Interfaith Programs
Learn more about these Colby-based programs run by the Center working with Colby students of all backgrounds and the Waterville public schools.
Tzedakah/Zakat Student Fellowship
Tzedakah/Zakat — زكاة/צְדָקָה — (“charity and justice” in both Hebrew and Arabic) is a Colby student fellowship that fosters deep relationships across lines of difference by bringing students together to learn about Judaism, Islam, and the the city of Waterville. A team of student fellows from diverse backgrounds collaboratively design and host events that help build a more resilient community in Waterville and at Colby College.
Tzedakah/Zakat fellows learn from community members and non-profit professionals, work together on a community project, and engage in group reflection.
Yad b’Yad Fellowship
Yad b’Yad — يدا بيد/יָד בְּיָד — (“hand in hand” in both Hebrew and Arabic) is a program through which Colby students are trained to mentor multilingual, immigrant, and refugee students in the Waterville public schools. Mentors meet weekly with students to help them reach their individual social and academic goals, learn about American culture and holidays, and to participate in school events.
Yad b’Yad’s goal is to foster a warm and welcoming environment for all students in the Waterville public schools, to support the social and academic engagement of multilingual students, and to build connections through cross-cultural celebrations and storytelling.
Interested in becoming a mentor? Trainings for Colby students take place at the start of each semester.
For more information contact Program Coordinator Caitlin Kincaid: [email protected].
The Waterville Municipal Sukkah
Your Waterville Sukkah
The town of Waterville, in partnership with Beth Israel Synagogue and The Center for Small Town Jewish Life, has raised a large Sukkah in Downtown Waterville since 2024. Each year, our Sukkah features a new original piece of art inspired by the themes of Sukkot and created by Waterville community members. Everyone is welcome to sit, rest, and enjoy the Sukkah, and to attend the community dinner hosted by the Center for Small Town Jewish Life during the festival week.
What is Sukkot?
Sukkot (סוכות) is one of the most important holidays in the Jewish calendar marking the end of the harvest season with a week-long celebration of joyous communal gatherings.
What is a Sukkah?
A sukkah is a temporary open-air hit roofed with natural foliage. The sukkah evokes the shelter G-d provided the Jews after G-d brought them out of slavery in Egypt, as well as the huts traditionally used by agricultural workers during the harvest season in the land of Israel. In observance of the holiday of Sukkot, it is an ancient tradition to open this temporary home to any and all guests to share a meal. Many observers of Sukkot also decorate their sukkah with art representing harvest/nature and with pictures of people they love in a tradition known as “Ushpizin (אושפיזין)”, an Aramaic word that means “the invitation of cherished guests”.