YAD Lights Up the Night as Winter Sets In
On December 17, JEWISHcolorado’s Young Adult Division celebrated Chanukah and the close of our recent Year of Living Dangerously with a beautiful night under the lights at the Denver Botanic Gardens.
YAD Shabbat: Festival of Lights was the largest YAD event of the year, attracting one hundred excited attendees for a delicious dinner, a little drinking (Baileys- and Peppermint Schnapps-spiked hot chocolate), and a delightful display of lights. There was even a pre-Shabbat singles mixer for those who are still searching for the lights of their lives, courtesy of BeShareIt.
“We were thrilled to help YAD participants create authentic connections that were carried over to the Shabbat event. Seventy percent of our singles mixer participants matched with a romantic connection, getting them one step closer to finding their beshert.”
—Adriane Greenberg, Jewish Life & Engagement Chair and BeShareIt Co-Founder
YAD Shabbat always serves as a way for young adults in the community to come together, make meaningful connections, celebrate the week’s end, and—quite simply—have a great time. But this Shabbat was special.
“During the planning phase, my hopes for the event were incredibly high. This is traditionally our biggest YAD Shabbat and, given everything that has happened in the last year, I couldn’t have been happier with the turnout. The young Jewish community showed up—and showed their support for YAD and JEWISHcolorado. There’s nothing more gratifying than sharing a Shabbat with new and old friends and seeing the YAD community grow.”
—Adam Laarsen, YAD Shabbat Chair
Looking ahead, we’re hopeful that JEWISHcolorado’s young adults will continue to share meals, volunteer together, send it down Colorado’s mountains, and connect in person through 2022. Cheers to that!
If you’re interested in professional networking, eating the best food in town and drinking some killer cocktails, making a difference in the community, connecting with other young families, or meeting young Jewish adults between the ages of 21 and 45, please reach out to Young Adult Division Director Jenna Raimist at jraimist@jewishcolorado.org.