At home, Jewish life usually happens around you: family dinners, a synagogue your parents chose, holidays that simply arrive. In college, nobody is going to set the table for you. That can feel like a loss, but many students discover it is the first time Judaism becomes something they choose for themselves. The good news is that almost every campus with a meaningful Jewish population has people whose whole job is to make that easy.
What Jewish life on campus looks like
Jewish life in college is less about a single building and more about a web of places and people. On most campuses you will find some combination of:
- Shabbat dinners on Friday nights, often the heartbeat of the week. See our guide to Shabbat on campus.
- Holiday celebrations from Rosh Hashanah services and a sukkah on the quad to Chanukah menorah lightings and Passover Seders. See Jewish holidays in college.
- Kosher food, which ranges from a weekly kosher meal to full kosher meal plans. See kosher food on campus.
- Learning, from casual classes over pizza to structured courses like JewishU and the Sinai Scholars Society.
- Travel, including Birthright Israel trips and weekend Shabbatons like the Florida Pegisha.
What is Chabad on Campus?
Chabad on Campus is a network of Chabad Houses serving Jewish students at more than 950 colleges and universities around the world. Each Chabad House is run by a rabbi and his wife, known as shluchim (emissaries of the Lubavitcher Rebbe), who move near campus and make their home the students' home. There are no dues and no membership. Students of every background and level of observance are welcome, and research on Chabad on Campus has found that the large majority of students who participate did not grow up in Orthodox homes.
In practice, a Chabad House is a place to eat a home-cooked Shabbat dinner, ask a question you were embarrassed to ask in Hebrew school, take a class, celebrate a holiday, or just sit on a couch between classes. When something goes wrong in a student's life, it is also often the first place they call. Read more about Chabad on Campus Florida or browse the Chabad on Campus FAQ.
How to find Jewish community in your first week
- Look up your campus before you arrive. Search the Chabad on Campus Florida directory for your school and send the rabbi or rebbetzin a quick hello. Many will invite you to a welcome event or a first Shabbat dinner.
- Go to the first Shabbat dinner of the semester. It is the easiest room to walk into, because everyone else is new too.
- Say yes to one thing a week. A class, a holiday event, a lunch. Community comes from showing up regularly, not from joining a list.
Jewish life at Florida colleges
Florida is home to one of the largest Jewish communities in the United States, and its universities reflect that. Chabad on Campus Florida includes 14 Chabad centers serving 25 colleges and universities, from Tallahassee and Gainesville to Miami, and each one has its own personality. Read our region-by-region overview of Jewish life at Florida colleges, or jump straight to a campus:
Chabad at UF · Chabad at FSU · Chabad at UCF · Chabad at UNF · Chabad at USF · Chabad at University of Tampa · Chabad at UM · Chabad at UM · Chabad at FIU · Chabad at FAU · Chabad at NSU · Chabad at FGCU · Chabad at MDC · Chabad at Rollins College
Programs that take Jewish life further
Once you have found your Chabad House, there is a lot more to explore. Florida students can join any of these Chabad on Campus programs through their local center:
- Florida Pegisha: An unforgettable Shabbat weekend with Jewish students from every campus across Florida.
- JewishU: Bite-size Jewish courses on campus, with real rewards for learning.
- Sinai Scholars Society: A selective Jewish learning fellowship for motivated college students.
- Birthright Israel & Israel Experiences: A free trip to Israel with your campus Chabad, and ways to go back and go deeper.
- International Pegisha: A Shabbat weekend in Crown Heights with thousands of Jewish students from around the world.
- Your Israel: A six-week course that goes deeper than the politics.
- Living Links: A heritage journey through Jewish Poland: history, memory and renewal.
- Soup Delivery: Feeling sick? Homemade chicken soup, delivered to your door by your Chabad House.
- Mezuzah Loans: Borrow a kosher mezuzah for your dorm or apartment door, free for the school year.
More guides for Jewish students
- Jewish Life at Florida Colleges: Every Florida college and university with a Chabad on Campus center.
- Shabbat on Campus: Friday night dinners, Shabbat services and how students keep Shabbat in college.
- Jewish Holidays in College: High Holidays, Sukkot, Chanukah, Passover and more, away from home.
- Kosher Food on Campus: Kosher meal plans, dining and Passover meals at Florida schools.
- Resources for Jewish College Students: Learning, travel, support and the people to call when you need them.
- Resources for parents of Jewish college students