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February 6, 2004/Shevat 14 5764, Vol. 56, No. 20
Rolling sushi
Chabad at ASU holds spring event
MICHAEL MIKLOFSKY
Special to Jewish News
Arizona State University students participate in Chabad at ASU's Sushi Night event. Pictured, from left, are Ashley Jacobson, Aliza Schapiro, Albina Uvdayov and Nathan Uvdayov.
Photo courtesy of Chabad at ASU
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Chabad at ASU ushered in the Spring 2004 semester with 72 students, a campus chef and 23 pounds of rice.
"It was an unbelievable event. It exceeded our expectations," says Rabbi Shmuel Tiechtel, executive director of Chabad at ASU. "We got to spend time with one another and learn the age-old art of making sushi."
Students gathered around tables dotted with avocados, carrots, cucumbers, and salmon - the main ingredients used for making sushi - while watching Maung Maung demonstrate.
Maung is a familiar face to Arizona State University students, as he works rolling sushi in the Memorial Union's Market Square. He showed students how to pack rice onto a sheet of seaweed, add vegetables, and roll and cut the sushi.
"I had a good time, a lot of people showed up and we made good food," says Ilan Cooke, an ASU graduate. He was one of several students who helped prepare the Chabad house for the event. "I think everybody pretty much had a good time - it was a good atmosphere," he says.
Cooke says the atmosphere is why so many students come to Chabad at ASU, which opened its doors at the university in 2003.
"It's a way to make more Jewish friends and learn more about my religion," he explains.
Chana Tiechtel, associate director of Chabad at ASU, says that students went to great lengths to make sure that the evening went off without a hitch. Students helped prepare food, talked with Japanese people, researched Japanese culture, decorated the house, and played authentic music.
She says that she has been pleasantly surprised to see how many students have been coming to Chabad.
"We are definitely getting a lot of positive feedback," she says. "People come and they come again, that's a great sign."
"At the first Shabbos, we had 18, at the last Shabbos, we had 55," Chana adds. "It's only been growing."
Whitney Warman, a sophomore at ASU, also attended Sushi Night and said that the people who go to Chabad are friendly.
"I like how Shmuel and Chana are so welcoming with people they don't know. They are so willing to welcome people into their home," she explains. "There was a lot of socializing going on and a lot of people met new people."
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