A Candy Land Chagigah, the Tac-Soy Shabbaton, and other events arranged by TAC and SCWSC helped bring the Chanukah 2014 spirit to the Beren Campus.
On the Tuesday of the first night of Chanukah, a small group of women attended a lunch Chabura organized by the Beit Midrash Committee and led by a GPATS student. That night, Brookdale housing arranged the annual Brookdale Window Menorah, which was admired by students and passersby along 34th Street. In addition, T^3 held a shiur by Dr. Michelle Levine, entitled “The Illuminating Miracle of Chanukah,” which attracted about 30 students. The Beit Midrash Committee (under TAC) also had a Siyum Mishnayot, which was run in commemoration of the Shloshim of those killed in Har Nof. Twenty students attended the siyum, in addition to the large amount of students who participated in the learning throughout the month.
Rabbi Yaakov Glasser led a TAC-run Chanukah shiur, entitled “Chanukah: Lighting the Fire within You,” during club hour on Wednesday, which was attended by about sixty-five women.
Amanda Esraeilian, TAC president, commented on the event’s success, “Students loved having him there to hear him speak and soak up his knowledge,” she said.
That night, Stern’s all-female councils ran the Chanukah Chagigah, which was enhanced with a Candy Land theme.
Esraeilian commented that this was “quite possibly one of my favorite chagigahs in the last four years.”
Michal Aiash, SCWSC President, further noted that students stayed an extra hour just to dance. The photo booth in particular was a hit with students.
On Thursday night, students enjoyed a lively Chanukah concert at Lamport Auditorium, run by all the student councils. Originally, the heads of the student councils worried that there would not be a great turnout, but sales sky-rocketed at the last minute, and the event was attended by over seven-hundred people. Aiash says the student councils were happy with their decision to keep the ticket prices low, because in the end it attracted many students. The concert featured Benny Friedman, Shlock Rock, and Nissim Black.
Esraeilian noted that the three performers “worked really well with each other, and there was a nice flow from one artist to the next.” She also said she has been getting positive feedback from students who attended the concert.
On Shabbat Chanukah, the semi-annual TAC-SOY Shabbaton took place, featuring Rabbi Steven Burg as the main speaker. Originally, both councils were concerned about having the Shabbaton on Shabbat Chanukah when many students would be going home. It was the only date available for the event, however, and eventually the councils decided that having the Shabbaton was more important than the number of attendees. The main goal of having Shabbat on campus, says Esraeilian, is “building a sense of community.” This is especially important for out-of-towners who could not go home for Shabbat Chanukah. In the end, many people remarked that they actually preferred the smaller size.
In addition to these numerous TAC and SCWSC-led events, the Office of Student Life introduced the Chanukah Wheel Spin. Students spun the wheel for a chance to win prizes, such as a free Shabbat ticket, sufganiyot, and YU “swag.”
The festivities helped eased students into reading week, which this year coincided with the end of Chanukah.