Summer vacation is meant to be exciting, but it can present a challenge if you only came to discover the joys of Jewish communities while on campus.
This summer, to avoid spiritual dryness, make an effort to stay actively involved in Jewish life. Check out these suggestions to help you stay focused on your faith.
1. Keep in touch!
It’s important to continually surround yourself with people who lift you up and share your beliefs, so don’t forget about your school friends. Try giving them a call or arranging a Skype meeting. An occasional comment on their Facebook status doesn’t count!
You can also plan a weekend trip together in advance. Make some foods for Shabbat and attend a service, if possible. Recite prayers together and spend your weekend catching up. I made sure I kept in touch with a good friend of mine, and during an online chat he told me he had a summer job at Hydroworx, doing lots of sports fitness therapy. They work with some pretty famous athletes, including Washington quarterback Robert Griffin III. RGIII happened to be making an appearance at one of their events and my friend invited me to come along and meet him. Now that’s a memory that I wouldn’t have gotten without keeping in touch!
When you stay in touch with your school friends, not only will you maintain your spirits, but you’ll come back to school as if you never said goodbye.
2. Start or join a book club
Make a summer reading list of Jewish literature or books by Jewish authors and, if you can, start a book club with your friends, family or local synagogue. Analyzing them will keep you focused on faith and help you grow spiritually.
If you’re unable to start one, Hillel International has recently created an online book club, and if you’d rather stick to your own pace, then make a goal to read a certain number of books before the summer ends.
Here’s a helpful tip I learned: Set a reading goal and make it public. When I told my friends I had a goal to read 10 books by September, I was much more likely to stick to it than if I just set the goal in my head. Whenever I felt like slacking off I’d think of how it would be to tell people I didn’t reach my goal.
3. Find an online forum
Online forums are great places to exchange interesting ideas on beliefs, history and modern-day conflicts, and you can do it all from the comfort of your own home. Try joining a Jewish online forum and participating in various discussions, and if you can’t find one that interests you, start one of your own.
You can be anonymous if you’d like, so if you have certain questions or topics on your mind, then don’t hesitate to bring them up. Others might be searching for the same answers, or you might find that people are going through the same things as you are. I found it was a great way to talk about Jewish literature and was glad to talk to people with similar tastes.
4. Explore new kosher recipes
I always wanted to try new recipes at school, but I just didn’t have the time. When I thought about taking an hour to try something new, there were thoughts of “if this tastes nasty, I’m out of luck.” Summer vacation puts a lot of free time in your hands. When you have a rainy day, try out some new kosher recipes. You can go by the book or experiment a little and create something different. And if it doesn’t work out, you now have back-up options that don’t involve scraping together a meal from 5 different vending machine items.
If it tastes fantastic, share the recipe with your friends and family or at community events. That will also give you another chance to stay in touch with people you love.
5. Meet new people!
Take advantage of your time off to travel, get a job, join a local sports team or make trips to attend Jewish community events. You’ll meet many new people this way, maybe even some who share you beliefs.
Don’t let the excuse of “it’s too far” hold you back. Even if you have to drive a bit to reach a Jewish event, in the end it’ll be worth it because you’ll feel spiritually fulfilled.
Don’t forget to relax
Throughout all this summer fun, it’s important that you take a few days for yourself once in a while to just unwind and reflect. I spent a summer trying to cram TOO much in and found that I was burnt out when it was time to go back to school. Find a quiet place, recite a prayer, and think about your spiritual self-identity. Finding the right balance between activity and relaxing is important.
You can stay invested in Jewish life this summer, all it takes is a bit of effort!
Ed Mighell is a student at Rasmussen College (FL).
