Welcome to the Slifka Center for Jewish Life – the central hub that nurtures Jewish life at Yale – cultivating cultural, spiritual, religious, and intellectual experiences that enrich the lives of students in a way that endures. We empower Yale students to grow as Jewish adults, connect with each other across personal histories, and drive compassionate and welcoming community – all Inspired by Jewish Ideas, traditions, and values.
Slifka Center is a Jewish space that actively welcomes everyone – including and far beyond the Jewish community. Located at the cross-roads of campus, it is a gathering, mixing, and meeting place – our meals, programs, spaces, and staff are available to all.
Here is some useful information for getting the most out of Slifka Center.
Slifka Center’s dining takes place in Kikar Schusterman – the new name of our fully renovated lower level. We accept all Yale Meal plans, including Eli Bucks, guest swipes, and credit cards. All are welcome – including undergraduates, graduate students, members of Yale’s faculty and staff, and members of the general community and guests. While meals during the week require swipes or payment – all are welcome for Shabbat and holiday meals: those on a meal plan swipe as usual, those not on the meal plan can join at no cost thanks to a generous Yale family’s donation.
Here are our dining hours:
Monday-Friday
- Monday-Thursday: Lunch 11:30-1:30pm, Dinner 5-7:30pm
- Friday Lunch 11:30-1:30pm; Dinner – see below
Shabbat (a version of this also for Jewish holidays)
- Friday night dinner: 7:30pm (until late October – then 7pm until early Spring)
- Saturday lunch: 12:30pm
- Saturday dinner (Se’udah Shelishit / Third Meal): Approximately at sunset following afternoon (mincha) services.
Don’t want to swipe in for meals on Shabbat? Click here to register for dinner before-hand!
Slifka Dining is under the kosher supervision of the
Star-K
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Sunday
Dining on Sundays looks different depending on whether or not there is a Bagel Brunch – which generally will happen every other week. Check our calendar for the next date.
- On Bagel Brunch weeks, Kikar Schusterman will host from 11:30-1:30pm.
- On other weeks we offer Claire’s Brunch – a way to get lunch from Claire’s Cornercopia via the meal plan.
- Every Sunday we offer “Sunday Night Dinner/Learning” featuring kosher food from various local restaurants along with a rotation of Torah-learning opportunities curated by Slifka staff. Those on a meal plan can swipe, the cost for others is $5 on pizza weeks and $10 on shawarma/falafel/sushi weeks. The location is Kikar Schusterman.
To find out more details about the Claire’s Brunch and Sunday Night Dinner/Learning, contact Rabbi Alex Ozar at alex.ozar@yale.edu.
Slifka Center’s public hours during the semester are 10:30am-10:30pm Sunday-Friday, and 9am-10:30pm on Saturday. All are welcome during these hours to come and hang out, study, play games, do homework, and see friends. Every space except for staff offices is available during all public hours unless they have been reserved – see below.
Kikar Schusterman is also open all day with the exception of approximately 30 minutes before each meal period, during which the room needs to be cleared to prepare for and clean up from meals. Outside food is permitted in Kikar Schusterman except for 30 minutes before, during, and after each meal period. Everyone is welcome!
Want to reserve a room for a program? Want to use the Seminar Room off Kikar Schusterman for a gathering, meeting, or class? Want to use a space in the building for a student group activity whether or not it’s affiliated with Slifka? Use our Room Reservation system. It will show you which rooms are available when, and you can book a room from your browser. If you have questions, contact Margarita Nieves, Slifka’s Operations Manager, at margarita.nieves@yale.edu.
FINDING AND CREATING ACTIVITIES
Want to know what’s going on at Slifka? Visit our online calendar at https://slifkacenter.org/events/, sign up for the slifka-talk pan-list, follow Slifka on Instagram, or check out the video monitors in the lobby.
Want to create new activities beyond what you see? Contact Aviva at aviva.green@yale.edu and she’ll help you get started!
As the Hillel at Yale, Slifka Center seeks to convene, connect, and equip Jewish students to make courageous contributions to the Jewish community and the world at large.
There’s so much happening at Slifka – to stay up-to-date, click here to sign up for our emails.
We welcome you to reach out to our staff, learn about our values and principles, and see what’s happening. Questions? We’re always happy to hear from you.