Walk into any classroom at Central and simply mention the word Shabbaton. Student reactions will be loud and excited! It’s a high point of the school year, an event that creates memories that Central alumnae recall fondly decades later.
Central’s Schoolwide Shabbaton was held from Friday, November 3, to Sunday, November 5, Parshas VaYeira, at the Kartrite Resort and Waterpark in Monticello. In keeping with Central’s focus on positivity, the theme for this year’s Shabbaton was “Positively United.”
“We wanted to emphasize our positivity theme with this year’s Shabbaton approach,” said Judaic Studies faculty member and Programming Director, Mrs. Yael Axelrod. “The Jewish people are united – the way people have come together during this war is amazing. During the Shabbaton, we focused on the power we have when we come together.”
The Central Shabbaton coincided with the national Shabbat Project, an initiative that brings Jews of all lifestyles and levels of religiosity together to celebrate and keep Shabbos together as a global community. Kartrite was an exciting spot for this weekend, with the water park serving as a particular draw for students and faculty alike. It was also the first Central Shabbaton for Judaic Studies faculty and Programming Director Ms. Sydney Daitch. “I am always excited for the overall Shabbos experience – the meals, the singing, the davening,” she said. “It’s a special way to connect as a community. And the theme was really apropos to the current time – the idea that we’re more powerful as a united front is inspiring.”
The weekend was filled with learning sessions, games both schoolwide and gradewide, meals, davening, and, on Motza’ei Shabbos, highly anticipated DJ melaveh malkah and a chagigah. On Friday night, seniors led sessions with teacher facilitators, giving underclassmen the opportunity to spend time with upperclassmen who can speak to their time at Central in retrospect.
On Shabbos, a “choose your own schmooze” session took place in which teachers shared personal experiences from challenging situations, promoting the concept of “ayin tovah” – having a good eye, or a positive attitude. These schmoozes offered a chance for students to get to know their teachers outside the classroom. Regardless of the activity, the objective of any Shabbaton is community strength through friendship, affection, and respect, and this is the lesson Central students take home with them.
Junior Tali Aliav shared her favorite aspect of Shabbaton: “Learning about how everyone’s different Shabbos experiences at home is great,” she said. “We all bring different foods from home to share, and we can see all the different cultures that exist at Central.”
Sophomore Talia Butbul echoed Tali’s enthusiasm: “Shabbaton is the highlight of the year!” she said. “It’s so much fun.” This was truly a Shabbaton to remember, and everyone went home feeling positively united.