Jewish Freshmen Unite for Back-to-School Bash at University of Delaware

Incoming Jewish freshmen will kick off their collegiate careers at the University of Delaware in style at the 10th annual Freshman Fest, a 30-hour programming gala sponsored by UD Hillel and Chabad on Campus in conjunction with the university’s Jewish Studies Department.

Samantha Rosenberg, a junior in neuroscience from Egg Harbor Township, N.J., and an active volunteer with both UD Hillel and the Chabad House, could barely contain her excitement when discussing the gathering. She describes Freshman Fest as a “great way to bring Jewish students together so they can be exposed to Hillel and Chabad and other Jewish freshmen and upperclassmen, too.”

According to Chabad-Lubavitch Rabbi Eliezer Sneiderman, who arrived on campus 21 years ago, the annual event will introduce students to the wealth of Jewish opportunities at the university.

“The best way to do this is to present a unified community,” he says.

This year, the Chabad House will be hosting a kosher cookout lunch for participants on Friday afternoon and a special dessert event following Sabbath services Friday evening.

A love for Freshman Fest isn’t limited only to those who participated in it during their initial days at UD, and Eric Oppenheimer is a prime example.

Rabbi Eliezer Sneiderman welcomes Jewish students to the University of Delaware Chabad House for a luncheon barbeque and watermelon eating contest.

The fifth-year senior from Irvington, N.Y., did not attend Freshman Fest several years ago, but his involvement in it has steadily increased to the point that he is heading the event’s 2012 steering committee. He calls not attending Freshman Fest as a freshman a “big mistake,” but he has more than made up for it.

Freshman Fest will kick off with a color war competition and other games designed to “throw people together and allow them to get to know one another,” says Oppenheimer.

Freshman Fest offers participants some unusual perks. Attendees check into their dorms two days earlier than other students, “which by itself is a good thing,” according to Oppenheimer. Participants are also treated to campus tours tailored to their school schedules and classroom locations. Perhaps the top benefit, says Oppenheimer is that “it’s a great way to gain an immediate comfort with campus and Jewish life at the University of Delaware.”

According to Jeremy Winaker, senior Jewish educator at the UD Hillel, Jewish students comprise just less than 10 percent of the university’s student population of more than 21,000.