Sending Sweetness to Campus: Our College Connection Rosh Hashanah Care Packages

This Rosh Hashanah, Neshamah launched something brand new. College Connection is our newest project, created to send holiday love and Jewish connection to our college students across the country. This was our kickoff, and it came together in the middle of a very busy fall. Between High Holy Days preparations, new programs, and a packed calendar, it would have been easy to wait until next year. But with the help of our key teen leaders, Mia and Ari, we made it happen and sent the love to our college students.

Each box was filled with the sights, sounds, and tastes of the season, along with something even more precious: a handwritten message from home.

What Was Inside

We wanted every box to feel like a hug from the community and a taste of the holiday all at once. Inside, our students found:

A mezuzah, so they could mark their dorm or apartment doorway as a Jewish home. 

A toy shofar, a playful reminder of the sound that wakes up our souls every Rosh Hashanah. 

Apples and honey, the classic symbol of our hope for a sweet new year. 

Lots and lots of sweets, because a sweet year deserves a generous start. 

And a handwritten message from their own families, words of love and blessing written just for them.

That last piece is what made these boxes truly one of a kind. A candy bar is nice. A note from your grandmother telling you how proud she is? That’s something you keep.

Packed with Love by Our Teens

Mia and Ari packed every one of these boxes by hand. They sorted, counted, arranged, and carefully tucked in each family’s handwritten message so that every box arrived just right. There’s something beautiful about younger members of our community sending love to the students who came before them. Mia and Ari, thank you. You turned a stack of empty boxes into something our college students will remember for a long time.

What Our Students Told Us

The responses have filled my heart.

One student told us she keeps her care package on her desk. It’s right there where she studies, a daily reminder that she has a community rooting for her and a tradition that travels with her wherever she goes.

Another student shared that it was really meaningful to proudly hang his very first mezuzah. 

I can’t tell you how much that one moved me. Hanging a mezuzah is a declaration: this space is mine, and I bring my Jewish identity into it. 

College is an important milestone, and I’m honored that Neshamah got to be part of it.

Why This Matters

The college years are a time of enormous growth and independence. They can also be a time when Jewish connection quietly slips away. There’s no family Rosh Hashanah dinner down the hall. No familiar sanctuary. No one reminding you that the holidays are coming.

College Connection exists so our students never feel forgotten. A care package won’t replace being home for the holidays, but it can say, loud and clear, “You belong to us. You belong to this tradition. And we’re thinking of you.”

Thank You to Our Parents and Grandparents

This project happened because of our parents and grandparents, and I am so deeply grateful. So many of you invested generously in College Connection. You made sure our kids and grandkids felt loved from hundreds of miles away.

What you gave was more than a box of goodies. You sent love and Jewish connection straight to campus. You gave a young person a mezuzah to hang, a shofar to blow, and a reminder that their family and their community are always with them.

That is what Neshamah is about. We believe Jewish life should meet people where they are, and sometimes where they are is a dorm room in another state.

Coming Next: Hanukkah

The sweetness doesn’t stop here. College Connection boxes will be heading out again in December for Hanukkah, bringing a little light to campus just in time for finals.

If you have a college student in your family and would like them included, sign them up on our College Connection page. We’d love to add them to the list, and it’s a wonderful chance to write another handwritten note from home. And to our students: we’re so proud of you. Keep that mezuzah up, keep that shofar handy, and watch your mailbox in December.

With love and blessings,

Rabbi Amy