First, A Little History:

For several decades, UAlbany operated an on-campus Kosher Kitchen. Over the years this was a landmark meeting spot and place of connection – and food, of course – to the Jewish campus community, especially for those who were Kosher-observant. It closed over Covid, and instead UAlbany Dining contracted with a local Kosher deli and a caterer for packaged lunches on campus, and with Shabbos House to provide nightly hot buffet dinners as part of the meal plan at Shabbos House (Kosher on Fuller).

This Year, for Fall 2025, after 4+ years of the above arrangement, Kosher Dining is returning to campus:

This is a big undertaking by UAlbany!

DINNERS:

The plan is to have hot Kosher dinner dining at Indigenous Quad (food will be prepared by a local caterer under local Vaad Kosher supervision) for dinners: Sunday night through Thursday night.

Any meal swipe or discount dollars meal plan can be used at Indigenous Quad dining hall (even for students who do not live on that Quad or even if they live off-campus) and choose that Kosher meal once inside Indigenous Quad Dining Hall. This new Kosher option will be open and available to any Indigenous Quad diner as desired.

LUNCHES:

Kosher Lunches will be packaged meals, delivered regularly from a national Kosher caterer with a good reputation. It seems they will have a variety of such meals available.

Unlike last year, no pre-order is required, just pick them up on campus. At this time these packaged lunch meals will be paid by Discount Dollars.

These Kosher packaged lunches will be available at East Café in the Campus Center, at all hours that the location is open. They will also be intermittently available at ETEC, Downtown Café, and Morris Café (In the Massry Business building).  If there is a demonstrated demand in those locations, they may be available more regularly.

WHAT ABOUT BREAKFAST?

Students tend not to be up for breakfast, but meal swipes can be used in dining halls for Kosher items like coffee, yogurt, cereal or fruit, or discount dollars can be used to buy a coffee or the like in the campus center. There are basic Kosher options or foods that are available in dining halls.

WHAT ABOUT THE WEEKENDS?

Friday Night dinners alternate between Shabbos House Chabad (at 320 Fuller Road, near corner of Great Dane Drive) and UAlbany Hillel, usually in Campus Center Room 375. There will always be a Shabbat Dinner during the academic calendar.

Shabbat Lunches are always at Shabbos House. Lunches usually begin 12:45pm but students can come by as late as 2pm or so.

Most Saturday Nights, Shabbos House has Havdalah with fresh hot Pizza and fries, one hour after Shabbat. When Shabbat ends too late, there’s an end of Shabbat meal instead.

Sunday mornings, Shabbos House has a Minyan 11am followed by a Bagel Brunch at 12pm, open to all.

So, there’s Kosher food available all weekend, from Friday Night to Sunday noon.

HOW ABOUT JEWISH HOLIDAYS?

Kosher Dining at Indigenous Quad will be closed for the Jewish holidays.

Shabbos House provides holiday meals for all holidays during the academic year. This includes Rosh Hashanah, Sukkot and Simchat Torah, Passover and more. All holiday meals are at Shabbos House for both lunch and dinner. And there are also plentiful holiday celebrations for Chanukah, Tu B’shvat, Purim etc. – when during the academic calendar.

Yom Kippur pre-fast is at Shabbos House, services are on campus, and break-fast by Hillel.

DO I NEED TO SIGN UP FOR A KOSHER MEAL PLAN?

Not this year! Sign up for regular meal plans which can be used both at Indigenous Quad for Kosher Dinners and at East Café or other locations for the packaged Kosher lunch options.

There is no sign-up or charge for meals at Shabbos House, which is supported primarily by donations from parents, alumni, and friends.

IS “KOSHER-ON-FULLER” CONTINUING?

No. The Nightly “Kosher-on-Fuller” dinners at Shabbos House was only during those years when there wasn’t a Kosher dinner option on campus.

But Shabbos House Chabad is most certainly continuing to host many events and programs, many of which will serve food and refreshments, as is our tradition!