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Shabbat Doesn’t Need a Spectacle — It Needs a Table
The Western Wall and Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.
This fall, a group of organizers in New York are planning to break a world record: 3,000 guests gathered at the Javits Center for what they hope will be the largest Shabbat dinner ever held.
The event, dubbed The Big Shabbat, promises grandeur — a reproduction of Jerusalem’s Western Wall for participants to place written prayers, clergy-led blessings from partner synagogues, a raffle for a free trip to Israel (where the raffle winner will deliver the notes), and a lineup of unnamed “celebrities” and “wow moments.”
The goal, organizers say, is to send a message of unity, joy, and Jewish pride in a time of fear and uncertainty. With antisemitism on the rise and Jewish identity under pressure, it makes sense to want to create something big, bold, and inspiring.
But there’s something deeply gauche about trying to put New York’s Jewish community into the Guinness Book of World Records in the name of Shabbat.
Shabbat isn’t a marketing stunt. It’s a spiritual inheritance — one of Judaism’s oldest, most intimate, and most consistent rituals. Shabbat doesn’t need to be performed. It needs to be practiced.
“With every passing week, it is more and more important that Jewish people feel they have common spaces to come together over the aspects of our culture that unify us,” said food writer Sara Sussman, one of the voices supporting the event. “Shabbat dinner for the initiated is a huge source of comfort and succor and joy.” She’s absolutely right — and that is precisely why we must treat Shabbat not as spectacle, but as sacred.
Shabbat’s power is not found in “wow moments” or celebrity appearances. It doesn’t need a stage or a spotlight. What it needs is a table — a place to pause, to reconnect, and to belong. For millennia, Shabbat dinner has been the bedrock of Jewish continuity. The candles, the challah, the singing, the blessings — these weren’t one-off extravaganzas. They were weekly rituals, lovingly repeated across generations and geography. They formed a rhythm. They created memory.
Even the more well-meaning elements of The Big Shabbat risk missing the mark. The organizers plan to distribute a “Shabbat Box” to guests — a curated kit to help them recreate the evening at home. The intention is good. But it’s easy to imagine how quickly this could feel more like promotional swag than a spiritual tool. Boxes don’t build tradition. People do — around shared meals, in quiet rituals, week after week.
If we truly care about Jewish continuity, let’s invest not in one-time performances, but in helping Jews across the country build lasting habits. Support families who want to host Shabbat but don’t know how. Help synagogues create regular community dinners, especially for the unaffiliated or disconnected. Offer Jewish students the resources to invite friends into Friday night rituals. Train lay leaders to be Shabbat hosts in their neighborhoods and campuses. These efforts may not go viral — but they go deep. That’s what endures, and that is what we as a Jewish community should be championing.
To be fair, public Jewish events can play a role — especially in times of fear, where simply showing up as a Jew in a shared space carries weight. A well-executed event may spark curiosity or make someone feel less alone. But we confuse visibility with vitality at our peril. A convention center packed with Jews isn’t a sign of religious health if it’s detached from actual, weekly Jewish living.
Israel offers a compelling contrast. There, Shabbat dinner isn’t an event. It’s a norm. It’s woven into the rhythms of life across secular and religious lines alike. You don’t need to be observant to participate — you just need to show up. There’s no celebrity necessary. The invitation is enough. The expectation is cultural. That’s the model we should be following: a culture of inclusion, not illusion.
There’s another concern, too. When we reproduce the sacred — such as a replica of the Western Wall — and pair it with a raffle and a prize trip, we risk turning a place of personal prayer into something gimmicky. The Kotel is sacred because generations have wept and whispered there. Because people arrive on their own terms, in search of something larger than themselves. Sacredness can’t be manufactured. Awe doesn’t come with a promotional hashtag.
The deeper risk is that efforts like this condition younger Jews to associate Jewish life with one-off “experiences,” rather than embedded practices. The future of Jewish identity won’t be secured by intermittent inspiration. It will be sustained by reliable community — by rituals that are passed on, taken up, and made one’s own.
Let’s imagine a different kind of investment. What if the dollars and energy being poured into a one-night dinner went instead toward seeding thousands of Shabbat tables across New York — and beyond? Tables in homes, in synagogues, in Hillels and Moishe Houses, in college apartments and empty-nester kitchens. Tables where children learn the blessings, where friends sing together off-key, where newcomers feel welcome, and where candles are lit not for the camera, but for memory.
As groups like One Table already know, Shabbat doesn’t need to be made spectacular. It already is — in its simplicity, its beauty, its weekly return. What it needs now is not more wow. It needs more why. It needs more who. And it needs more homes, families, and communities committed to doing the work of continuity — not as a one-night statement, but as a lifelong rhythm.
Our task is not to break records; it’s to break bread.
Samuel J. Abrams is a professor of politics at Sarah Lawrence College, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, and a scholar with the Sutherland Institute.
