In August, Chabad at U.Va. underwent a change in leadership. As founders Rabbi Schlomo and Chana Mayer passed undergraduate programming to their son Reuvi and his wife Shani, the new leaders have preserved the organization along with adding their own youthful touch. A large boost in Chabad event attendance has reflected the impact of the pair’s leadership.
Chabad at U.Va. is an organization with the goal of fostering community and connection for the Jewish community on Grounds. Schlomo and Chana established Chabad to give Jewish students a place to call home on Grounds. Reuvi and Shani, with their baby daughter Mushka, moved to Charlottesville in July to assume Reuvi’s parents' role as directors of Chabad at U.Va.
As Schlomo and Chana have transitioned into graduate and young adult programming for Chabad, Reuvi and Shani set themselves to organizing undergraduate events with the aim of engaging students more deeply with their Jewish faith in fellowship.
“We're the young energy. It's awesome, and [Schlomo and Chana] are very happy and very supportive,” Reuvi said.
At their first Shabbat dinner, a weekly meal on Fridays that marks the start of the day of rest, Reuvi and Shani expected about 40 students to attend. To the surprise of the cooks, Shani and Chana, over 120 students arrived. This marks an all-time attendance high in the program's 23-year history at the University.
“We had over 120 students, which was wild. We were only prepared for 70. We had to pull out tons of salads from the fridge,” Shani said.
Reuvi and Shani have attributed this success partly to their social media presence, which increases awareness and markets Chabad’s events. The trio’s Instagram accounts — Reuvi’s “JewVARabbi”, Shani’s “JewVAmama” and Mushka’s “thechababy” — have been enormously successful at engaging with students. The accounts combined have amassed over 1400 followers. Much of their success comes from their ability to jump on online trends with Reels and connect them to upcoming Jewish holidays.
According to Reuvi, the Mayers have noticed a greater sense of Jewish pride and identity at the University. Chabad’s Sinai Scholars program, a course for students to learn and engage with Jewish teachings, has grown to enroll over 30 students. Reuvi and Shani have seen more Jewish students ready to grow in their faith in a deeper way, particularly among those who were not raised religious.
“Now [students] want to attend more Jewish events, be around other Jews and really learn a little bit more about what Judaism means to them and how they can incorporate it into their lives.” Reuvi said.
One such event occurred this past Hanukkah. The Mayers organized a giant Menorah Lighting Dec. 14 at the Amphitheater. Amidst finals season and cold weather, students gathered to celebrate the first day of Hanukkah together with the lighting of the first candle on a giant Menorah.
Beyond events, Reuvi and Shani’s daughter, Mushka, has only deepened the family dynamic at Chabad, and she represents a stage of life rarely seen around Grounds. Calling it “baby therapy,” Reuvi and Shani are happy that their daughter can lighten up the days of any student.
“We call her the hardest-working employee at Chabad, because of that smile,” Reuvi said.
While the Mayers are pleased with the increased attendance, the larger numbers have also meant more labor and heftier costs required to run Chabad. The Mayers have said that expenses have tripled. Even duties like taking care of the trash have become more labor intensive.
“We had to shift a lot of our operations to be more organized,” Shani said.
From hosting weekly Shabbat dinners to facilitating Newcomb kosher lunches and bagel breakfasts, there has been a large increase in labor to make Chabad a home for Jewish students. Luckily, Schlomo and Chana are still deeply involved, and Chana has been happy to help with the increased demand for cooking and baking.
“[Chabad students] all know that they could rely on us for a home cooked meal and a Shabbat dinner,” Shani said. “We're really just here to create a happy and a safe environment for all them and for them to feel at home.”
With the new change in leadership, Chabad at U.Va. has grown in its goal to be a home for all Jewish students, whether they were raised religious or are just beginning to explore their heritage.
Looking forward to the Spring semester, Reuvi and Shani are excited for more weekly Shabbat dinners and several other social events for Jewish students.
“We're very happy to take on [more] responsibility … because we really believe that we want to try to reach as many Jewish students at U.Va as possible and give everyone a chance to feel like they're part of a Jewish community,” Reuvi said.
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