DES MOINES – Jewish college students across Iowa gathered Sunday to celebrate their religion with food, music and a lecture.

Students from Iowa State, the University of Iowa, Grinnell College and Drake University met at Beth El Synagogue for a program on pleasure and Judaism, dinner and a concert by the Jewish band Shlock Rock.

The principal organizer, Rabbi Ben Wolf, college coordinator for the Des Moines Community Kollel, said the student meeting was organized “to help unite and give a chance for the Jewish students all over Iowa to get together and have a good time learning about Judaism.”

Events began at 3 p.m. with a discussion led by Rabbi Shlomo Berger, a volunteer with the Aish Hatorah Discovery program.

Wolf said Berger was asked to speak in part because he is a lawyer, as well as a rabbi.

“He is most qualified to speak, as he is familiar with both secular and Jewish knowledge of pleasure,” Wolf said.

Berger divided pleasure into five ascending levels – physical, love, being good and finding meaning, creativity and transcendental pleasure or “awe.”

“Our purpose is to get the maximum pleasure out of this world,” Berger said. “Where people get into trouble is when they settle for the lower levels of pleasure. We need to focus our pleasures so we realize there is more than wine, women and song.”

After the meeting and dinner, Shlock Rock was scheduled to bring its unique twist on popular music to the stage at 7:30 p.m.

“Shlock is Yiddish for second hand,” said lead singer and keyboardist Lenny Solomon.

He said the band changes the words of popular songs to create Jewish messages. The band also writes its own rock, rap and reggae music.

With 21 albums and more than 20 years under its belt, the band has spread its messages worldwide.

“It crosses denomination, reaches out to all Jews and all people,” Solomon said.

Wolf said this was the first event of the year for Jewish students from different parts of the state to get together and celebrate.

“It’s a good opportunity,” said Jonathan Gritz, ISU freshman in construction engineering. “There isn’t a huge Jewish community in Iowa.”