Shabbat
Hillel hosts Friday night services every week at 5 pm. Our services are egalitarian and student-led. Anyone interested in leading should reach out to our Religion and Culture team! Services are followed by dinner at 6 pm featuring catered meals from a range of local restaurants including Italian, Chinese, Mediterranean, Indian, and Mexican. We are happy to talk with you if you have dietary restrictions that would prevent you from joining us. A few times a semester we also host a Havdalah Service.
High Holidays
For major holidays, Hillel regularly provides meals open to the campus including Rosh Hashanah, pre-Yom Kippur, Yom Kippur break fast, and Passover. We also look forward to increasing opportunities for students to attend holiday services on campus–if you can blow shofar, we would love to have you participate! For students looking for services outside of Lafayette offerings, we are happy to connect you with Jewish communities in the Lehigh ValleyB’nai that host college students.
Passover
Every spring we host an Interfaith Seder for the first night of Passover attended by students, faculty, and community members. A smaller, second night seder is hosted at the Hillel House. Both seders have opportunities for students and faculty to contribute to the traditions, prayers, and readings presented to the community. Throughout the duration of Passover, kosher for Passover food is available at the Upper Farinon dining hall.
Other Holidays
When they occur during the school year, Hillel marks Jewish holidays with activities and learning opportunities open to all: we light candles for Hanukkah (with latkes and sufganiyot, of course), we build and decorate a Sukkah outside of the Hillel house complete with a lulav and etrog, make mishloach manot for Purim, and much more!
