Six-hundred and thirteen Orlando college students, faculty, staff and community members will gather together for a celebration of Jewish unity at the second annual Mega Shabbat on UCF’s campus.

The traditional Shabbat dinner will be held in the Pegasus Ballroom in the Student Union on Feb. 21, at 5:30 p.m. for appetizers and 6:30 p.m. for Shabbat dinner.

Shabbat 613 is a project developed by the Chabad on Campus National Foundation. Leaders of Chabad on Campus observed that, while many U.S. campuses have active Jewish student organizations, the majority of Jewish college students do not participate in Jewish life on their respective campuses. The goal of the Shabbat 613 program is to create an annual event, which is able to attract the interest of the entire Jewish student body. The program was first held at SUNY Binghamton, and has since been held at Harvard, UF, UGA, USC, Tulane and other universities.

“The event has really caught the imagination of the student population here in Orlando,” said Rabbi Chaim Lipskier, director of Chabad at UCF, “we have over 50 students working on making this program a success. I really hope that the faculty and greater Orlando Jewish community will be able to participate as well, helping to create a greater sense of Jewish community.”

Shabbat 500 was held last year for the first time on UCF’s campus. It was a great success, and was the largest Jewish event on UCF’s history.

Nicole Erdfrocht, the chairwoman of last year’s Shabbat 500 committee, commented on the ambitious and successful program, “Shabbat dinner is a celebration of Jewish life that brings people together. I believe that this dinner gave the entire student body a sense of fellowship and community.”

This event is open to the entire Orlando community. To reserve a seat, contact info@jewishucf.com

For more information please contact Rabbi Chaim Lipskier at rabbi@jewishucf.com, or 407-949-8838 or view the Shabbat 613 website at http://www.jewishucf.com/register.