Heart to Heart aims to empower involved Jewish students to share meaningful Jewish experiences with their peers and create a wider and more inclusive Jewish community. We chose to accomplish this goal by coordinating intimate Shabbat dinners held in students' apartments, dorms, or off-campus houses and made up of a mixture of newcomers, veterans, and everyone in between. Shabbat dinners are great - a timeless and beautiful experience with the perfect blend of Jewish community, spirituality, social gathering, prayer, food and culture.
The idea quickly spread and "Heart to Heart" meals were soon springing up all across campus; one Shabbat featured 12 simultaneous meals which included over 150 students in the beauty of the Shabbat experience, more than half of whom had never before attended. The benefit of such a coordinated effort was that for that one Shabbat, most of the 'regulars' reached out and included others in their Jewish community, a monumental step for the Jewish community at Penn.
This past semester featured 20 meals in total, each one about which an entire story could be told. One senior who had not been active in the Jewish community came to a "Heart to Heart" meal and subsequently fell in love with Judaism - the singing, food, culture, intricate legal system, etc. He came to another meal and has now coordinated with a partner to meet regularly so he can learn more about Judaism in the coming semester.
Heart to Heart is expanding and inspiring students at other campuses. A girl at Princeton University organized its first "Heart to Heart" Shabbat dinner - also a great success. This was made possible through the guidance provided by those involved in the effort at Penn.
How to get involved:
If you're interested in getting involved - whether hosting meals, supporting those who do, or attending a Shabbat meal, you can find out more at tiny.cc/Shabbat613.
