PAGE 2A HERITAGE FLORIDA JEWISH NEWS, SEPTEMBER 8, 2017
By Jason Frances
UCF graduate,
Class of 2017
First person
College years go by fast.
Once it's all said and done, the
only thing we leave campus
with is a degree in hand and
the memories we made. With
Chabad, it can be more than
that. You will be able to leave
collegewith afeeling of impact
and fulfillment that you won't
find anywhere else.
Here are 10 reasons to want
to go to Chabad on Campus:
1) Fantastic people--Some
of the greatest people you'll
meet and friendships you'll
make in college will happen
at Chabad. From the second
you walk in for the first time,
youwill instantly be embraced
by the warm, welcoming envi-
ronment where you will make
new friends for life.
2) Shabbat--lf you are
looking for a delicious home-
cooked Shabbat dinner along
with some inspiration, Chabad
on Campus is perfect for you.
Every Friday night, there are
dozens, or hundreds, of stu-
dents that come to Chabad for
an amazing Shabbat dinner
with the rabbi and rebbetzin's
adorable children. By the first
week, you will feel like part of
the family.
3) Awesome national
events--Every fall semester,
thousands of students from
all over the country meet
in Brooklyn, N.Y., for the
national Shabbaton. The
weekend retreat goes from
Friday to Sunday and includes
tours of NYC, an unforgettable
Friday night dinner with a
hasidc family, workshops,
concerts and more. This was
Jason Frances
the highlight of my entire
semester and something I'll
never forget. Whether meet-
ing new people, experiencing
Brooklyn, or even finding your
future spouse, this is an event
that only Chabad on Campus
can put on.
4) Diversity and inclu-
sion-One of the best things
about Chabad is mixing with
Jewish students from all
Jewish denominations and
social backgrounds. You may
be surprised to discover that
few students at Chabad are
Chabad themselves, they are
every kind of Jew, all united
in one incredible community!
Chabad is a home away from
home where students-can be
themselves and feel welcomed
no matter where they come
from.
5) Israel opportunities--
Some of my greatest memo-
ries in college are from
the two school breaks I
spent in Israel. (In fact, I
recently made Aliyah and
will be joining the IDF in
December) Chabad offers all
kinds of Israel opportunities
like Birthright, a follow-up
trip called IsraeLinks, as
well as other internship
and learning programs in
Israel. Chabad also pro-
vides resources back home
to combat BDS and stand
proudly for Israel.
6) Learning--College is
one of the most important
times in your life. For the
first time, you live on your
own without anyone telling
you what to do or who to be.
Chabad allows students to
study about their heritage
and grow spiritually with
programs like weekly Torah
study, Sinai Scholars, and
one-on-one studying.
Jewish National Fund's
National Conference in South FL
Jewish National Fund is set
to host this year's National
Conference in South Florida
at The Diplomat Resort and
Spa from Nov. 10-13. JNF's
annual Conference brings
together over a thousand
committed leaders, philan-
thropists, young profession-
als, college students, and
high school students from
across the country and Israel
for an impactful three-day
experience to learn about the
key issues of the day facing
Israel and the world Jewish
community.
"This is a fabulous oppor-
tunity to hear directly from
those on the ground making
a difference for, and in, Israel,"
said JNF's 2017 National
Conference Co-Chair Vivian
Grossman. "South Florida is
so excited to host this year's
National Conference and I
know participants will come
away more educated, moti-
vated, engaged, and ready to
roll up their sleeves to support
the land and people of Israel."
This year, JNF is honoring
Jos~ Marfa Aznar, former
president of the Government
of Spain, with the esteemed
Shalom Peace Award for his
dedication to peace, human-
ity, and efforts on behalf of
the State of Israel.
"We are thrilled to honor
Jos~ Maria Aznar with the
Shalom Peace Award," said
2017 National Conference Co-
Chair Benjamin Gutmann.
"He is truly supportive of
Israel and works to ensure that
Spain and the entire European
Union, recognize Israel as the
bulwark of democracy in the
Middle East. His support for
Israel has been unwavering
and we look forward to hear-
ing his remarks in November."
Throughout his two terms
as president of the Govern-
ment, from 1996 through
2004, Aznar led an important
process of economic and
social reform. He continues
to advocate for a firm policy
against terrorism, one that is
against any kind of political
concession, combined with
close international coop-
eration between democratic
countries. Under Aznar's
leadership, a high level group
met in Paris in the middle of
2010 to launch a new project
in defense of Israel's right
to exist. The "Friends of Is-
rael Initiative" was created to
counter the growing efforts to
delegitimize the State of Israel
and its right to live in peace
within safe and defensible
borders. Notable founding
members of the Initiative
include, Nobel Peace Prize
Laureate Lord William David
Trimble, Former Prime Minis-
ter to Canada Stephen Harper,
Former United States Ambas-
sador to the United Nations
John Bolton, Former Prime
Minister of Australia John
Howard, British historian
Andrew Roberts, and others.
