University students have meaningful experiences with Houston Hillel’s Shabbat Hosting Lab
On Friday nights throughout Houston, college students gather on campus and around tables in apartments and homes to light candles, say blessings, share meals and create Shabbat experiences of their own.
For some, it’s their first time leading Shabbat rituals. For others, it’s a chance to take traditions they already know and make them personally meaningful. These gatherings are at the heart of Houston Hillel’s Shabbat Hosting Lab.
A 10-week fellowship helps students take ownership of Shabbat by giving them the tools and confidence to host Shabbat in their own spaces. Rather than handing students a “Shabbat in a box,” the Lab encourages them to think like hosts: plan menus, create ambiance, guide conversations and weave Jewish ritual into the evening in ways that feel authentic and meaningful.
“It’s not about telling students exactly what Shabbat should look like,” said Rabbi Kenny Weiss, Houston Hillel’s executive director. “It’s about helping them discover how they can make Shabbat their own and then giving them the support to try it out.”
Each week, fellows gather with Rabbi Weiss for 90-minute sessions that blend study and practice. Early meetings focus on the core rituals of lighting candles, blessing wine and challah, and welcoming Shabbat.
Later sessions turn to the details of hospitality, from setting a table and planning a meal to leading songs, encouraging conversation and creating a welcoming atmosphere for guests.
The real learning happens when fellows put what they’ve discussed into practice.
Each participant hosts two Shabbat meals for six to eight friends, with Houston Hillel covering the cost of food. Fellows also share a Shabbat dinner together as a cohort at the home of Rabbis Amy and Kenny Weiss, giving them the opportunity to experience the evening as guests while thinking about what they might incorporate into their own Shabbat tables.
For students, the experience can be transformative. Some bake challah for the first time. Others lead blessings in front of friends or discover that hosting Shabbat doesn’t require extensive Jewish knowledge or a particular kind of home. What matters is creating a space where people feel welcome and where Jewish tradition becomes part of their lives.
Molly Wladis, a Rice University sophomore, described her experience: “Shabbat Hosting Lab has made Shabbat feel much more like something I can actively create and share. I’ve had the chance to think about which parts of Shabbat are meaningful to me, why they matter and how I want to bring these traditions into my life beyond the program.
“I’ve especially enjoyed learning more about the history and meaning behind traditions I already practiced. Rituals like lighting candles were already familiar to me, but learning how these traditions have been part of Shabbat throughout history has made them feel more intentional and meaningful.”
Justin Feder, another Rice sophomore, said, “I am Jewish, but I did not grow up particularly observant. Since arriving at Rice, I have found a welcoming Jewish community that has led me to reflect on what I value about being Jewish and what I want to do more of.
“Shabbat Hosting Lab offers a chance to define what Judaism means to me and how I want to carry Jewish values into my future.”
To recognize their commitment, each fellow receives a $250 stipend. More importantly, they leave the program having experienced themselves not simply as participants in Jewish life but as people capable of creating it.
By encouraging students to host in dorms, apartments and shared houses, the Shabbat Hosting Lab helps move Jewish life beyond the walls of Houston Hillel, which also hosts Shabbat dinners on multiple campuses each Friday night.
“When students learn they can create Shabbat anywhere,” Rabbi Weiss said, “Jewish life becomes something they carry with them for the rest of their lives.”