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Eating Kosher at Tufts

At Tufts University, keeping kosher is easy and part of everyday campus life. Students have access to kosher meals through campus dining and Tufts Hillel, with options available every day of the week. Whether you keep kosher regularly or occasionally, you’ll find Tufts makes it simple to eat kosher on the Medford/Somerville campus.

Daily Kosher Dining Options

Tufts offers certified kosher meals in multiple locations on campus:

Pax et Lox Glatt Kosher Deli
Located on the lower level of the Mayer Campus Center, this glatt kosher takeout deli serves made-to-order sandwiches, wraps, and sides. It’s open Monday through Thursday for lunch and dinner. Orders are placed through a mobile app and picked up at a walk-up window. Students on a meal plan can use a meal swipe here.

Rabbi Brawer lighting the pilot light.

Tufts Dining partnered with Tufts Hillel and Lighthouse Kosher to launch Beans, Greens & Grains, a fully certified, completely vegan kosher dining option within the Dewick-MacPhie dining center. Lighthouse Kosher is an innovative non-profit organization that combines Orthodox rabbinic supervision with a vision of ecological sustainability and social responsibility. A team of trained Tufts students serve as mashgichim and are onsite every day to insure smooth operations and full compliance. The facility receives regular oversight and spot-checks from Lighthouse Kosher and Tufts Rabbi Naftali Brawer. Beans, Greens & Grains features appealing, freshly cooked, plant-based meals featuring local produce.

Dewick-MacPhie Dining Center (Vegan Kosher Station)
The kosher station at Dewick serves an entirely vegan, kosher menu under Orthodox supervision. Meals are cooked from scratch and available as part of the regular dining hall service. This allows students who keep kosher to eat alongside friends with ease.

Meal Plans and Kosher Dining Support

Tufts Dining offers dedicated kosher meal plans at no additional cost beyond standard rates. First-year students typically enroll in the Kosher Full Plan, while upperclassmen can choose from smaller kosher plans based on their needs.

These meal plans cover kosher meals at Pax et Lox and at Dewick’s kosher station. Students also receive access to additional hot kosher entrées throughout the week, often prepared by a local kosher caterer and served in the dining hall.

Signing up is simple—just select a kosher meal plan in the SIS system when choosing your dining option for the semester.

Weekly Community Meals at Hillel

Tufts Hillel hosts weekly kosher meals that bring students together in a warm and welcoming environment:

Tuesday Night Community Dinners
Every Tuesday evening, Hillel serves a free kosher dinner—usually a hot meat meal with a vegetarian option. These dinners are casual, open to all, and a great way to build community over food.

Shabbat Dinners and Lunches
Each Friday, students gather at Hillel for Shabbat dinner following optional services. Dinner is kosher and includes a vegetarian option. Students are asked to RSVP by Wednesday to help with planning. Hillel often also offers a relaxed Shabbat lunch on Saturday around noon, open to all students.

Holiday Meals and Special Events

Hillel ensures that students can celebrate Jewish holidays with kosher meals on campus:

  • High Holidays: Rosh Hashanah meals, a Yom Kippur pre-fast and break-fast, and multiple service options.
  • Passover: Community seders, kosher-for-Passover meals throughout the week, and packaged meals available for pickup through Dining.
  • Other Holidays: Kosher meals for Purim, Sukkot, Hanukkah, and more, often tied to student-led events or celebrations.

All food served at Hillel is kosher, whether for holiday meals, welcome barbecues, study breaks, or special programs.

Tofu Mango Bowl
Roast Beef Sandwich
Peanut Quinoa Bowl

Pax et Lox, a glatt kosher, on-the-go deli located on the lower level of the Campus Center.

Students Eating

Students who keep kosher or those who would like to be able to regularly do so, now have the opportunity to share meals with peers with ease and convenience.