ShabbatShabbat is the Sabbath day, the Day of Rest, and is observed from Friday night through Saturday night. Is set aside from the rest of the week both in honor of the fact that God rested on the seventh day after creating the world. On Shabbat, many Jews observe prohibitions from various activities designated as work. Shabbat is traditionally observed with festive meals, wine, challah, prayers, the reading and studying of Torah, conjugal relations, family time, and time with friends. offers the perfect time to reflect about the larger issues in our lives and the lives of our neighbors. Through our campaign, Turn the Tables, Repair the World is working to build upon Shabbat’s ritual base to add an additional level of significance. Our Turn the Tables dinners – special meals hosted and attended by individuals across the country (hint: YOU!) – carve out time to raise complex issues that challenge our vision of a just society.
APPETIZER: OPENING ACTIVITY
A NEIGHBORHOOD IS…
Items Needed:
● “A Neighborhood Is” Name tag stickers (see printing instructions below)
● Pens/markers*
Framing:
We believe in setting intentions by imagining the world as it should be, to then meet it where it is. With our A NEIGHBORHOOD IS…activity, we ask you to begin your dinner by reflecting on what a neighborhood means to you and sharing that with others at your table.
Host Instructions:
In advance of your dinner, print the “A Neighborhood is…” stickers onto 3 ⅓“ x 4” white shipping labels (e.g., Avery® 8164™ Labels).
At the beginning of the dinner, take a moment to pass out the “A Neighborhood Is…” stickers and pens. Ask guests to write what a neighborhood means to them and wear the sticker.
Once everyone is done writing, go around the table and ask each guest to introduce themselves by sharing their name, what brought them to this dinner, and what they wrote on their sticker.
*NOTE: Some more observant Jews refrain from writing on Shabbat and Jewish holidays. If you are hosting your dinner over a Jewish holiday meal and either you or your guests are traditionally observant, feel free to omit the writing and asking guests to answer the “A Neighborhood is” prompt outloud. Feel free to adapt any of the other activities accordingly.
Turn the Tables is a program of Repair the World.
Repair the World works to inspire American Jews and their communities to give their time and effort to the causes they are passionate about. We aim to make service a defining part of American Jewish life.
