As Passover concluded this year, JLIC once again demonstrated its vital role in supporting Jewish students during one of Judaism’s most significant holidays. Thanks to the generous support of our donors, JLIC educators across campuses nationwide created meaningful Passover experiences for students far from home, ensuring no Jewish student needed to celebrate alone.
Preparing for Passover with Care and Expertise
In the weeks leading up to the holiday, JLIC educators across all campuses helped students properly prepare for Passover. Directors facilitated the ritual sale of chametz, ensuring students could fulfill this important obligation without stress. Across campuses, JLIC offered specialized learning sessions reviewing the laws of Passover and preparation for the Seder, making these ancient traditions accessible to all students regardless of their background knowledge.
At Washington University in St. Louis, Rabbi Shlomo delivered a comprehensive “Passover 101” shiur at the community open Beit Midrash, providing students with practical knowledge they needed for the holiday. At the Technion in Israel, students enjoyed a creative pre-Passover learning event that combined “Tacos and Torah” with Rabbi Hammer, making holiday preparation engaging and appealing.
The University of Pennsylvania JLIC offered multiple preparation opportunities, including a special “Preparing for Passover” shiur with Rabbi Klein. Penn also organized a formal Biyur Chametz (burning of leavened products) ceremony in front of Hillel, providing students with the opportunity to properly fulfill this important pre-Passover ritual.
During the busy pre-Passover period, JLIC offered additional support through its Torah JLIC Podcast, which addressed the unique challenges faced by college students during the holiday. In a special episode, JLIC founder Rabbi Menachem Schrader joined hosts Don Cantor and Alex Ozar to tackle the most pressing Passover questions for campus life. The podcast provided practical guidance on navigating complex situations like cleaning shared dorm rooms, handling roommates’ chametz, kashering rental kitchens without losing security deposits, and balancing academic responsibilities during the holiday. This digital resource extended JLIC’s reach beyond in-person programming, ensuring that students everywhere had access to reliable halachic guidance tailored to their specific campus circumstances.
A Home for Every Question
One of JLIC’s most powerful impacts was providing a trusted address for halachic questions that might otherwise go unanswered. At Ben-Gurion University, Rav Idan fielded a wide range of questions from students navigating complex Passover situations:
- “What should I do at the Seder if my doctor advised me not to eat much due to a stomach infection?”
- “My roommate isn’t Shomer Shabbat and left chametz in our kitchen. Can I sell it without her knowing?”
- “As someone with celiac disease who doesn’t eat gluten, do I still need to check my room for chametz?”
- “I’m serving in the military reserves (Miluim) and forgot to check my room for chametz. What should I do?”
These questions highlight how JLIC served students who previously had nowhere to turn with their practical Jewish concerns, particularly during complex holidays like Passover.
But JLIC educators didn’t just answer questions—they created comprehensive educational programming to deepen students’ understanding of the holiday’s significance. The JLIC at Givat Shmuel/Bar-Ilan University offered a three-part “Torah Tuesday” series titled “Pre-Pesach Covenant Series 5785,” exploring the holiday’s deeper meanings. These sessions included “Understanding the Covenant – The Text of Maggid”, “Upholding the Covenant – Halacha Review and Mechirat Hametz”, and “Living in Covenant – What It Means to Be Jewish,” providing students with both practical guidance and spiritual enrichment.
Creating Meaningful Seders and Holiday Experiences
While many students returned home for the holiday weekend, JLIC ensured that those remaining on campus experienced warm, meaningful Seders and Passover celebrations. At the University of Illinois, JLIC educators hosted a first-night Seder and helped lead one of Hillel’s Sedarim on the second night, concluding the holiday with a festive meal for the community.
At NYU, JLIC educators opened their home to host intimate Sedarim and all first-day meals for students who stayed on campus. Their creative programming continued throughout the holiday with a collaborative matzah pizza party alongside Hillel, a relaxed dinner and video game night offering students a much-needed break, and comprehensive hosting of all second-day meals, ensuring continuous support throughout the holiday.
