An estimated 1,500 students packed a Binghamton University gym Friday night for what is believed to be the largest gathering of its sort – a giant campus Shabbat dinner – in the United States.

Organized by the Chabad-Lubavitch Center for Jewish Student Life and co-sponsored by Hillel-JSU at the central New York campus, the annual dinner continued a tradition begun in 1994 and since replicated by campuses across North America. The March 19 dinner was kicked off with a candle-lighting ceremony, words of inspiration from Rabbi Dov Greenberg, director of the Rohr Chabad House serving Stanford University, and a cappella performances by the University of Maryland’s Rak Shalom and Binghamton’s Kaskeset; the meal itself featured all of the traditional ritual elements of a Shabbat dinner, as well as a feast made from 400 pounds of beef, 800 pounds of chicken, and 1,500 bread rolls.

“It is a huge undertaking,” said sophomore Liat Sacks, a member of the organizing committee. “But everybody involved agrees it’s worth all the effort to see so many people involved in, and enjoying, their heritage and traditions.”


Binghamton University students prepare signs in advance of their school’s annual Shabbat 1500, a Friday night dinner program organized by the Chabad Center for Jewish Student Life and co-sponsored by Hillel-JSU. (Photo: L. Joyce/Chabad of Binghamton)


“It is a huge undertaking,” sophomore Liat Sacks said of the March 19 dinner. “But everybody involved agrees it’s worth all the effort to see so many people involved in, and enjoying, their heritage and traditions.” (Photo: L. Joyce/Chabad of Binghamton)


All told, some 400 pounds of beef, 800 pounds of chicken, 1,500 bread rolls, and countless trays of potato salad, pasta dishes and traditional kugel went into the preparations. (Photo: L. Joyce/Chabad of Binghamton)


Rabbi Aaron Slonim, fourth from left, executive director of the Chabad Center for Jewish Student Life, said that “a program like this can only succeed where there is a well-established Jewish infrastructure and a vibrant and dedicated core of Jewish students.” (Photo: E. Jackson/Chabad of Binghamton)


Begun in 1994, Shabbat 1500 has become a fixture of Jewish life at Binghamton University and a model for similar programs across North America. (Photo: E. Jackson/Chabad of Binghamton)


Attendees are primed before the onset of Shabbat. (Photo: L. Joyce/Chabad of Binghamton)


Students usher in the beginning of the holy day by lighting Shabbat candles. (Photo: E. Jackson/Chabad of Binghamton)


The event took place in the university’s East Gym. (Photo: E. Jackson/Chabad of Binghamton)