It is not too early to take out your calendar and mark Friday, January 19, 2024, as the day you will join thousands across North America setting the table for “Shabbat of Love.”
At a time when Jewish people around the world are feeling pain, heartache, and fear, this international Shabbat is a time for healing, an evening devoted to the joy of being Jewish where everyone is encouraged to feel loved and embraced for who they are.
Organized by Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA), Shabbat of Love will be a celebration of historic proportions—the largest in North American history. It will convene Jews of all ages, backgrounds, and identities with family, friends, and allies “to experience the sacred joy of Shabbat—a celebration of Jewish light and love.”
Participants are also encouraged to engage in acts of love leading up to the evening of January 19: volunteering in their local community, writing a letter to Jewish students on campus to show support, even baking a challah to share.
Sign up now for Shabbat of Love and indicate on your registration the ways you will celebrate love in January:
• Host a Shabbat Dinner;
• Attend a Shabbat Dinner;
• Organize a communal Shabbat dinner;
• Celebrate Shabbat for the first time (or the first time in a long time!);
• Post or repost about Shabbat of Love on social media;
• Engage in acts of love;
• Nourish yourself: Take a break from social media, spend time in nature, do Jewish learning;
• Nourish others: Call your family and friends, make a donation, engage in small acts of kindness.
In partnership with OneTable, participants can sign up to host or find a Shabbat dinner. They also will receive a Shabbat Dinner Guide, with detailed guidance on following Shabbat rituals.
Now more than ever, it is a good time to join Shabbat of Love, always keeping in mind the words of Ahad Ha’am: “More than the Jewish people have kept Shabbat, Shabbat has kept the Jewish people.”