By Parker Thompson 

On the eve of Simchas Beis Hashoeva 5785, a palpable energy was stirring in the sukkah at the University of Delaware Chabad. Students from many different walks of Jewish life were excited to travel to Crown Heights with Rabbi Avremel Vogel, almost all for the first time, for an energetic night of dancing, farbrenging, and a trip to the Ohel.

However, with the arrival of the sixth Vogel child, b’ezrat Hashem, it was clear that Rabbi Vogel could no longer lead the trip.

As a ba’al teshuva graduate student at the university, I was admittedly surprised by the overwhelming excitement and subsequent disappointment from the students. Embarrassingly, I couldn’t have imagined so many undergraduates excited to travel to Brooklyn in the middle of the night. This was clearly a testament to the vibrancy of the shlichus at University of Delaware. 

With no backup plan or car to get to the Rebbe’s shchunah, the trip seemed to be a wash. However, when three students learned I was planning on going via train, they were not just eager to join, but essentially demanded they come along. I was in awe of their resolve. Each spent a considerable amount of money to travel from Delaware to Brooklyn, arriving at 2:45 in the morning. 

Buzzing with energy, they danced in the streets with fellow Yidden for well over an hour, explored Rubashkin’s sukkah, and mingled in 770, still as energetic as when they first arrived. To be clear, these students weren’t just there for a good time. They were having extraordinarily meaningful spiritual experiences. 

One senior student, Avery, reflecting on trekking to Rebbe’s Ohel as the sun rose, wrote, “It was so beautiful to watch the sun rise while we prayed, reminding me I had not slept, but yet felt so awake. I felt emotional seeing all the letters from the people before me, knowing that Hashem heard their prayers and also mine.” Another student, Lucy, a freshman, wrote of her experience at the Ohel, “Visiting the Rebbe’s grave site moved me to tears. It was such a spiritually enriching experience for me.” 

Reflecting on the trip, I am still somewhat surprised by the determination of these students. However, it is obvious that Rabbi and Rebbetzin Vogel have infused such a love and passion for Yiddishkeit in their students. 

As Chabad on Campus embarks on its “Shine Brighter” campaign, I encourage everyone to support the nurturing of Jewish at life at the University of Delaware and other campuses by contributing today.