Frequently Asked Questions

Q: I hope to visit Penn for a night or Shabbat, and would like to stay with a student from the OCP. How can I be set up with a host?

A: Email our lovely hospitality chair, Noa Rubinstein, with the date(s) you plan to visit, and she’ll take care of the rest!

Q: Where can I find Orthodox prayer services?

A: Please find times on the calendar. During the week, minyanim on the 3rd floor of Hillel, in the Beit Midrash. On shabbos, OCP services are generally in Shotel-Dubin Auditorium on the 2nd floor of Hillel.

Q: What are the Kosher food options like at Penn?

A: Kosher dining is located in Falk Dining Commons, on the first floor of Hillel. Lunch and dinner are served every day, with only dinner served on Sundays. Kosher packaged food is available in Houston Market, located on the lower level of Houston Hall. The Gourmet Grocer, located on the lower level of 1920 Commons, also sells many Kosher products, including Kosher deli and cheese. Both Houston and Commons take dining dollars, credit card, and cash. Most students also shop at the nearest supermarket, ACME, located at the corner of 40th Street and Walnut Street. ACME often sells Kosher chicken in addition to many packaged products located throughout the store. 

Q: Will I have access to a kitchen on campus?

A: Most first-year dorms do not have kitchens, so many students find it useful to have a mini fridge and/or microwave in their rooms.On the other hand, if you’re living in any of the high rise buildings (Rodin, Harnwell, and Harrison) you will likely have a room with a kitchen that you can kasher. For students without kitchens, upperclassmen off-campus or with kitchens in their dorms are always happy to open up their kitchens!

Q: How can I enter the dorms? Is the process different on Shabbat and holidays?

A: To get into dorms, you will need to swipe your PennCard and enter a 4-digit code. Visitors must bring their IDs and be signed in by a Penn student who lives in that building. However, for Shabbat and holidays, Penn Housing utilizes the Sabbath List. As long as you put yourself and any guests on the Sabbath List by Thursday at 4:00 PM (Prospective students: the Hospitality Committee will take care of this for you), you will be able to get into all dorms by stating your name and PennCard number— so be sure to memorize your number! Guests will need to state their cell phone number. New students should put themselves on the permanent Sabbath List. All dorms have keys available, so you don’t need to worry about electronic key card access on Shabbat.

Q: Is there an eruv?

A: Yes! Penn is covered under the University City Eruv. A map of the eruv can be found here, if you’re interested in going exploring on Shabbat. The University City Eruv and the Center City Eruv have recently been connected via South Street. That is, if both eruvs are up, one can carry between University City and Center City by walking along the South Street Bridge. All other roads are not part of this connection. Emails are sent out weekly to listserv subscribers about the status of each eruv. Make sure to add yourself to the eruv listserv when you join the OCP listservs on the homepage. If you would like to be trained to help make sure our eruv is up and running on a weekly basis, please email Eyal Lubin.

Q: Does Penn accommodate students for the Jewish holidays?

A: Though classes do meet, should you be worried about Jewish holidays interfering with class work, Penn takes care of you. Make sure to contact all professors in the first 2 weeks of each semester with the dates you will miss for all of the holidays that semester.

Q: How can I find out about what’s going on in the OCP?

A: Be sure to follow our instagram and JLIC’s to see many of the events that are taking place regularly.