Chabad on Campus International, the campus wing of the Orthodox Chabad-Lubavitch movement which aims to forge connections between Jewish college students while exposing them to a more traditional religious observance, recently organized the largest Shabbat gathering of young people anywhere in the US.

Rabbi Shmuli Rothstein knows the consequences of students not getting support for their mental health needs. The Chabad at Pitt rabbi has seen students break down due to the stress and anxiety of being on campus during the anti-Zionist encampments last summer.

Rabbi Yossy Gordon, CEO of Chabad on Campus International, told JNS that the annual weekend retreat, which drew students to the Crown Heights neighborhood from 176 universities this year, was created for Jewish students to celebrate their identity.

Hundreds of Jewish college students from around the world gathered Saturday in Brooklyn for an event organized by Chabad on Campus International.

“In this critical moment, we could not turn away a single student,” Chabad on Campus International COO Rabbi Avi Weinstein said. So they booked a second venue, and this year will see the largest-ever gathering of Jewish college students: 2,000 of them, hailing from 176 colleges.