“What does the fox say?” asks the Jewish Student Union leader rabbi Akiva Naiman, who sits on top of a desk during lunch on a Thursday.

A classroom full of students answer “Ring-ding-ding-ding-dingeringeding,” in reference to the viral music video, “The Fox” by Ylvis.

“Now does anyone know what the fox represents in Hebrew?” Naiman continues, igniting a conversation among the students.

Jewish Student Union, or JSU, meets every Thursday at lunch in room 17 to discuss philosophies and teaching from the Jewish religion.

“[There are] two folds. The main purpose of JSU is to engage people in Jewish education and the second one is to be a hub for Jewish activities in the Bay,” Naiman said.

JSU president junior Marissa Glick said another goal is to bring students together in a fun and social atmosphere where students can learn about Jewish values. She said that the club strives to try to stimulate ideas and philosophies among students.

“We give a little bit, and then everyone starts putting in their own interpretations,” Naiman said.

Glick said they received 60 sign ups on club day, around half of which are active within the club.

“We get about 25 minimum every week,” Glick said, “When we advertise [the meetings] on Facebook a lot more people come.”

So far the meetings have only been in school, with the option of participating in out of school activities.

“The meetings are very low key. People grab pizza, talk with friends, and then there’s a Jewish topic of the day and [Naiman] talks about it,” Glick said.  “It’s very go with the flow.”

Naiman said he does not want it to be like another class students have to go during lunch.

“I don’t want it to be a classroom, even though it’s in a classroom,” Naiman said. “It’s very informal, with a chill topic.”

Naiman said they also try to incorporate other activities like making challah bread, which they did two weeks ago.

“Next week we are probably going to do sushi making,” Naiman said. “Just for fun.”

Glick said that the reason JSU has been so successful is because it is structured how the members want it to be.

“You can come and talk to your friends, or you can come and be really attentive,” Glick said.  “There is also free pizza, which is a big draw for people.”

Naiman said that many students, even non-Jewish students who attend, enjoy having Judaism in their lives.

“For people who aren’t affiliated with a temple, it’s cool that they have something Jewish for them,” Naiman said.

Naiman and Glick encourage all students to come to JSU.

“One misconception is that people think it’s only for Jewish people,” Glick said. “Anyone can come if they want to.”

Naiman said that there is no Jewish affiliation required, and they even discuss other religions as well.

“The topics like ‘what does the fox say’ is pretty accessible to anyone,” Naiman said.