{"id":424,"date":"2023-02-03T17:28:39","date_gmt":"2023-02-03T17:28:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/offices.vassar.edu\/religious-and-spiritual-life\/?page_id=424"},"modified":"2026-04-10T17:01:29","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T21:01:29","slug":"our-orgs-and-spaces","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/offices.vassar.edu\/religious-and-spiritual-life\/communities\/jewish-life\/our-orgs-and-spaces\/","title":{"rendered":"Our Orgs and Spaces"},"content":{"rendered":"<!-- Inserted by Dropdownizer plugin. Forces video embeds contained in dropdowns to have a size --><style>.dropdownizer__dropdown iframe { width: 100% !important; height: 100% !important; }<\/style>\n<p>A variety of Vassar Student Association student organizations, that share common Jewish Life goals, utilize our spaces as places to plan, develop, and implement educational, social, and cultural events. Most of these events are held at the Bayit, or the non-Vassar affiliated Chabad House.&nbsp; Others are held at Pratt House and some at other campus venues. Please note that the contact information listed below goes to current Jewish student leaders. If you would like to reach our Rachlin Director for Jewish Student Life and Assistant Director of the Office of Religious and Spiritual Life and Contemplative Practices (RSLCP) please email Rabbi Bryan Mann at <a href=\"mailto:bryanmann@vassar.edu\">bryanmann@vassar.edu<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Student Organizations<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Vassar Jewish Union\/Hillel<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The Vassar Jewish Union (VJU\/Hillel)) seeks to strengthen the development of a fun, warm, inclusive, pluralistic Jewish community, and to provide a spiritual and cultural home for Jewish expression at Vassar. The VJU seeks to serve all members of the Vassar community, regardless of their background or form of Jewish expression. Consequently, the VJU does not endorse any one view or practice of Jewish life over any other and encourages the expression of all facets of Jewish experience in search of an active and diverse Jewish community on Vassar\u2019s campus. The group is a VSA organization that sponsors weekly Friday night Shabbat services at 6:00 p.m. and dinners at 7:30 p.m. in the <a href=\"#bayit\">Bayit<\/a> at 51 Collegeview Avenue, as well as programming for all major Jewish holidays, cultural and educational programs that explore Jewish life and Jewish identity, opportunities for social action, and social events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Contact: <a href=\"mailto:vju@vassar.edu\">vju.vsa@vassar.edu<\/a><br>Instagram: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/vassar.jewish.union\/\">@vassar.jewish.union<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Vassar Chabad Student Community<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The Vassar Chabad Student Community (VCSC) strives to foster an inclusive, warm, and fun space on campus for Jewish students to explore their identities. From weekly Shabbat dinners to holiday programming to social events to volunteering in the Poughkeepsie community, VCSC offers numerous ways to tap into Jewish life on campus. Our goal is to make Judaism and Jewish practice accessible and relevant for all Jewish students regardless of affiliation or level of observance. Our hallmark event is weekly Shabbat dinners at the <a href=\"#chabad-house\">Chabad House<\/a> (94 Fulton Ave\u2014one block away from campus) where students are treated to a home-cooked meal in a family-style environment. All are welcome! Meet new students, enjoy a meal and Shabbat rituals, and find a small slice of \u201chome\u201d away from home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Contact: <a href=\"mailto:chabad.vsa@vassar.edu\">chabad.vsa@vassar.edu<\/a><br>Instagram: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/vassarchabad\/\">@vassarchabad<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Jews of Color Caucus<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The Jews of Color Caucus (JoCC) is dedicated to creating a welcoming and fun community. We aim to bond over our diverse heritages and share experiences that have made us who we are. We connect over hangouts, Shabbat dinners, and holiday observances. JoCC is open to all students who are interested in engaging in Jewish life or supporting us. We are all friends here! If you have any questions or if you are interested in getting involved, please contact us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Contact: <a href=\"mailto:jewsofcolor.vsa@vassar.edu\">jewsofcolor.vsa@vassar.edu<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Challah Justice Initiative<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Do you like freshly baked challah? Do you like baking bread? Do you like giving back to your community? <em>Knead<\/em> a fun sensory activity to destress? Come to Challah Justice Initiative at Vassar! We make the challah dough on Tuesdays at 4:30 and braid at 6:30 in the Bayit (the cute little blue\/green house behind Gordon Commons). Or if you\u2019re not into baking, come buy our challah on Wednesdays in the College Center! By taking part in our organization you can do the mitzvah (good deed) of tzedakah (charity\/justice work) as all proceeds go towards combating food insecurity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Contact: <a href=\"mailto:thechallahjusticeinitiative.vsa@vassar.edu\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">thechallahjusticeinitiative.vsa@vassar.edu<\/a><br> Instagram: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/challahjusticeinitiative_vc\/\">@challahjusticeinitiative_vc<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Our Spaces <\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"bayit\"><strong>The Bayit<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The Bayit, 51 Collegeview Avenue is our center for Jewish Life on campus. Any student is welcome to come to hang out, study, meditate, pray, make art, and otherwise utilize the Bayit. <a href=\"https:\/\/forms.gle\/9NUUN3sawweey6YB8\">Apply for Bayit Access<\/a>. The downstairs of the Bayit has a dairy kosher kitchen, ritual and events space, lounge, and one of Rabbi Bryan\u2019s offices. The upstairs of the Bayit has a library\/lounge, meeting room, quiet room, arts closet, and non-kosher kitchen. Students are constantly using the Bayit for Shabbat services, Challah baking, Jewish learning, dinners\/hangouts, studying, and more!\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"chabad-house\"><strong>Chabad (Off Campus, Not Vassar Affliated)<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Chabad, 150 College Ave is just off campus. While there is no institutional affiliation with Vassar College and this Chabad House, it is where Chabad Jewish Community hosts much of its programming. Whether a Shabbat dinner, Jewish learning, hangouts or just dropping by to study. Chabad Jewish Community students, as well as, Rabbi Daniel and Rebbetzin Dalia Sanoff and their children are ready to welcome you!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Pratt House<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Pratt House is the center of the Office for Religious and Spiritual Life and Contemplative Practices (RSLCP). Rabbi Bryan has an office here, along with the interreligious RSLCP staff who would love to get to know you! We will occasionally have Jewish events at Pratt House, but this is also a place where you can come study, hang out, meditate\/pray, and get to know students across various religious and spiritual traditions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A variety of Vassar Student Association student organizations, that share common Jewish Life goals, utilize our spaces as places to plan, develop, and implement educational, social, and cultural events. Most of these events are held at the Bayit, or the non-Vassar affiliated Chabad House.&nbsp; Others are held at Pratt House and some at other campus [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"parent":409,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-424","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/offices.vassar.edu\/religious-and-spiritual-life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/424","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/offices.vassar.edu\/religious-and-spiritual-life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/offices.vassar.edu\/religious-and-spiritual-life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/offices.vassar.edu\/religious-and-spiritual-life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/offices.vassar.edu\/religious-and-spiritual-life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=424"}],"version-history":[{"count":21,"href":"https:\/\/offices.vassar.edu\/religious-and-spiritual-life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/424\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1479,"href":"https:\/\/offices.vassar.edu\/religious-and-spiritual-life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/424\/revisions\/1479"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/offices.vassar.edu\/religious-and-spiritual-life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/409"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/offices.vassar.edu\/religious-and-spiritual-life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=424"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}