KU Hillel is celebrating its students and supportive community near and far during Rock Chalk Shabayit again this year. It will also be Senior Jewish Educator Rabbi Neal Schuster’s 13th year at KU Hillel.
For 2021, Rock Chalk Shabayit will be in his honor to celebrate his incredible impact on Jewish education.
Leading up to the event, Schuster has had time to reflect on his experiences thus far.
“I feel like I’ve been planting tree, after tree, after tree, and finally someone has tapped me on the shoulder and said, ‘Turn around. Look at this incredible forest you’ve made,’” said Rabbi Schuster. “Each student is like a single tree, and over the years it’s added up to this amazing, abundant forest - thousands of people whose lives I’ve gotten to be a part of. It’s rewarding in a way I couldn’t have imagined.”
Rabbi Schuster has been a role model for many Hillel students over the past 13 years here, including those currently involved.
“Neal cares about each and every student and shows it in every program… [he] is a valuable resource for anything Jewish at KU,” Jared Katzen, junior, said.
Over the years they have worked together, Suzy Sostrin, Executive Director, has enjoyed the care Schuster brings to Jayhawks.
“We are so lucky to not only have a rabbi at KU Hillel, but to have Rabbi Neal in particular,” Sostrin said. “He is always the first to answer our Kosher Chicken Soup Hotline to deliver soup to sick students, to counsel our students when they are going through a difficult patch, or to stop what he is doing to have long conversations with our students about Judaism or how to fix a tire.”
This year, the community has the opportunity to make a donation in honor of Schuster’s 13th year for Rock Chalk Shabayit. Gifts made in his honor will include space in the commemorative program for memories and stories, and will continue to support the vibrant Jewish community at kuhillel.org/rcs.
“In my time here, we’ve transformed KU from a school with a lot of Jews to a destination school for Jewish students looking for a place with vibrant Jewish life,” Schuster said. “I feel honored to be a part of it and the way we have continued to grow and the impact we have in student’s lives.”
Schuster embodies the value of Hachnasat Orchim, always welcoming KU Hillel students into the community. He supports students with advice and a listening, compassionate ear. KU Hillel hopes you join them in honoring his contributions over the past 13 years and the many more memories he will continue to make.