For 18th Annual Celebration, Shabbat Across America Comes Home on March 7
Free At Home Guide and Recipes Available to All
NEW YORK, March 6, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- This Friday, March 7, marks the 18th year for the successful Shabbat Across America and Canada program. Sponsored by NJOP (http://www.njop.org), the yearly campaign will bring together more than 45,000 Jews for a Friday night event occurring simultaneously at hundreds of locations. This year, for the first time, participants can also host their own Shabbat Across America At Home events, experiencing and sharing the beauty of Jewish traditions, community, and spiritual reflection right at home with friends and family. Events will be hosted in 44 US States and five other countries including Canada, Israel, Turkey, France, and Argentina. Participants can find locations, and add their own events, with NJOP's interactive map (http://njop.org/shabbat-across-america-at-home/).
"Shabbat Across America/Canada allows Jews--many of whom might not regularly enjoy a Shabbat experience or dinner with family or friends--to come together and enjoy great food, conversation and connections without interruption from the daily grind," said Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald, Founder and Director of NJOP. "We have more than 500 locations participating ...and this year, we are helping facilitate participation at home! Invite your friends, cook up a storm or potluck your way to the gift of a Shabbat experience."
The program has become a phenomenon that grows bigger each year, and participants are encouraged to get creative and customize experiences around themes and entertainment that are meaningful for their local communities. In 2014, thanks in part to the addition of At Home events, Shabbat celebrations will be held across a rich tapestry of community organizations, from Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, Reconstructionist, and Chabad synagogues, to college campuses, and even US military bases. In New York City, Lincoln Square Synagogue will mark the date with a special Shabbat service that includes VIP guest Paul Shaffer, the Musical Director of The Late Show With David Letterman. Also in NYC, Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun will have more than 500 participants attending their program.
For Jews who want to host their own at-home celebration it's as simple as hosting a Friday night Shabbat dinner with family, friends, and neighbors. NJOP provides the Shabbat Across America and Canada At Home Guide (http://bit.ly/1fIDFuX) and traditional Shabbat recipes from America's top chefs (such as Wolfgang Puck) (http://bit.ly/1eYdpkX) as free downloads. Prior to Shabbat, those participating at home are encouraged to share their preparation experiences through pictures and stories on social media with the hashtag #ShabbatAtHome. Since the campaign's creation in 1997, more than 900,000 Jews have participated.
ABOUT NJOP: NJOP (formerly National Jewish Outreach Program) was established in 1987 by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald in response to the spiraling losses of Jews from Jewish life due to assimilation and lack of Jewish knowledge. Through meaningful educational programming and influential social media platforms, NJOP conveys the vibrancy of Judaism to modern Jews. Over the last quarter century, NJOP has engaged more than 1,400,000 Jews in positive, joyous Jewish experiences. NJOP's renowned programs have been offered at nearly 5,000 synagogues and Jewish organizations across the nation and in 39 countries around the globe. NJOP is consistently ranked as the leader in social media, generating hundreds of thousands of daily impressions via the @JewishTweets Twitter feed and Jewish Treats blog and Facebook Page. The Jewish Treats YouTube channel boasts over one million views.
SOURCE NJOP
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