The school year is well underway, despite the start-and-stop feeling created by the chagim. The fall is often a time when the Jewish community comes back together; old school friends are reunited, many hours are spent at shul and at Yom Tov meals, and the rest of the year is before us.

For many families, though, the start of the school year is a time when they feel disconnected from the community. These are families for whom the smiling back-to-school photo barrage on Facebook and Instagram is a painful reminder that their child is not donning a uniform or joining the neighborhood carpool this year. There are many reasons why, but it seems that every year there is a significant number of Jewish children in our community who are not attending Jewish schools.