When Anastasia Murzin first learned about the Russian Shabbaton held Feb. 6 through 8, she didn't know what to think. A Russian immigrant who has lived in Israel and Canada, Murzin doesn't consider herself a religious Jew. But the Shabbaton sounded like a great opportunity to meet other Russian Jewish college students, she said.
In Fort Wayne (Ind.), I don't really go to synagogue, Murzin said. I think it's important to find a Jewish community to be a part of.
More than 20 other students from Chicago, Milwaukee, Lafayette, Ind. and Bloomington, Ind. shared Murzin's enthusiasm for forging a relationship among Russian Jews. To achieve this, participants joined for Shabbat services dinner Friday night and workshops on Jewish identity, Israel and the media Saturday. The Shabbaton took place at the Indian Lake Resort in Bloomingdale.
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