During Winter Session, University of Delaware students came together for the third year in a row for Serving Better Together, a month-long interfaith initiative.

Each year, students from different religious and non-religious backgrounds come together to engage in meaningful conversation and relationship-building through service.

Developed by a working group of professionals from Hillel, Residence Life and Housing, the Office of Serving Learning and the Presbyterian Campus Ministry, Serving Better Together has three core components: skill building, service and experiencing other religious traditions.

As part of the program Hillel hosts a soup-making service project for Jewish Family Services of Delaware and a Winterfaith Shabbat. Through these experiences non-Jewish students are able to learn about Jewish holidays, kashrut, culture and prayer.

As a student of different faith, UD junior Darin Howell shared his appreciation for the soup-making event. "Being encouraged to learn more about the Jewish faith through thoughtful questions was important to me,” he said. “I enjoyed learning about what the essentials are for a Jewish meal. The students in the Hillel community were inviting and excited to share their customs and so I felt welcomed and glad to serve.”

Hillel Student Life leader Hannah Greenberg said, "Making matzah balls truly represents interfaith relationships; you are taking ingredients that don’t seem to go together but when you mix it all together and cook it, it makes a delicious food. For many of those who came to the matzah ball soup making event, it was their first time making matzah ball soup. As we created these dense balls that turned into these delicate, light, fluffy matzah balls you could see their amazement and enjoyment.

"I loved being able to share food that I love to make (and eat) with others. As we worked together to create matzah ball soup, we realized that we have a lot common; just like the ingredients in the matzah ball, we were all able to come together to create something more than just ourselves."

As a result of the program, student participants developed a registered student organization based on interfaith cooperation and community service, traveled to Chicago for further leadership training, and served as leaders of recent interfaith-focused alternative spring break trips.