with students who may have had little interaction with each other during the week. 

In addition to the Shabbat meals, once a month, Kaplan and his wife host students in their home for meals, providing a more informal atmosphere for discussing Judaism and life in general. 

According to Kaplan, the Israel-Hamas War has dramatically influenced the Ono students’ interest in Judaism. “We have found that those who are generally less interested in religion are ready to learn and listen. We have more meetings with non-religious students who want a connection.” He reports that more students are coming to put on tefillin and have joined classes since the war began. 

WHILE The Chabad at Kiryat Ono serves the student body of one school, Chabad on Campus at the Port, located in the Lower City portion of Haifa, serves the approximately 12,000 students studying in different campuses in the area, including the Tiltan School of Design and Visual Communication, the computer science school of the University of Haifa, the Open University branch, and other campuses located in the area.

Describing the area, Rabbi Lazer Klein says, “It’s a combination of Florentine [the trendy Tel Aviv neighborhood] mixed with academia. There’s a young vibe.” Klein, who grew up in Kiryat Malachi in a well-established Chabad family with roots in the former Soviet Union, has directed the Chabad there since its inception 11 years ago. His wife, Devorie, who also comes from a Chabad family, hails from Or Akiva.

The average day at Chabad at the Port begins with a class on the weekly Torah reading given by Devorie, accompanied by coffee and cake for the students. Like the Chabad in Kiryat Ono, the center is open all day. 

Each night, Chabad at the Port offers a different activity. On Sunday evening, there is a class for women given by Devorie; Monday is the Haifa Chabad’s “A Look at Life” course, which, like the course offered at Ono, offers 10 meetings each week on a variety of different Jewish subjects. Klein explains that it defines and discusses Jewish peoplehood, the Jewish family, relationships between men and women, and much more. Participants receive a stipend of NIS 2,000 for the series – tuition fees for continuing their academic studies. 

On Tuesday evenings, Klein teaches a bet midrash course in Talmud for students who have had little or no exposure to Talmudic studies, while on Wednesday evenings, they hold a weekly get-together with students called “Revi’i Levavi” (Wednesday heart-to-heart). On Thursday, students from Chabad at the Port volunteer and help the elderly.

The Chabad also offers a “Café Ivrit” program for foreign students to help them improve their Hebrew proficiency.Haifa Chabad’s Shabbat summer programs begin before Shabbat when students gather in a relaxed atmosphere for beer and snacks. Throughout the year, Shabbat meals at Chabad feature kiddush, spirited singing, and a comfortable family atmosphere for students from Israel and around the world.

Klein describes the effect that the war has had on Chabad in Haifa. “On the night following the beginning of the war, we opened an operations center at Chabad that provided equipment for soldiers that the students operated.” 

Klein and his wife received training on speaking with soldiers who had returned from reserve duty at the front, and he brought materials daily to forces in the South, frequently seeing and visiting students from the campus. “When they saw a familiar face, they felt connected to us.”

Summing up their feelings about helping students, Devorie Klein says, “We are doing the right thing. The Lubavitcher Rebbe said we always have to do more, and this is the right thing to do. 

“Every meeting with a student provides us with great satisfaction.” 

This article was written in cooperation with Israel’s Next Generation.