On a beautiful end-of-summer day, Sunday, August 31, Rutgers Chabad kicked off the 2025-26 school year. Chabad’s new student president, Natalie Kacherova, alongside Rabbi Baruch Goodman, led a table at Rutgers’ involvement fair. “It’s amazing to see how many people stopped by. You could already feel the excitement for the year,” said Kacherova.
On Tuesday, September 2nd, the first Jerusalem Café (JCafé) of the semester drew nearly 500 students. The students enjoyed meeting new friends and the delicious Israeli food offered. JCafé director, Sammi Byck, exclaimed, “Purim is my favorite event at Chabad, but events like this keep me excited the whole year.” The next night, students attended the first Sushi n’ Soul of the semester, where they heard Rabbi Shaya Shagalow share some wisdom. Thursday night, over 30 girls attended Challah baking, where they met Rebbetzin Sarah Goodman. It was a night filled with laughter, flour, and yummy desserts. They made Brachas on the challah, where Rebbetzin Goodman explained about how it’s a powerful time to pray, and they dedicated the blessing to our Israeli soldiers and hostages.
Our students wrapped up the first week of the semester with a packed and meaningful Shabbat. Over 400 students filled the ballroom at Chabad on Friday night, where returning students created a warm, welcoming environment for all the new faces.
When thinking about the year ahead, Seniors Raquel Arakanchi and Isaac Levin shared their thoughts on how much Rutgers Chabad means to them. “I’m so thankful for Rutgers Chabad,” said Arakanchi. Overall, it was an exhilarating and jam-packed first week of the year, and our students are looking forward to all the programs throughout the year. When thinking about the next few months, Levin said he wants to “appreciate this beautiful Chabad House because it’s absolutely changed my entire experience at Rutgers.”
