May the New Year
bring to all our friends
and family
health, joy, prosperity and
everything good in life.

Rosh Ha

ftwAorit

Steven, Merle and Michael r e-111.5
•
Band

km
Er

4

osh Hashanah

I

Care Packages

Synagogues help college students
feel included during the holidays.

4,

as anal

Leslie Spector

May the coming year be filled with
health and happiness for all our family and friends.
L'Shanah Tovah!

J N Intern

S

Arlene and Chuck Beerman

■ ar_,...iir - risaty

May the coming year be filled with
health and happiness for all our family and friends.
L'Shanah Tovah!

Jodi and Kevin Neff
Adam, Allison, Emily and Zack

May the coming year be filled with
health and happiness for all our family and friends.
VShanah Tovah!

Judy, Greg,
Alana and Megan Epstein

e

78

August 29 • 2013

•

ynagogues across Metro
Detroit are passionate about
reaching out and staying
in touch with their college students
throughout the school year. They
maintain contact by sending holiday
packages, notes from clergy and by
going to Michigan campuses to take
their students out for dinner.
Congregation Beth Shalom in Oak
Park sends packages to their college
students three times a year: Rosh
Hashanah, Chanukah and Passover.
For Rosh Hashanah, they send raisins,
honey packets and a magnet listing
the dates of various Jewish holidays in
the coming year. For Chanukah, they
send decorations, a dreidel and gelt.
They also include the blessings for
lighting the candles and a latke recipe.
For Passover, students receive a small
piece of matzah marked "You found
the afikomen" and Passover candy. All
packages include a card wishing the
student a happy holiday.
Congregation Beth Ahm in West
Bloomfield sends students three pack-
ages throughout the year at Chanukah,
Passover and Purim. The Chanukah
package contains gelt, a menorah,
candles and a dreidel. For Passover,
students receive a Haggadah, matzah
and Passover candy. The Purim pack-
age contains a hamantash and a grog-
ger. Each package includes a note from
Rabbi Steven Rubenstein.
"Thanks to the generosity of the
Charlotte and Warren Tessler Fund,
Beth Ahm is able to send holiday-
related care packages to our college
students on these holidays:' said David
Goodman, executive director.

"We have been funding the col-
lege care packages since our daughter
was a freshman at the University of
Michigan, about 20-plus years:' said
Dr. Warren Tessler of West Bloomfield.
"We would send our daughter some-
thing because she was away at school,
and we thought, 'Why don't we do this
for everyone?' This initiative main-
tains the students' connection with the
synagogue and with Judaism"
Temple Israel in West Bloomfield
sends Chanukah packages with
Starbucks gift cards, gelt and a dreidel.
For Passover, students receive an
Amazon gift card, and Temple Israel
makes a donation in the students'
honor. These packages are co-spon-
sored by temple funds and lovingly
packaged by the sisterhood. The broth-
erhood and clergy sponsor dinners for
Temple Israel's students at Michigan
State University, Western Michigan
University and the University of
Michigan.
Throughout the year, emails are sent
out about temple happenings, intern-
ship/job opportunities and Birthright
trips as well as the monthly Messenger.
Surprise study breaks also happen
throughout the year that net students
coffee gift cards. The temple also spon-
sors Shabbat dinners at Hillel for stu-
dents at MSU, U-M, Eastern Michigan
University and Western Michigan
University.
Adat Shalom Synagogue in
Farmington Hills sends pack-
ages for Chanukah and Passover. The
Chanukah package includes a gift card
to Starbucks and a letter from clergy.
For Passover, students receive lots of
Passover junk food that can't be found
on college campuses. Adat Shalom
sends an email message every once in
a while with "food for thought" from