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Elevate Conference & Shabbaton · January 15 to 17, 2027

Elevate
your heart. Elevate
your people.

Apply now What is LEV?

What is LEV?

Lev = heart, in Hebrew.

A national gathering of Jewish student activists, creatives and community builders. One powerful, ruach-filled Shabbaton weekend. Students from Quebec, British Columbia and Ontario, in a one-of-a-kind immersive experience.

Get in on:

  • Meaningful cross-Canada connections
  • Fun and creative programming
  • Heartfelt celebration

Six parts of the weekend

The weekend experience

  1. A group of students in Hillel Ontario sweatshirts laughing with their arms in the air.

    A celebration of Jewish joy

    Music, culture, food and party. Moments of joy that uplift and energize.

  2. Three speakers on a small stage in front of a LEV backdrop, one holding a microphone.

    Dynamic speakers

    Voices from across the Jewish world: activists, artists, thinkers, influencers and community leaders.

  3. Students around a table covered in trays of coloured beads, seen from above.

    Interactive sessions and workshops

    Hands-on learning and exploration: Jewish values, Israel engagement, anti-antisemitism strategies, mental health, leadership and advocacy, community building and media, with nuance, openness and respect.

  4. Students lighting Shabbat candles. One covers her eyes.

    Pluralistic prayer and Shabbat celebration

    A welcoming and vibrant Shabbat that honours diversity in Jewish practice and fosters spiritual connection, with depth, beauty, tradition and innovation.

  5. Students deep in conversation around a table.

    Peer learning and storytelling

    Spaces for students to share their experiences, challenges and successes, strengthening cross-campus solidarity and amplifying student voices.

  6. Students seen from behind, standing in a row with their arms around each other.

    A sense of belonging

    Am Yisrael as a living, breathing community, with students as active stakeholders, responsible for the future of the Jewish people.

What students gain by attending

What you gain

  1. Friends

    Forge connections with peers from across the country, building a support system that transcends campus boundaries.

  2. Passion, purpose, vision

    Discover new ways to bring creativity, joy and meaning into your Jewish life, both personally and communally. Leave the conference inspired, with tangible ideas, tools and motivation to enrich your local Jewish student community.

  3. Jewish values, learning, ritual and community

    A connection built through meaningful Shabbat experiences and inclusive religious programming.

  4. Tools and practical skills

    To build meaningful Jewish life on campus, through workshops on activism, community organizing, event planning, Israel engagement and advocacy.

Friday, January 15 to Sunday, January 17

Schedule

It begins by 3:00 PM on Friday and wraps up by 3:00 PM on Sunday. This is the shape of the weekend; a draft schedule goes to everyone who is confirmed.

Friday

  • AfternoonArrivals and welcome
  • Before sunsetCandle lighting
  • EveningServices, then Shabbat dinner
  • LateOneg options: board games, singing, learning

Saturday

  • MorningServices and kiddush
  • MiddaySessions, lunch, more sessions
  • AfternoonChofesh (free time) and small groups
  • After darkHavdalah, then the Saturday night party

Sunday

  • MorningBreakfast, with an optional service
  • Late morningOne last session together
  • MiddayShuk with community partners
  • AfternoonL’hitra’ot. The buses load and leave.

Frequently asked questions

Good to know

Transportation is included for the weekend. The application asks about your travel, so we can make sure you are covered.

Pick-up and drop-off locations and times follow once everyone is confirmed.

We stay at a hotel in Toronto. The exact location is announced closer to the date, for security.

Rooms hold two to four students. You can request a roommate on the application and we will do our best to match you, with no absolute guarantee. We also ask whether you would like a female-identifying room, a male-identifying room or an all-gender room, and whether you would prefer a Shomer Shabbat room.

Hillel is a pluralistic space for all kinds of Jewish, Jew-ish and Jew-curious students to feel at home. There are four Shabbat prayer options, in a K’lal Israel approach, so you can find the style of service that fits how you keep Shabbat. All of them are optional.

In public spaces we keep Shabbat, which includes not using electricity or writing, and we encourage everyone to disconnect for the day. What you do in your own space is up to you.

Every meal and snack over the weekend is certified kosher. Vegetarian, vegan, dairy-free and gluten-free options are available at every meal, and there is a designated person for anyone with a special diet or an allergy.

The Shabbaton runs Friday, January 15 to Sunday, January 17, 2027. It begins by 3:00 PM on Friday and wraps up by 3:00 PM on Sunday, when the buses load and leave Toronto.

Please do not bring your own vehicle. If you have to, first get in touch with Michelle. A draft schedule goes to everyone who is confirmed.

We are building an intentional community for a unique weekend together. For almost every time block, you choose between several sessions. At other times everyone gathers for a plenary. There are breaks and free time throughout, so you can make the most of your time with students and Hillel pros from all over Canada.

Once you are confirmed, you get a form for your session preferences. Explore, branch out and choose what speaks to you.

Yes. There is a one-time fee to take part in the weekend, paid when you apply: $72 in the first week, $118 in weeks two to four and $136 in week five. If your application is not accepted, it is refunded in full.

To make the Shabbaton as accessible as possible, subsidies are available for anyone who needs one. Reach out to Michelle.

A suggested packing list is emailed two weeks before. Pack what you would take on a weekend trip away: medications, toiletries, layers, comfortable shoes for walking around the hotel, and nicer clothing for Shabbat. It is more important that you feel comfortable.

All meals and snacks, and the Saturday night party, are taken care of for you. Anything you choose to buy or do offsite is on you.

Yes. A low-sensory, low-stimulus space is open the whole weekend, and every schedule sign points the way to it.

LEV 2026, in picturesDrag

Students in a kick line, in LEV plaid. A speaker in pink addressing the full room at a plenary. Students dancing in a circle, holding hands. A circle of students clapping together in the hotel conference room. The hotel foyer full of students between sessions. A dinner table of students turning to smile at the camera. Students in a circle, listening to one of their own speak. Hands at a craft table, seen from above. The Sunday shuk: students at community partners’ tables. The Saturday night party, under purple lights. Havdalah: a braided candle held up, alight, in a crowd of students. A student drawing henna on another student’s hand. Friday afternoon: tea lights being lit in trays, before Shabbat. Hebrew letters being painted at a calligraphy table.

Apply

Get in on it.

  • Week 1

    $72

    Early bird

  • Weeks 2 to 4

    $118

    Regular

  • Week 5

    $136

    Late

One fee, paid when you apply and refunded in full if you are not accepted, with transportation, kosher meals and the Saturday night party included. Subsidies are available for anyone who needs one.

Apply now

Applications open November 2 and close December 7. Your campus Hillel reviews every application.