Back to School, But Make It Jewish
Whether it’s preschool or grad school, back-to-school prep isn’t just about new pencils and fresh planners. For Jewish families, students, and seekers, this time of year brings a whole new layer of questions: How do I fit Shabbat into a school schedule? What does Jewish rhythm look like during finals week? Can I really build a meaningful Jewish life and keep up with everything else?
In this first post of a three-part series, I’m sharing real-life strategies for starting the school year with intention—from syncing your Jewish calendar to choosing snacks that actually work with kashrut (without losing your mind). Whether you’re a parent, a student, or building Jewish life from scratch as an adult, this one’s for you.
Grab your calendar, take a breath, and let’s lay a foundation that won’t burn you out by Yom Kippur.
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Join the mailing list in the right sidebar and unlock the full Back to School folder in the Resource Library—printables, planning tools, and support for raising Jewish kids or caring for your own soul on campus. You’ll also get access to
Part 3: Finding Peace in Jewish Traditions During Busy School Days! | Jewish Back-to-School Part 3
Transcript below.
Transcript:
Jewish back to school prep isn’t just about pencils and planners.
It’s about identity, rhythm, and not burning out by Yom Kippur.
Back to school season can feel like total chaos.
Whether you’re packing lunches or trying to figure out how to find Jewish community on a college campus,
if you’re raising Jewish kids or building a Jewish life as a student or young adult,
this is for you. This is part one of a three part series of practical tips from preschool to grad school. Hi, I’m Kochava and I’m a Jewish convert and the voice behind Building a Jewish Life.com.
I help people converting to Judaism and those building a Jewish life from scratch
to build a grounded, meaningful Jewish life.
Most of my work focuses on conversion, so that’s the lens I’m bringing here today.
But whether you’re raising Jewish kids without a blueprint or taking care of your own soul on campus or somewhere in between.
Today’s video is for anyone who’s trying to center Jewish life as the school year ramps up.
I have to admit I’m new to the back to school experience as an adult. This is the first fall that I’m gonna be sending my kids to school. And I know that sounds like one thing, but it’s actually something very different. For health reasons, we have been homeschooling and so my kids are going into the fourth and second grade, and I don’t know anything about school anymore.
So I began thinking about what does a Jewish life look like at “back to school” time? And I decided to share the thoughts that I was having with all of you in case it helped you too.
I think you’ll like it.
Make sure to subscribe for more real talk and real tools around Jewish life.
In this first video, we’re talking calendars, kosher snacks, dress codes, and how Shabbat can actually save your week.
No Pinterest perfect dinner required.
Want more support building a Jewish life that fits your real life?
Join my mailing list to get access to the free Resource Library that’s full of printables, trackers, workbooks,
and a bonus freebie that is gonna be added to go along with this series.
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And if you’re looking for even deeper support, my membership Bayit Builders is going to open again on August 24th, 2025.
It’s a community for conversion candidates and other Jewish seekers.
Okay? First things first. Let’s talk calendars. We have too many of them.
I know you agree.
I can already hear some of you panicking about the logistics and it’s me.
I’m just throwing stuff over here. I
fortunately and unfortunately, Jewish life thrives on rhythm.
So if you do this now, you’ll thank yourself by Sukkot, probably sooner.
So open up that school calendar now. Get down your Jewish calendar, or even better, subscribe to HebCal H-E-B-C-A-L. It’s a free thing you can add to your Google calendar. Saves my life on a weekly basis actually.
So get your planner, get your calendar, add in those breaks, early dismissals, parent teacher conferences, holidays.
Anything that’s gonna derail your week if you forget about it.
Then layer in the holidays, the synagogue services, family travel,
Whatever your family does for Jewish holidays or secular holidays.
Bonus points if you use a shared calendar between yourself and the other members of your family or household.
If you’re the student,
your move is to look at your course syllabi and a Jewish calendar, side by side. Plot out exam week, paper deadlines,
project due dates, and then layer in the holidays.
Trust me, Kol Nidre is not the time to be writing a term paper.
And if you know that certain times of year, like Elul or finals,
tend to hit you hard,
schedule in a little buffer. Make things light for yourself at that time. Do the best you can. You’ll thank yourself later.
Even better, make an all day event to remind yourself that you want this to be a time with light scheduling. That way you don’t accidentally schedule a doctor’s appointment that week.
And that buffer might also look like a mental health check-in, a therapy session, or just some extra time off technology.
You don’t need to go into the High Holidays already burned out.
And here’s your seasonal PSA:
Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur come fast. They’re a little late this year, but they’re still gonna come really fast,
like “blink and it’s here” fast. Don’t overbook yourself that week, whether with work, class, or social plans.
Future You want space to breathe, let’s give it to them.
Now the fun part: office supplies.
Jewish back to school shopping
isn’t just pencils and papers and all those office supplies that I love.
It’s also debates around Jewish modesty laws and dress codes,
kosher lunch hacks,
and figuring out what “Jewish enough” looks like in a dorm.
This is your permission slip to pack comfort food and call it a mitzvah.
