HEY MILLENIALS, Welcome to Better Friday Nights

By Tara Dublin

It’s hard enough to get Gen Z to look up from TikTok, let alone regularly sit down to share a proper meal and interact with others.

So, imagine how much harder it might be to get younger generations of Jewish Americans to come together every Friday night for Shabbat.

Welcome to OneTable , “A better way to Friday,” shana kinder!

Taking the negativity out of your oneg, One Table is a national non-profit inspired by ancient Jewish wisdom and empowers young folks (21-39ish) to find, share, and enjoy Shabbat to make the most of their Friday nights.

By meeting in person instead of over Zoom, OneTable fosters connection for a generation of young people who are often too electronically plugged in to truly connect offline. Just this year alone, OneTable has supported 3,600 unique hosts across the country in creating nearly 20,000 dinners and 112,000 seats at the table for over 33,000 Shabbat diners.

At a OneTable Shabbat dinner, people can get together to slow down and unplug from the previous week. It’s about creating a new intention in their lives to build meaningful communities fostered by connections made in person.

Held in private homes, the dinner menus and guests may vary, but the message remains the same: everyone is welcome to join the conversation and share in the amazing meals.

OneTable takes a DIY approach to Shabbat while offering custom-tailored support, coaching, and online resources to make the Shabbat dinner ritual personally meaningful. Hosts can receive financial boosts in the form of “Nourishment Credits” if cost is an issue.

The OneTable formula is definitely having an impact across the country. A recent in-house survey of respondents said that because of OneTable:

87% find meaning in spending time with community on Shabbat.

72% say Shabbat adds a spiritual dimension to their Friday night.

65% try to pause and relax at the end of the week.

53% eel Friday night is different from the rest of the week.

If you’re interested in hosting your own OneTable Shabbat dinner, or finding one you can join in your city, please https://dinners.onetable.org/