On Simchat Torah, the final day of the Jewish High Holidays, the University of Maryland transforms. The usual buzz of frat row gives way to a different kind of party as hundreds of Jewish students spill out of Hillel, dance through McKeldin Mall, circle North Campus, and sing their way to Chabad with Torahs held high.
To the untrained eye, it might look like a spontaneous flash mob. But to those in the know, it is the biggest Jewish event of the year, the Jewish homecoming, a night filled with dancing, laughter, schtick (playful humor and inside jokes) and a sense of unity that reaches every corner of campus.
Simchat Torah, which falls this year on Tuesday night and Wednesday, marks the completion of the annual Torah reading cycle. The final verses of Deuteronomy are read, and immediately afterward, the scroll is rolled back to Genesis to begin again, symbolizing that learning and growth never stop.
The Torah calls for it to be the most joyful holiday of the year, and at Maryland, that joy takes over campus.
The celebration centers around Hakafot, circles of dancing that take place in synagogue both at night and during the day. That’s what onlookers see spilling across campus, students linking arms, Torahs in hand, singing with an infectious happiness that radiates far beyond the Jewish community.
In a traditional synagogue, kids wave flags, candy rains, and people dance long into the night. At UMD, those same traditions take on a distinctly college twist.
Maryland students are joined by friends from other universities, gap year programs, and hometowns who travel in just for the holiday. Freshmen quickly learn that hosting guests for Simchat Torah is practically a rite of passage. Everyone knows someone begging for a couch to crash on just to be part of the action. Hundreds of students from other campuses join in on the fun.
Around CP Towers on Hartwick road, a popular residential building for Jewish students on campus, the celebration continues throughout.
Doors are open and laughter spills out from apartments where meals are being hosted. Tables are crowded with food and new faces. Walking the apartment halls, you’re bound to run into someone you haven’t seen in six years, harmonious singing the perfect backdrop for a reunion. What makes the celebration so uniquely UMD is the creativity and humor woven into the prayers and dancing. The student leadership team, the Gabbanit (a group responsible for organizing and running services), keeps the energy high with jokes, spontaneous songs, and moments of organized chaos that reflect the holiday’s spirit of joy.
By the end of the day, people are exhausted, reminiscing on the craziness of the night before. As some students jokingly admit, about half the visitors are quietly hoping they met their future spouse somewhere between pulling up to UMD and the end of the holiday.
On Simchat Torah at Maryland, the celebration isn’t just about finishing the Torah. It’s about celebrating the energy and beauty of the community on campus.
