BOO Constitution: click here to view.
ABOUT BOO
Orthodox Jewish life at Brandeis University is vibrant and extensive. Consisting of around 250 students, the Orthodox community is one of the largest and most active of any college campus worldwide. Its members are among the most visible participants in general campus life and are valued contributors to the Student Union, the arts, the printed media, athletics, and Hillel, among other endeavors. The relatively small size of the University (around 3,400 undergraduates) engenders many opportunities for fusing religious growth with a genuine commitment to the broader campus community.
RELIGIOUS LIFE
Minyanim:BOO maintains one weekday shacharit, two mincha and two maariv minyanim, as well as Shabbat minyanim. The Orthodox Minyan is run by the BOO gabbai. Weekday shacharit minyan normally draws approximately 30 men and 20 women. Friday night mincha/kabbalat Shabbat services usually draw 200-250 students, with an equal number of men and women. Please send suggestions, questions, or errors to our gabbaim: Menachem Frenkel and Josh Klein, If you would like to read Torah, please contact Zahvi Glasenberg.
Beit Midrash: Torah study is a central component of Orthodox life on campus. The BOO Beit Midrash, located in the lower level of one of the freshman dormitories (Shapiro Residence Hall in Massell Quad), is a comfortable enclave of Torah study that holds thousands of Jewish books ranging from ancient texts to modern journals. On the average weekday, over 50 students spend time studying religious texts. Our JLI couple give over ten shiurim (classes) a week on a variety of textual, halachic, and philisophical topics . Among the many student learning initiatives to emerge from the BOO membership are Daf Yomi (daily Talmud study), Mishna Yomi (daily mishnah study), and Tefillah chabura. Thursday night Mishmar, which features a student-led shiur and a post-shiur chulent, is a staple of Beit Midrash life. SNL, Sunday Night Learning, supplants chavruta style learning with pizza and snacks. For more information on the Beit Midrash contact Yoanna Freedman. To give a shiur, lead a chabura, or find a chavruta, contact Aviva Zadoff.
Kosher Food On Campus: Click here for Hillel at Brandeis' comprehensive
guide to "Keepin' Kosher on Campus."
JLI Couple: Rabbi Elliot ('02) and Toby Kaplowitz act as advisors to the BOO community on all aspects of Orthodox life, and are members of the Hillel staff. They give weekly shiurim on a wide range of religious topics and learn one on one with dozens of students. Rabbi Kaplowitz went to Brandeis and was the president of BOO in his day. He then learned at Yeshivat Mevaseret Tzion before attending Yeshivat Chovevei Torah. Toby went to MMY in Israel before attending Stern college. She received a masters in education from Bank Street. They have an adorable baby named Yisrael.
SOCIAL LIFE
Any visitor for Shabbat will find the BOO community to be incredibly friendly and comfortably tight-knit. The community’s unique warmth is due, in part, to the relatively small size of the University which engenders a bond of familiarity among the community’s 250 members. Indeed, no observant Jew is a stranger at Brandeis – a common kosher dining hall, the close proximity of residence areas to one another, and an active central communal organization (BOO) are all factors which strengthen the bonds of friendship and community within Jewish circles on campus. Of course, BOO members find ample opportunity to extend their social roots beyond the BOO community. For most, activity in campus clubs, media, student government, and card games serve as excellent means of making friends outside of the Orthodox community. Friday night onegs and tisches, Meat on a Dairy Night ( by which we bring in kosher food from a restaurant in Brookline,) BOO Coffeehouse (music and comedy performances at Chums, the campus café), BOO Dodgeball, BOO Ice Skating and our annual Purim seudahs are among the social programs which bring the community together in music, sport, food, and religious celebration. To give suggestions or to get involved join the Social Events Committee or contact Raquel Greenberg, the Social Events coordinator.
Chesed: BOO sponsors numerous social action activities both on its own and in conjunction with other groups. These activities range from Yachad Shabbatons, Hamentaschen Making for the Homeless, raising money through Karaoke Night, Kickball Tournaments, and more! The community also takes part in visits to local nursing homes with Generations, to soup kitchens like Sunday's Bread, and other volunteering oppurtunities. To get involved, join the Chesed Committee, check out the Chesed Corner, or contact Tamar Rock, the Chesed coordinator.
SHABBAT AND HOLIDAYS
Every Shabbat, BOO provides davening Friday night, Shabbat morning, and Shabbat afternoon/night, including Seudah Shlishit between Mincha and Maariv. There are also frequent onegs, tisches, guest speakers, as well as kiddushes.
For Shabbat dinner, most Orthodox students choose to dine with the greater Jewish community at Hillel’s communal meal. A growing number of students, however, enjoy Shabbat dinner at the off-campus Chabad House, which offers a more intimate setting. After eating, Orthodox students usually gather in upperclassmen’s suites for BOO-sponsored onegs or tisches, or in the Beit Midrash to partake in informal study (and snacking) or in a formal shiur given by the community’s Rabbi.On Shabbat day, most students simply relax. When the weather is warm (the first month and a half of the fall semester, and the last month and a half of the spring semester), one can find Orthodox students lounging, reading, and learning Torah outside on the lush, green lawns of Brandeis.
BOO'S DIVERSITY
The BOO community boasts a wide variety of ideologies and religious and educational backgrounds. Its members range from graduates of post-high school seminaries and yeshivot to previously non-Orthodox graduates of public school. While a significant portion of the community comes from the East Coast, one can find a significant amount of Orthodox students from more distant locales. While BOO caters to an Orthodox lifestyle on campus, we welcome all denominations and religious backgrounds.