Keeping kosher for Passover is hard regardless of where you are. However, at home you have your family to buy food for you and support you. In college, everyone seems to love to serve you carbohydrates that you cannot eat for a week. Here are some helpful hints to help you keep kosher for Passover on a college campus.
1. Learn which rules to follow.
This may come as a shock, but keeping kosher for Passover means a lot more than not eating bread. There are a lot of different rules to follow. Depending on your heritage and sect of Judaism you may not be able to eat rice, corn or peanuts to name a few. Look here for a quick guide on what you can and cannot eat.
2. Learn to Appreciate Matzah.
At home you have a family to make you all of the kosher meals for Passover, but that's not going to happen on a college campus. However, most dining halls have Matzah all of the time and it is easy to keep in your dorm. You can suck it up and eat it for a week.
3. Learn Matzah recipes.
There are some creative ways to cook Matzah, even in college. Click here for some fun recipes.
4. Find the different options you have on your campus meal plan.
Although my campus does not, a lot of colleges have a dining hall that will offer kosher options for Passover. Look online for information about your specific school or ask people that work in the dining halls.
5. Look into Chabad and Hillel.
Almost every campus has a Chabad, Hillel or a similar organization. A lot of these organizations will offer kosher meals for Passover options throughout the week. Even if they don't, they probably have other tips for you.
6. Find out what else is around you.
If you go to school in a big metropolitan area, or even if you do not, there is probably a restaurant nearby that will cook kosher food for Passover.
7. Learn to eat healthier for a week.
I swear, this one is not as bad as it sounds. I imagine your diet consists of pizza and bread. But for a week try to eat more salads and grilled chicken at the dining hall.
8. Introduce your friends to Passover.
One of the hardest parts of keeping kosher for Passover is being around people who are eating everything you can't. This is difficult in college because most people do not know what Passover is or what you can and cannot eat. If you educate your friends about Passover, it might make them try new foods and help you keep kosher.
9. Tell your family about your struggles.
Nothing beats Grandma's Matzah ball soup or Kugel. If you tell your family you're struggling to find food to eat, more than likely they will send you some food. If yo Jewish family is good for anything, they are good for sending you food.
10. Find a friend with a kitchen.
Chances are in your dorm, you don't have a kitchen. If that's the case then find a friend with one and use theirs to cook your Matzi Bri and Matzah pizza.
11. Go home for the week.
This isn't feasible for everyone, but, if you can, go home for a few days over Passover to get some food. And celebrate with your family of course.
12. Find which brands of alcohol are kosher for Passover.
If you are serious about keeping kosher for Passover, this is important to know and easily overlooked. However, it is very important in college. Click here to find out what you can drink besides Manichevitz.
13. Pick and choose which rules you follow.
As previously stated, there are a lot of rules you can follow for Passover. Depending on how religious you are, you may be able to choose to not keep kosher for Passover at all or follow certain rules. If cutting out bread means a lot to you, then do that. Picking and choosing which Kashrut rules to follow can be a lot more meaningful than not eating anything.
