Taste of home

One of my favorite parts of the Jewish holidays is tradition itself: Observing them similarly year after year with family.

But as a college freshman, I found myself in a predicament: I was away from home for the first time, struggling to find my place–and my people–to celebrate with. How could I keep my High Holiday traditions alive, with no one around who knew them?

Every year at the beginning of Yom Kippur, my mom motivated me by starting our day with a walk. That first year away, I felt lonely waking up on Yom Kippur morning in my dorm room alone–without her there to cheer me on and start my day on the right foot (literally).

A typical Yom Kippur day would include going to synagogue, and I wanted to try to recreate that experience at school, but I couldn’t find anywhere to do so. A part of me felt guilty, disappointing my parents by not practicing these traditions.

Back home, my family hosts an annual break-the-fast, with many of our relatives in attendance. It’s one of my favorite nights on the calendar.

On campus, it was tough knowing that the rest of my family was at my house celebrating without me, and I yearned for that familiar sense of comfort.

Instead wallowing, I decided to step outside of my comfort zone, and ask a few other students who were Jewish if they wanted to break the fast with me. I can vividly remember how nervous I was knocking on their doors. I am not someone who has an easy time putting myself out there, and for the first few weeks of school I kept to myself. After a few pep talks with myself, I gathered up the courage.

And I’m so glad I did! We ended up preparing a noodle kugel that combined all of our grandparents’ recipes into one, and we bought bagels and pizza, too.

We talked for hours about what our families do for the holidays, argued over which grandma had the best kugel recipe, and enjoyed surrounding ourselves with a sense of familiarity. In all the chaos of being a first-year college student navigating a new sense of independence, there was something very calming and special about that evening. I was bonding with people I had not known before, and we all felt more connected.

That night, I went to bed feeling more at home than I had since getting to school. In such a fast-paced environment, it’s important to find joy.

Although it didn’t feel like my family’s traditional break-the-fast, it still felt special, like we were cultivating our own new tradition.

These women became some of my closest friends at school, and together we have a new tradition: Spending Yom Kippur together.

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Are you at school, spending the High Holidays without your family?

• Go to your campus Hillel and Chabad! There are tons of events aimed specifically at freshmen, and you may even meet your new bestie.
• Create new traditions with your friends, even if it looks different than how you celebrated at home; it’s about surrounding yourself with a good community.
• Cook one of your family’s recipes. It’s a taste of home, away from home. It’s also a fun way to bond with friends!
• Don’t forget to call your family. Even a quick FaceTime can provide a sense of comfort.
• Take a moment for some personal reflection. Go for a walk, write in a journal-give yourself space to think about the themes of the High Holidays.

Sydney Steinway was a 2025 Lewis Summer Intern, and is currently a junior at The Ohio State University, pursuing a major in Strategic Communication and minor in Media Production.