A palpable energy filled the streets of Crown Heights, Brooklyn, this past weekend as nearly 2,000 participants converged for Chabad on Campus International’s annual Pegisha Shabbaton weekend. From Thursday through Sunday, they came from 160 universities across six countries for a weekend built around one idea: Made for This.

“Jewish students spend much of the year as a minority on their campuses,” said Rabbi Yossy Gordon, CEO of Chabad on Campus International. “For one extraordinary weekend, they experience the joy of being unapologetically and proudly Jewish, surrounded by fellow students who share their Judaism and their sense of belonging. The warmth, encouragement, and inspiration of this experience become part of who they are, strengthening their Jewish identity and empowering them long after they return to campus. There is simply nothing else like it, and we are determined to bring this extraordinary experience to more and more Jewish students.”

For the Chabad on Campus International leadership team, the turnout reflects a shift they have watched unfold on campus. “After meeting so many students from around the globe and hearing their stories, I feel so excited about our future. This generation has faced so many challenges on campus and has every reason to feel defeated. Instead, they are full of strength and pride and are yearning to connect with our rich spiritual heritage,” said Rabbi Avi Weinstein, COO of Chabad on Campus International. “It is truly invigorating!”

On Friday morning, students set out to explore Crown Heights. They explored 770, had a chance to visit the Rebbe’s Room and visited the Rebbe’s House, toured the Library of Agudas Chassidei Chabad, watched a sofer write the letters of a Torah scroll, toured the mikvah with Mrs. Manya Lazaroff, got an up-close look at Hatzalah and the Mitzvah Tanks, and browsed the Judaica shops and art galleries along Kingston Avenue.

The weekend opened at the Bedford Union Armory with a musical and visual performance from Yoni Z. and Ari Lesser. After a beautiful candle lighting and Kabolas Shabbos, participants were welcomed into the homes of hundreds of Crown Heights families for Friday night dinner. In addition to programming available at the Pegisha venues after the meal, new this year, farbrengens moved into the intimate setting of homes across the neighborhood, where students traded melodies, stories, and open conversation well into the night.

Across Shabbos, participants chose from dozens of sessions that ran from the serious to the surprising: Columbia University math professor Rochy Kamman on living as a proud religious Jew, Boston University’s Dr. Binyomin Abrams on where science and Torah meet, Amanda Spiro on the strength she found after a cancer diagnosis, author Doron Kornbluth on why to marry Jewish, and DailyGiving.org founder Dr. Jonathan Donath on the power of giving before you earn. A faculty of scholars and educators, among them Rabbi Pinchas Allouche, Rabbi Yechiel Krisch, Rabbi Shloma Majeski, Rabbi Boruch Kaplan, Rabbi Shmuel Aber, Rabbi Tuvia Kasimov, Mrs. Shifra Sharfstein, Mrs. Zeesy Piamenta, Dr. Miriam Gross, PsyD, LMFT, comedian and author David Nesenoff, and Fleishigs cofounder Shifra Klein, led Torah hours, mitzvah workshops, and an unfiltered “Crossfire” panel on questions the students submitted themselves.

Some of the weekend’s most anticipated voices belonged to the students. In a series of TED-style talks, students from campuses across the globe took the stage to share their journeys as Jewish leaders.

The feedback said it best. In the days after Pegisha, students described a weekend that moved them. “The entire trip was beyond amazing,” wrote one. “Pegisha was the most amazing experience of my life, and the most amazing Jewish event I have ever experienced,” wrote another. For some it was a first glimpse of a world they had never known, “a precious insight into a Jewish life that does not exist where I come from.” For others it was “a memory that will stay with me forever.” And again and again, students came back to the same few words. I am proud to be Jewish.

Then came the weekend’s historic high point. For the first time ever, as Shabbos ended, participants poured onto Lubavitcher Rebbe Way (President Street) for a massive outdoor musical Havdalah, held directly in front of the Rebbe’s home, led by Yoni Z. The night continued with the Pegisha Vibe and a soulful late-night kumzitz with Joey Newcomb.

At the heart of the weekend were the visits to the Ohel. Across twelve dedicated time slots from Thursday night through Sunday evening, every participant made their way to the Ohel to daven and reflect.

The weekend closed on Sunday with “Made for This: IRL,” a closing program of music and student voices that brought the theme into real life. Leibel Lazaroff, a survivor of the Bondi Beach shooting, shared his story alongside Shomer Shabbos college baseball player Elie Kligman; Duvbear Miller, a student, singer, and son of singer Matisyahu; and Ava Schwartz, USC student president, who spoke about how Chabad enhanced Jewish life for her. The message students carried back to campus was the one that framed the whole weekend. The world is waiting for what only you can bring. You were made for this.

Chabad on Campus International, Production

Bentzi Sasson, Logistics Manager

Dovid Weinbaum, Program Production

Mendy Kulski, Armory Logistics Manager