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Police in England Investigate Air Rifle Attack Against Jewish Teenager, Swastika Spray Painted at Rabbi’s Home
Friday night saw a string of swastika vandalism resulting in four reports, including from Rabbi Bentzion Alperowitz, a Chabad leader who discovered the Nazi symbol spray painted in black on his home’s white wall as he left for synagogue the next morning with his two young daughters. Photo: Screenshot
Multiple antisemitic incidents reported this past weekend targeted the Jewish community of Bournemouth in the southern region on the coast of the United Kingdom.
On Saturday afternoon, a driver stopped to harass and yell obscenities at two pedestrians before shooting one, a Jewish teenage boy, in the forehead with an air rifle and fleeing. The victim suffered swelling but has otherwise recovered.
“Detectives are leading the investigation to locate the occupants of the vehicle and to establish the full circumstances of the incident,” a spokesman for Dorset Police said. “The incident is being treated as a hate crime. Officers are engaging with the local community and carrying out patrols in the area. We would encourage anyone with information or concerns to please speak with an officer.”
Rabbi Alan Lewis, who leads the Bournemouth Hebrew Congregation, said that “the young man who was shot is a religious Jew who was wearing a skull cap. It was very obvious he was Jewish. Then several people living on Manor Road woke up to find that swastikas had been painted on their homes. The homes had a mezuzah outside, so it was obvious that Jewish people lived there.”
Friday night saw a string of swastika vandalism resulting in four reports, including from Rabbi Bentzion Alperowitz, a Chabad leader who discovered the Nazi symbol spray painted in black on his home’s white wall as he left for synagogue the next morning with his two young daughters.
“We will continue to live as proud Jews here in Bournemouth … I want to encourage everyone to do exactly the same,” Alperowitz said. “This is not the Bournemouth I know. Bournemouth is a kind, beautiful place and I feel this is still the truth for the vast majority of people here.”
Other members of the Jewish community came to assist the rabbi with removing the graffiti.
“[The] good news is that by the time you’re watching this video our wall will have been cleaned, thanks to some amazing people from the community, who came around to help clean it,” Alperowitz said.
Author Dov Forman wrote that “on Saturday morning, my friend Rabbi Benzion Alperowitz of Bournemouth Chabad walked outside to find a swastika on his home. Antisemitism is alive on our streets, yet it is too often excused and ignored. But it will not break us. We will continue to live proudly as Jews.”
Law enforcement has reportedly stepped up patrols in the town’s Jewish neighborhoods which include an estimated 2,000 people.
On Monday, the Community Security Trust (CST), an organization focused on monitoring antisemitic threats in the UK, released a statement saying that it was “appalled by a series of anti-Jewish hate crimes in Bournemouth over the weekend. These are abhorrent acts of racism that are deeply distressing for the Jewish community and should alarm everybody. We are supporting the local Jewish community and working with Dorset Police to assist their investigation. We urge anyone with information about these incidents to contact the police and CST.”
CST released a report of antisemitic incidents in the UK during 2024, finding 3,528 — the second highest ever — showing an 18-percent decrease from the all-time high of 4,296 in 2023.
Earlier this month, CST released a separate report noting the group recorded 1,521 antisemitic incidents in the UK from January to June of this year. It marks the second-highest total of incidents ever recorded by CST in the first six months of any year, following the first half of 2024 in which 2,019 antisemitic incidents were recorded in the aftermath of the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, terror attack on Israel.
“These hateful attacks on people and property in Bournemouth are extremely concerning. We have been informed that the police are investigating and hope that the perpetrators will be arrested and face the full force of the law,” Andrew Gilbert, vice president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, said in a statement.
Maurice Michaels, who served as rabbi at Bournemouth Reform Synagogue, said that the community felt “very pressurized and anxious.” He added, “We’re getting terrified calls from people across the UK asking, ‘Is this really happening in Bournemouth?’ I’d never go out wearing my usual skull cap, I don’t show outward signs of being Jewish. I know community members who have even removed their mezuzah from their front door.”
Michaels described the antisemitic crimes as “a measure of what’s going on across the country, demonstrations where people cover their faces. They don’t want to be recognized because they know what they’re doing is wrong. We do the best we can to secure our safety. But when people attack our homes, when they shoot pellets — it gets to a point where it’s no longer a manageable situation. We’re frightened.”
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DNC Rejects Resolution Calling for US Arms Embargo on Israel
Ken Martin, chair of the Democratic National Committee, speaks during an interview on party strategy. Photo: Screenshot
The Democratic National Committee (DNC) on Tuesday rejected efforts by the party’s progressive wing to push through an arms embargo on Israel, instead opting to form a task force aimed at addressing internal party divides over the war in Gaza.
A resolution backed by activists on the far left sought to suspend US military aid and halt arms transfers to Israel, a move critics warned would punish a key ally at a time when it faces existential threats from Hamas and other terrorist groups. The resolution also notably did not mention Hamas, which has ruled Gaza for nearly two decades and started the war with its Oct. 7, 2023, invasion of and massacre across southern Israel. The measure was decisively voted down in the resolutions committee.