Alright, once you’ve got the calendar down, it’s time for the stuff, the gear. The “why is every backpack already sticky” part of “back to school”?
If you’re navigating dress codes, and especially if you’re more observant and following certain modesty laws in your clothing.
Now is a good time to involve your kids in picking out outfits they will actually wear unless they’re wearing a uniform.
Modest doesn’t have to mean miserable.
And for those of you packing lunches and sending your kids off to public school. How are you gonna handle kashrut?
Whether it’s pre-portioned snacks or a thermos full of spaghetti?
Having a couple of go-to ideas you can pull out in a hurry will save your morning sanity.
College crew, take some time to think about your kosher setup.
Doesn’t mean building a mechitza in your mini fridge.
It just means knowing what you need.
Maybe it’s a separate set of dishes.
Maybe it’s a shelf that’s just yours.
You don’t need a full Judaica shop in your dorm room, but a few basics go a long way. A prayer book, a siddur, that you like.
Shabbat candles or electric candles you can use in their place if you’re not allowed to light candles.
And even an electric menorah that you can keep up year round if you feel a little extra.
And let’s not forget the food for the body and the soul. Snacks matter. Comfort food matters.
Whatever helps you feel rooted when everything else is chaos,
keep it on hand.
Whether that’s peanut butter pretzels, or your grandma’s lentil soup recipe. Treat it like part of your Jewish toolkit.
Now let’s talk about the weekly rhythm that saves lives: shabbat prep. Yeah, I hear you laughing,
but hear me out. If you’re doing Jewish life on top of school life,
Shabbat isn’t just tradition, it’s strategy.
Shabbat can be your family’s weekly exhale.
You don’t need a six course meal and matching napkin rings.
Light the candles. Sing one song. Let go of the Pinterest perfect Shabbat.
What if sacred rest could start with frozen pizza and grape juice? It can.
Shabbat doesn’t have to be impressive. It just has to anchor you in time and space and tradition.
Shabbat is not a test you can fail.
It’s a rhythm you get to return to.
If you’re in a household with young kids, you know that Fridays can go off the rails so fast.
So build in your transition to Shabbat earlier in the week.
Maybe you bake challah on Wednesday. Or buy it at the grocery store. That’s allowed!
Or chop veggies on Thursday night while you listen to a podcast.
Create a few “Shabbat is coming” cues.
Maybe it’s special music, a certain scent, a favorite meal
That can help everyone shift out of school and work mode and into a sacred rest.
Even 30 seconds of deep breathing before you light candles can become the pause that carries you through the week.
And if you’re on your own or with roommates,
Consider how you wanna integrate Shabbat. You don’t have to force anyone to do anything, and I’ll link above to my video about Shabbat, where I have a whole section about Shabbat and shared spaces. Like if you’re wanting to have a nice Shabbat dinner and your roommate is binging Netflix five feet away from you, there are ways we can handle this.
The short version is don’t be a jerk. I mean, that’s really what all of it can be summed up. Rabbi Hillel had my number.
Do what you need to do, but don’t try to force someone else to do what you want them to do. These are the circumstances you have right now. Maybe you’ll change those in the future, but right now this is what you’ve got and you can work with it.
And if you’re not sure how to start observing Shabbat or want a little more scaffolding for it, the Resource Library on my mailing list has a workbook called the Shabbat Menu.
It helps you build a beginner Shabbat practice by using three anchors.
One change to make your Friday night dinner nicer.
One ritual to mark the day.
And one atmosphere change to bring the Shabbat feeling home.
The Menu gives you lots of options for each of those things. That’s why I called it the menu.
You are sure to find something that works for you and your life where it is right now, not where you wish it were.
If your energy is shot by Friday, here’s the good news. Shabbat doesn’t care how fancy it looks.
Feed your soul.
Shabbat doesn’t have to be all or nothing. It’s not a pass fail course.
It’s a weekly invitation.
You can say yes to that invitation in a lot of ways as you learn to build your Shabbat practice.
And honestly, that’s a good reminder for everything Jewish during the school year. You get to build a Jewish life that fits your life right now.
Not one that makes you burn out, trying to prove something to someone. You’re building a foundation, and unless your foundation is strong, you’re gonna burn out. Start small, start sustainably, start meaningfully. Don’t just start throwing spaghetti at the wall.
Which brings us to the deeper stuff.
The back to school chaos is real, but so is your capacity to bring rhythm, care, and meaning into it.
Even if it’s just one sticky label and one candle at a time.
If you want extra support, download the free back to school resource that I’m creating from this series by joining the mailing list at Building a Jewish Life.com.
And if you’re craving a deeper support system, consider joining Bayit Builders,
My membership community for people navigating conversion, spiritual growth, or just building a Jewish life that feels like home. In part two, we’re gonna get into the emotional side of things. How to navigate being the only Jew in the room,
setting boundaries around nosy questions, and what to do when antisemitism shows up. Subscribe so you don’t miss it,
and drop a comment below if you’ve got a Jewish “back to school” tradition that keeps you grounded. I’d love to hear what works for you, and so would everyone else.