Jose Maria Aznar
"I feel deeply honored to
receive this award and to be
recognizedwith all of its mean-
ing," said Aznar. "I do believe in
Israel as a dynamic, vibrant and
promising country. Israel is an
indispensable and vital part of
the Western world and of our
civilization, and I'm grateful
for the positive effect of having
a strong Israel at our side and
for the many benefits the rest
of the West."
Past recipients of the Sha-
lom Peace Award, one of
JNF's highest honors, include:
former Vice PresidentAl Gore;
Colin Powell, a former secre-
tary of state and retired four-
star general; Jehan Sadat, the
widow of Egyptian president
Anwar Sadat; former British
JNF on page 15A
UCF students at the Kotel during a trip to Israel.
Students attending the National Shabbaton in
7) Leadership opportuni-
ties--The Chabad exec board
is a great opportunity for
those who are looking for
leadership roles and resume
boosters. The work that
students do on the board is
so important and it can be a
very fulfilling experience for
students.
8) Holidays--Chabad goes
big for Jewish holidays! Cha-
nukah means a huge menorah
in the center of campus with
plenty of latkes and dancing.
On Sukkot you can see the
rabbi peddling his sukkah
bicycle around campus (no
joke). For the High Holidays
and Pesach you can expect a
large and meaningful service
at Chabad. Chabad's Jewish
pride is infectious and you'll
be proud to celebrate our
special days in the biggest
way possible.
9) Roadside assistance--
When I was a student, one
of my first experiences with
Chabad was the time I got
into a car accident just outside
of campus. I was new to the
school and away from home
for the first time. After I got
off the phone with my father,
I got a call from the campus
Chabad rabbi. Within 10
minutes, he was on the scene
with hot food and stayed with
me for about five hours until
A worldwide registry of
Sukkahs has been set up,
and is listed online at www.
localsukkah.org.
The directory has been
designed for Jews to locate a
Sukkah near to them, so that
they can go there to eat. The
idea of this service is not to list
every Sukkah, but to try and
have a Sukkah listed for every
area in which Jewish people
may find themselves during
Sukkos. The main focus of this
service is to enable peoplewho
work on Chol-Hamoed to eat
lunch in a Sukkah, which is
close to their place of work. As
all listings are confirmed an-
nually prior to publication, the
benefit of the list is that users
of it can be almost certain that
the Sukkah that they wish to
use is indeed available prior
to heading there. The list also
includes details of numerous
Sukkahs thatwould otherwise
remain unknown to many
users of the list.
The worldwide list of Suk-
kahs began in 1994, as a local
service to the Jewish commu-
nity in Melbourne, Australia.
In the first year there were
only nine Sukkahs on the list
as it was organized only a few
days before Sukkos. Last year
there were 336 Sukkahs listed,
located in 26 countries. These
Sukkahs were mainly located
in shuls, schools, and busi-
nesses. The list also included
some Sukkahs located in
shopping centers, universi-
ties, and amusement parks.
In Melbourne the service was
initially nicknamed the"Suk-
kah at Work project."
The list was started, after
it was realized that there are
many Sukkahs in workplaces
that nobody knows about. The
person who suggested the
compilation of the list, pointed
Brooklyn, N.Y.
the entire process was over.
These are the kind of people
that Chabad on campus rabbis
and rebbetzins are. No matter
the time, or the need, they will
always be there to support and
assistance you.
10) To walk away from col-
lege with something more, as
I stated at the beginning!
Jason Frances is a recent
graduate of University of Cen-
tral Florida with a degree in
marketing. While on campus,
he was active with Chabad on
Campus and Jewish life at
UCF as a whole. Upon gradu-
ation, Jason made Aliyah
and will be joining the Israeli
Defense Forces in December.
out that a few friends of his had
not been able to eat a proper
lunch on Chol-Hamoed as
they had no Sukkah at their
workplace and did not know
that he had a Sukkah nearby
that he was willing to share.
The list publicizes all Suk-
kahs regardless of the affilia-
tion of their owners, and all
Jews are welcome at any of
these Sukkahs. The idea of
this project is merely to pro-
mote achdus (Jewish unity),
and to help other Yidden.
There is no charge for this
service.
In 2011 Android and Apple
Apps were released for this
service, making it even easier
for people to locate the nearest
registered Sukkah.
If you have a Sukkah that
you would like to register, you
can do so by sending an email
with the details to register@
localsukkah.org.