Party leaders then advanced a more moderate resolution that underscored support for Israel’s security while calling for increased humanitarian access to Gaza, the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas, and progress toward a two-state solution to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Although the resolution passed in committee, DNC chair Ken Martin withdrew it amid concerns it could further inflame divisions within the party.
“There’s a divide in our party on this issue,” Martin said, “This is a moment that calls for shared dialogue, calls for shared advocacy.”
For many Jewish Democrats and pro-Israel voices, the rejection of the arms embargo resolution was a relief. They argued that weakening Israel’s ability to defend itself would embolden Hamas and Iran-backed groups that openly seek Israel’s destruction.
“Today, the Democratic Party sent a clear and resounding message by defeating a reckless and divisive resolution: we stand with the people of Israel and will continue to do so. For more than 75 years, the U.S.–Israel relationship has been strong because it’s grounded in shared values and mutual security interests,” Democratic Majority for Israel (DMFI) president and CEO Brian Romick said in a statement.
“In this critical moment, Democrats stood firm, rejected this dangerous effort, and sent a message that they remain united in our commitment to Israel’s security and our long-standing alliance,” Romick continued.
Although many within the Democratic party’s progressive flank expressed disappointment, moderates stressed that the party cannot afford to abandon a fellow democracy and strategic ally in the Middle East, particularly as Israel continues to face security threats on multiple fronts.
While the task force is expected to revisit the issue, Tuesday’s outcome underscored the DNC’s reluctance to embrace rhetoric that could be perceived as anti-Israel. With the 2026 midterm elections approaching, leaders hope the party can avoid alienating key constituencies, including anti-Israel activists on the far left, while maintaining its commitment to Israel’s security and a two-state solution.
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Top Democrat Adam Smith Calls for ‘Leveraging’ Arms Sales to Israel
US Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA), ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, speaks during a virtual interview from his office. Photo: Screenshot
US Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA), the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, has called on the Trump administration to consider halting certain offensive weapons sales to Israel in order to pressure its government to change course in the war in Gaza.
In a sweeping statement on Tuesday, the Washington Democrat said Israel must “implement a ceasefire in Gaza and massively increase the flow of humanitarian aid,” halt settlement expansion in the West Bank, and take “serious steps to reduce the violence there.”
“If Israel does not take these steps, I believe it is time for the United States government to stop the sale of some offensive weapons systems to Israel as leverage to pressure Israel into taking these actions,” Smith said.
While affirming his support for Israel and its right to defend itself, Smith argued that Israel’s military campaign has reached diminishing returns against the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas after months of fighting.
“Right now, it is impossible to see how further military action in Gaza could degrade Hamas’s capabilities to any appreciable degree further than what has already occurred,” he said. “Six months of war since the end of the last ceasefire has done nothing to bring the hostages home.”
Smith acknowledged that he has opposed using US military assistance as leverage in the past but said shifting conditions in the Middle East, including the removal of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and setbacks for Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran, have created a moment where Israel could accept such pressure without jeopardizing its security.
“These are very positive developments that might not have happened if the US had reduced its support to Israel prior to them occurring,” Smith said. “But these developments also mean that Israel faces little if any risk to its security if the US blocks the sale of some weapons now.”
At the same time, Smith expressed concern that international criticism of Israel has too often failed to hold Hamas accountable, which he argued has encouraged the terrorist group to prolong the conflict. Still, he argued, the humanitarian situation in Gaza and the absence of a path to freeing hostages necessitates a new approach.
“It is time to pressure Hamas by working with alternative Palestinian leadership to rebuild Gaza and give the Palestinian people some hope for their future,” Smith said. “Simply continuing the war has clearly failed to completely eliminate Hamas or gain the return of the hostages. It is time to try something else.”
He also warned that Israel risks “being ostracized globally in a way that is a far greater threat to the long-term security of Israel than anything their adversaries are now capable of doing” if the war continues without an end in sight.
Smith emphasized that his criticism of Israel’s conduct should not be confused with calls to delegitimize the Jewish state. “Opposing the actions of the Israeli government in Gaza to stop the war and end the suffering of the Palestinian people is very different from opposing the Israeli government out of a desire to wipe it off the map,” he said.
The Washington Democrat’s remarks mark one of the most forceful calls yet from a senior member of Congress to use US military aid as leverage over Israel, underscoring a growing debate within the Democratic Party about Washington’s role in the conflict.
As the war in Gaza grinds on, support for the Jewish state has cratered among the Democratic base. According to recent polling, 67 percent of Democrats (compared to 14 percent of Republicans) say
that Israeli military actions in Gaza constitute either “genocide” or are “akin to genocide.” The same poll, released this week by the University of Maryland Critical Issues series, found a significant partisan divide, with 63 percent of Democrats saying the Trump administration’s policy is “too pro-Israel,” compared to 57 percent of Republicans who say it’s “about right.”