Kiddush Cups and Red Solo Cups: A Take on Shabbat in Isla Vista

There’s something so absurd, yet beautiful about Friday night shabbat in Isla Vista. If you have ever been in Isla Vista on a Friday night, you would have noticed the theatrical display of drunk college students wandering the street, loud music, people moving in every direction, and packed parties in every corner of the square-mile neighborhood. In a small nest of this weekly festival of chaos, lies a small, yet powerful community of Jewish students that still light candles, eat challah with friends, pray, and come together to celebrate the Jewish traditional day of rest. You can imagine these traditions are very separate from each other, yet they also overlap in a weird, yet synchronized harmony. 

Friday evening Shabbats are my favorite time of the week as someone who is Jewish. It gives me a chance to relax and reflect on the week prior, regardless of whether my days were full of beach trips (shoutout The Plunge Group!!!)  or sitting in front of canvas for hours at a time. Each Shabbat, I put on my nicest clothes and take a stroll right before sunset to the Isla Vista Hillel, where the Shabbat festivities begin. On my stroll to Hillel, I see the party goers of Isla Vista prepare themselves for the night with beer pong in their front yard, the sounds of someone's pre-game, and groups of people on their way to whichever frat is throwing that night. They, too, are getting together to celebrate with their friends and community, just in another form. As I step into the Shabbat sanctuary, the loud atmosphere of the outside world seems to dim. As the Jewish community gets together to sing, pray, and eat, this pocket of calm is created in a neighborhood that seems like it never sleeps. 

Shabbat isn’t an escape from the Isla Vista party life; it's a perspective. Knowing that there is a space to pray amidst the noise makes Shabbat seem that much more intentional- even if you can hear the reminisce of frat row from the shul. The contrast of Shabbat during a night of partying is what helps the Isla Vista Jewish community become more noticeable. In fact, the Jewish community embraces the diversity of Isla Vista by bringing our culture to the neighborhood with Havdalah's on the beach, and Rabbi Gershon of the local Chabad Celebrating Simchat Torah on Del Playa Drive while chanting “Am Yisrael Chai!” Another one of my favorite moments was when my friends and I were together during the AEPi “Jewmanji” party, and we stepped aside from the party to sing havdalah. I will admit I was a bit sloppy singing the Hebrew because the keg that AEPi had brought was starting to get to me. Shabbat is a quiet and reflective ritual in Isla Vista, yet it also screams volumes that there is such a strong and resilient Jewish community that doesn’t stop its tradition amidst the notorious party town. 

There isn’t just one way to celebrate Shabbat- some light candles, some turn off electronics, some go to their local synagogue, and some pregame before heading to Chabad or Hillel. Each is a valid way to recognize and be a part of the Jewish tradition. For a lot of college students, it’s their first time tapping into their Jewish identity and celebrating the day of rest. The Jewish organizations in Isla Vista, such as Hillel and Chabad, are so welcoming to anyone who is willing to celebrate Shabbat with them, whether it’s your first time or thousandth. I felt so welcomed when I was a freshman, and I became friends with the vibrant Jewish community very well. 

I would argue that partying and Shabbat aren’t as separate as they appear. Judaism calls for you to let go and relax on the day of Shabbat- For some, that's reciting a prayer, and for others, that's drunkenly crashing on the couch of a random party on the 66 block of Del Playa. It seems different, but for a lot of Jews, those two activities can go hand in hand. In one instance, I asked my roommate, Xander, if his Judaism collides with the party life of Isla Vista, and he said that he feels comfortable with both lifestyles and does not feel like they interact in a negative way.  Like many others, I would be lying if I said I haven't gone to shabbat services as well as participated in a sophisticated game of “rage-cage” on the same Friday night. Of course, the next morning I filled the hangover left from the night prior with a bagel from Yetz’s and a smoothie from Blenders.  (Classic I.V. Breakfast).

There is something deeply Jewish about celebrating with your friends during a Friday night in I.V. The Torah teaches that God set apart and sanctified the 7th day of the week (Shabbat), which does not mean stop completely in your tracks… Instead, it is a time to take a step back from the toils of the week to truly become present in the moment. Some people believe being present means silence and individual meditation; however, I think it can also be a time to truly feel more alive. Shabbat wasn’t meant to be boring… Actually, the opposite. Shabbat is a time to dance like no one's watching, eat until laughter consumes the dinner table, to be silly with friends, love unconditionally, and be unapologetically… human. That is why so many Jews, including myself, can embrace both our holy ancient tradition of Shabbat, as well as engage in the Friday night Isla Vista festivities. Next Shabbat, I encourage you to truly be present in the moment and feel the sweetness that life can offer when embracing the present moment.