Since launching the acclaimed Shabbat Across America Program in 1997, the National Jewish Outreach Program has brought hundreds of thousands of Jews together for an annual fun-filled Friday night event. In an unrivaled display of Jewish unity, approximately 700 synagogues across the continent simultaneously open their doors to practicing and non-practicing Jews alike, so they may join together to experience and rejoice in a traditional Shabbat service and festive meal.
Designed to teach a generation of unaffiliated Jews about the beauty and significance of the Jewish Sabbath, Shabbat Across America/Canada is the first nationally orchestrated program to appeal to members of all major Jewish denominations.
This year, the newest Shabbat Across American locations will be virtual, as NJOP turns the tables on an age-old tradition. Modeled after popular social networking sites like Facebook, SAA2.0 puts Shabbat back on the table for a community of young adults who are eager to identify with Judaism in a virtual world.
Taking advantage of the opportunities the web has to offer, SAA2.0 provides Judaism without borders to a generation that does not like to be constrained. Jews can connect to Judaism on a personal level, creating the peer-to-peer Shabbat experience they desire. Participants can enjoy the concept of Shabbat no matter their affiliation or level of knowledge and observance by becoming one of the sites “chosen people” and at the “real” Shabbat tables taken offline.
A marriage of 21st Century technology and the centuries-old tradition of Shabbat, SAA2.0 is redefining the Shabbat table and reexamining Friday night dinner.
Shabbat Across America 2.0…Premiering Friday night, March 7th
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