[natural sound: mega shabbat shalom]
On Friday afternoon, preparations were underway: caterers were counting chairs, laying loaves of Challah on every table and putting finishing touches on what would be hundreds of plates of food.
Students buzzed around them, putting fairy lights in jars for the more than 40 tables and laying out signs explaining Shabbat — a weekly dinner within the Jewish faith.
The ritual dinner happens every week on Friday night, but at Northwestern last Friday night, it was special. Mega Shabbat — hosted by Northwestern Hillel and Chabad as well as Olami Evanston— is the biggest campus Shabbat of the year. Preparations started in the fall — though Weinberg Senior Haley Shamah says the dishes are relatively straightforward.
HALEY SHAMAH: “So for the most part it’s pretty traditional staple food like chicken and potatoes is not anything revolutionary, but kind of what’s the norm for Shabbat dinners”
The broccolini, chicken piccata and mashed potatoes made for a delicious menu, but Mega Shabbat is about more than just the food.
MICHAEL SIMON: “So Shabbat is the Jewish Sabbath, which takes place from sundown Friday until sundown Saturday every week so in a way it’s like a mini holiday that we have every single week.”
That was Michael Simon, the executive director of Northwestern Hillel. He added that some Jewish people refrain from using technology like cars during Shabbat.
As a college student, Shamah says Shabbat carries a slightly different meaning.
SHAMAH: “And in kind of a modern framework, it’s a really good time to reset and regroup from the week that just happened. You come together as a community, enjoy a delicious meal and prepare for the week ahead.”
She was the head of experience for the Mega Shabbat planning team — that’s all of the logistics and ritual elements. She flew all the way from Minneapolis, where she’s living this quarter, for this event because of what it means to her.
Weinberg Senior Sophie Perel was the head of the Mega Shabbat planning team. She says she has carried Shabbat with her into her college life.
SOPHIE PEREL: “Back at home every Friday I wasn’t allowed to have plans until after dinner because Shabbat Dinner…Me too! was very important and on the calendar every Friday unless there was some dire emergency so for me it’s like ‘this is what I do every weekend, let me bring you into it.”
The ritual, made Mega this week, can remind students of home and share the Jewish faith.
In 2023, the dinner moved from Norris University Center to Ryan Fieldhouse. Since then, the event has grown.
The larger space means more students and community members can come. Many find out about the dinner through word of mouth or through friends like Perel — who invited all eight of her roommates.
Evan Weitzman was the Mega Shabbat head of outreach. The McCormick and School of Communication junior says the team worked hard to recruit attendees.
EVAN WEITZMAN: “As winter break approached, that’s when we really started with recruitment. So for me that meant a lot of recruiting table captains, that’s kind of our strat is you will, in that we recruit table captains and they invite 11 people to join them at their table…and I am very grateful that we were able to get so many people this year.”
Diners came from many religious backgrounds and not everyone was a student. Since it began 14 years ago, Mega Shabbat’s attendance has steadily grown.
SIMON: “Two years ago we had a little under 500 people I think. Last year we were around 500 and I said ‘can we try for 600?’ and my understanding is that there are well over 600 people registered.”
Weitzman, Shamah and Perel told me that they were expecting somewhere between 650-700 people this year.
The planning team hoped that everyone who attended would walk away with open minds. They also hoped a diverse community of people – united at the Shabbat dinner table – could find common ground in this practice.
PEREL: “It’s really just about opening Shabbat and sharing Shabbat with everyone. Jews, non-Jews, staff, students, everyone alike, we want you guys and the general Northwestern community to experience what we experience every week.”
Perel went on to tell me about one of her goals for Mega Shabbat 2026.
PEREL: “A big theme for me this year is ‘come as you are.’ We want everyone, everyone is welcome…regardless of religion, and regardless of race and age and everything that quote on quote divides us or makes us different from each other, that doesn’t matter, you’re always welcome, you always have a seat at the table.”
Shamah echoed this openness, especially in what she identified as a tense political environment rife with societal divisions.
SHAMAH: “I think that Mega Shabbat is a really unique event in that it is a time when there are Jewish and non-Jewish students and everyone in between who have all sorts of different political and geopolitical opinions and it doesn’t matter. Because we are all just focusing on having a wonderful Shabbat meal and it’s a time to share culture in a way that is not divisive, it’s not polarizing.”
[natural sound: preparation chatter]
I left at around 4:50 p.m., just as the sun was setting and Shabbat officially began. The fieldhouse was still relatively quiet and most attendees wouldn’t be arriving for another hour but the tables were set for food and good conversation.
Rachel Spears…WNUR News.
[natural sound: preparation chatter]