University of Maryland

Hillel, Chabad, and Meor have strong programming and events every week. One of my favorite aspects of UMD is how Jewish organizations, especially Chabad and Hillel, work together instead of in competition like they do at many other schools.

Though there is a large Arab population at UMD, I feel very safe on campus and there is always security presence at large Jewish events.

Hillel has a kosher dining hall in it that is buffet style. They always have a large variety of food that is tasty, especially compared to what I’ve tried at other schools. In addition to a protein, carb, and veggie at each meal, they have a salad bar every day along with bbq options on meat days. There’s usually also an “action station” like deli paninis, pasta bar, ramen, or omelettes.

The community is amazing. Since the Jewish population is so large there really is something for everyone. The only downside is since it is so large, people can slip through the cracks and it can get cliquey. However, staff from all Jewish orgs do their best to make sure this doesn’t happen and make sure everyone feels like they have a place.

Kedma (the modern orthodox student group on campus) organizes daily Minyanim and Shabbat services each week. They also work with JLIC to plan many learning opportunities. Neshama (the conservative Jewish student group) also has Shabbat services that get a good turnout.