Orthodox Community at Penn

Donate to the OCP

Here are a few exciting ways you can give to the Orthodox Community at Penn!

Check - checks can be mailed to: "OCP Treasurer" at 215 South 39th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104. This method of contribution is tax-deductible.
via PayPal.
Credit card - to donate by credit card, click the credit card link and make sure you choose "Other" from the list of selections on the donation page and type in OCP!

Kiddush

Every week, after Shabbat morning prayers, the OCP provides a festive kiddush and an opportunity for the community to socialize. The sponsor and occasion for each week’s kiddush is announced at the beginning of each kiddush and signs are placed on the kiddush tables with the sponsors’ names.

Jonathan Aubrey, SAS ‘09: Kiddush at Penn is unlike anything I’ve ever seen. Back in Paris, I was accustomed to modest kiddushes that weren’t exciting. Here at Penn, we have an ice cream kiddush! Everyone creates his or her own sundae, adding various toppings while sipping a cup of milk. I was amazed on my second Shabbat here. As a surprise, my father had arranged to sponsor a kiddush for my birthday. It was a wonderful surprise and I realized he did love me! It was fantastic to share my birthday treat with so many new friends. I could feel the closeness of our Penn Hillel community as everyone sang together. People I had never met before wished me a happy birthday. That was one kiddush I’ll always remember.

The traditional third meal of Shabbat allows the community to savor the last few moments of the day with a farewell meal and communal singing. Each sponsor is announced before seudah shlishit.

Meira Levinson, SAS ‘06: Seudah Shlishit is my favorite time. Whether I’m sitting in the circle of chairs singing zemirot or shmoozing on the side by the food, I always feel something wonderful. There’s something special about seeing everyone gathered together to sing--to sing for Shabbat, to sing as a
community--that fills me with spirit for the rest of the week.

Every Sunday night, over one hundred and fifty students from varied backgrounds gather in Hillel for dinner and learning. Students are paired into “chevrutas,” choose a text, and learn for one hour. The David Aboulafia Memorial Sunday Night Learning enables students to study in the Bet Midrash in a comfortable atmosphere. DA-SNL is sponsored by Charles Aboulafia (Wharton ‘04) of Sao Paolo, Brazil, in memory of his father David z”l. Co-sponsorships are encouraged on a weekly or semester basis.

Tal Raviv, SEAS ‘08: I thought it was a mistake when I was paired with a guy named Raphi Levy for DA-SNL. I’m not the type, but with some urging, I came the first Sunday night and studied with Raphi. It was awesome, and I realized there was a world of knowledge that I had hardly begun to explore. DA-SNL was a way to reconnect with Torah learning. DA-SNL is enormously popular. There’s a lot of noise in the room but it’s not distracting; it’s exciting
and reassuring. It feels like the whole Jewish community’s there with you. This year, I’m back with Raphi, and he is no longer just “a guy” but one of my best friends at Penn.

Orthodox students on campus enjoy the use of many books essential to Jewish life. Funds are needed to replace and restore worn volumes as well as expand our current library. Commemorative labels are placed inside the covers of books purchased with donations of $36 or more. This is the perfect way to perpetually memorialize a loved one.

Every weekday, committed students wake up early to enjoy breakfast while learning Daf Yomi. They join Jews worldwide who study the entire Talmud, one daf (folio) at a time, completed every seven and a 1/2 years. Learning is led by Rabbi Dov Daniel (Wharton MBA ‘06).

David Faleck, SAS ‘08: The sense of accomplishment I feel knowing that I started my day learning a daf of Gemara
is unparalleled. Sitting in a small group around the table, reading through and discussing the daily page of Gemara, Daf Yomi provides an inspiring jumpstart to my day. Day after day, daf after daf, masechet after masechet, our group maintains this commitment. Knowing that we do so in sync with thousands of Jews around the world is truly an unbelievable sensation.

The OCP regularly invites well-known figures to give lectures on various topics. Past speakers have included Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz, Rabbi Menachem Leibtag, Dr. Tamar Ross, and Rabbi Herschel Schachter. Funds are needed to cover travel, accommodation, and honorarium expenses. We would be proud to establish an annual Scholar in Residence lecture in honor or in memory of an individual.

Suggested Donation: Weekday Scholar in Residence: $360, Scholar in Residence weekend: $750