Questions to Ask Before Choosing a University for Your Child

• Is there a Heshe & Harriet Seif Jewish Learning Initiative on Campus (JLIC) couple on campus?
• Is there an active Hillel or Chabad house on campus?

• Does the campus have a kosher meal plan under reliable supervision?

• Does the university provide alternative arrangements for tests offered
on Jewish holidays?

• Is it possible to enter the student dormitories on Shabbat or yom tov
without violating halachah?

• Is there an Orthodox prayer service on Shabbat on campus?

• Is there a Shabbat atmosphere on campus throughout the entire Shabbat day?

• Is there a minyan for each of the three daily prayers?

• Is there an Orthodox rabbi on campus? Is he there full time?

• Is your child likely to feel more comfortable on a campus with a small, close-knit Orthodox community; a medium-size Orthodox community (about 100 students) or a large Orthodox community of several hundred students?

• What is your child’s motivation for choosing the campus under consideration?

• Is your child leaving home with a positive attitude towards Judaism and religious observance?

Rabbi Menachem Schrader is the founding director of the Heshe & Harriet Seif Jewish Learning Initiative on Campus. In addition, Rabbi Schrader serves as the director of overseas programs for Nishmat and as the rabbi of Congregation Tiferet Avot in Efrat, Israel. He has semichah from Yeshiva University and an MA in history from New York University. He resides in Efrat with his family.