Come for the Pizza, Stay for the Jewish

If you passed by Chabad of S. Barbara’s kitchen at 6:00 am on a Thursday morning, you’d see Rabbi Zalmy hard at work with a rolling pin. Chabad’s youth director expertly kneads, rolls, sauces, and cheeses tens of pizza pies each week for the Jewish high school clubs at Dos Pueblos and San Marcos High Schools.

“It’s the best kosher pizza in town,” he quips, alluding to the unfortunate vacuum of kosher certified establishments in town. “The students tell me it’s better than any pizza in town, but I wouldn’t know.” The pizza is the hook, and it draws about eighty students to the Jewish clubs each week. Rabbi Zalmy was approached by students at Dos Pueblos fouteen years ago to revive the student club. The plan was simple. Give them food for lunch, and give them food for thought. The clubs have tens of Jewish and non-Jewish students each week, and the discussions are lively, with a Torah message, and a bit of humor.

“Rabbi Zalmy welcomed teens to bring up eclectic discussion topics,” explains Zoe Silverberg, student president of Jewish Club at San Marcos High School. “A few examples include LGBTQ+ rights, current events, and the history behind Jewish religion. There was never a dull moment in our club meetings and I learned so much from everything we discussed!” The clubs are student led, with a strong leadership team in each school. “It’s really their club,” says Rabbi Zalmy, “they arrange trivia games, dreidel competitions, and social action events. It’s really nice to see young leaders take time from their busy school day to dedicate to a higher cause.”

GIVE THEM FOOD FOR LUNCH, AND GIVE THEM FOOD FOR THOUGHT.