Our college students were most appreciate of our visit, especially those in Tallahassee and Tampa where the Jewish population is smaller, and where they are deemed to be geographically off the beaten path, where a physical visit of someone from home is taken as a great gesture of outreach, and is appreciated. On the whole our collegians are very appreciate of what we do for them at Temple Beth Am. They love food boxes, the holiday packages, the dinner that I host for them in December during Break, and of course the tip to be with them. I hope I have laid a foundation for them to feel close to me and the Synagogue and, therefore an open connection to Judaism. It isn't easy, and it won't be easy.
College is a time of exploration, a time of freedom, a time of independence.
Interdating is rampant, and the danger of intermarriage cannot be far behind. If you have children on campus and have not yet added their college address to our mailing list, please do so. If you have ideas of how as a shul we can help even more in outreach to our collegians, please call Michele Rosen, the chairman of that committee, and share your suggestions with her. College is an important crossroad in everyone's life, too important to us as Jews to allow it to be wasted or lost. We all need to pitch in and do more to help our children not only grow intellectually, but to become more involved Jewishly.