At UCLA, approximately 50 students attended the first night’s Seder, where a beautiful tradition unfolded. Students from around the world read the Ma Nishtana in languages representing their diverse backgrounds—Italian from a student from Rome, Portuguese from Rio de Janeiro, French, and even a humorous nod to Boston English. This multilingual ceremony powerfully illustrated how JLIC brings together Jewish students from across the globe, creating a family for those far from home.
For one UCLA student attending his first Seder ever, the experience was transformative. The JLIC educator reflected on the poignancy of sharing “the same questions that are being asked across the world and being asked across history,” highlighting JLIC’s role in connecting students to the broader Jewish story.
UCLA JLIC also provided a complete Passover schedule that included Shabbat lunch, Seders, and Chag lunches during the intermediate days—all delicious, kosher for Passover, and free of charge for students. Meanwhile, at UPenn, JLIC organized holiday events including a creative “Matzah Pizza Factory” at the Klein’s home and a festive “Chol Hamoed Pesach BBQ,” ensuring students could enjoy community and celebration throughout the entire holiday period.
Beyond the formal Seders, JLIC at UCLA maintained a ‘tea room’ throughout the holiday that became a crucial lifeline for students remaining on campus. This kosher-for-Passover space provided daily sustenance and community, eliciting grateful reactions from students: ‘I don’t know what I’d do without this!’ exclaimed one regular visitor. Another student jokingly questioned, ‘Are you SURE these muffins aren’t Chametz?!’ while appreciating the delicious kosher-for-Passover options. Perhaps most tellingly, one student acknowledged the tea room’s critical importance by noting, ‘If you didn’t have this, I’d have to go home for the week,’ highlighting how JLIC’s thoughtful programming allowed students to observe Passover properly while continuing their studies.
Personal Connections and Creative Programming
At the University of Michigan, where a smaller, more intimate family-style Seder took place this year, JLIC educators opened their home to students seeking meaningful connection. Among them was Daniel, a 22-year-old physics PhD student who became observant during his undergraduate years in Texas. For Daniel and students like him who don’t have observant homes to return to, JLIC provided not just a Seder but a genuine Jewish home.
At Cornell University, JLIC educators led both the Hillel “super Seder” and the kosher dining hall’s second Seder. Throughout the holiday week, they hosted a Hebrew night at their home and concluded with a festive BBQ, keeping the holiday spirit alive throughout the entire Passover period with multiple shiurim during both the first and second days of the holiday.
The creativity of JLIC programming extended far beyond traditional learning sessions and meals, engaging students through multisensory experiences that enhanced their Passover preparation. At Brooklyn College and the University of Illinois, students participated in workshops that combined flower arrangement making with practical holiday preparations—crafting decorative bouquets, designing afikoman bags, and creating chocolate matzah brittle—adding both beauty and sweetness to their celebration. Meanwhile, UCLA JLIC offered efficient educational support through their ’20 Minutes, 20 Tidbits to optimize your Pesach experience’ lunch and learn session, providing students with quick, applicable knowledge they could immediately implement. These creative approaches ensured that Passover preparation became not just a religious obligation but a joyful community experience that students eagerly anticipated.
The Impact of Your Support
The intimate Seders, the creative programming, the patient answers to complex questions, and the warm homes opened to students—none of this would have been possible without our donors’ generous support. Your contributions directly enabled JLIC to offset Passover costs, ensuring that financial concerns never prevented a student from experiencing this foundational Jewish holiday.
As one JLIC educator noted, watching students connect with Passover traditions—some for the very first time—offered a powerful reminder of this work’s importance. By supporting JLIC, donors didn’t just feed students during Passover; they nourished the next generation’s connection to Jewish tradition and community.
Thank you for making this Passover meaningful for Jewish students across the country and around the world. Your partnership with JLIC continues to build Jewish futures, one student, one Seder, one question at a time.
Reach out to any of our Directors to learn more about JLIC and our programming.
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