Within all the excitement and chaos of IC, it may be easy to forget that we are all here connecting our Jewish identities from around the world. An amazing reminder of this is the connection we all shared this Shabbat at IC. Yesterday we chose our own Friday night Shabbat experience with so many options, from a classic camp-style service or prayer service, or yoga! Following that was a dinner altogether with prayers sung virtually by different guests (Ben Platt was definitely a fan favorite). Ending off the night with separate and multiple choices of oneg activities. 

After an amazing night, we were most definitely not let down by the choices of Shabbat morning services provided. As part of our ״plugged-in” Shabbat, we had the option of attending many hands-on services to express ourselves. Things like moving our bodies in yoga, belting Broadway favorites in the musical theater service (which I attended and absolutely LOVED), missing summer in another camp-style Torah service, and so many more options helped us in expressing ourselves today. For people who prefer to be “unplugged” on Shabbat, explored options such as debating Torah in the “argue over text” service, hearing the experience of Rabbi Shoshana Nambi from Uganda, and exploring this week’s Torah portion within the news. For those wanting a complete Shomer Shabbat, options such as stopping by the knowledge station for a q&a with Jewish educators, enjoying the sounds of shabacapella, and attending Torah talk were available for all.

No matter how we choose to observe Shabbat, there were a number of choices for everyone that were meaningful and helped connect us on this day of rest within the (amazing) chaos of IC.

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