Shabbat Table

In this week's Shabbat Table, we savor red lentil soup and reflect on the story of Jacob and Esau. The Torah reminds us that Esau’s simple desire for a bowl of soup robbed him of his birthright forever, demonstrating how one must balance living in the moment with long-term consequences. We also provide some tools for discussing proposed legislation in Israel that would require the government to consult world Jewish leaders on issues affecting Diaspora Jewry. Lastly, we mark the birthday of Zionist leader Chaim Weizmann and review his central role in achieving statehood for Israel, which culminated in him becoming the new State's first President in 1948. And, we revisit the 1956 exile of Jews from Egypt shortly after Israel’s failed operation to overthrow the Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser.

In this week's Shabbat Table, we reflect on how the journey of Abraham reminds us that our goals may not be fully achieved in our lifetimes, but we must still work toward them to assure progress will continue after we are gone. We then pay tribute to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis who saw no contradiction between Zionism and American patriotism and we learn how thousands of Ethiopian Jews first landed in Israel and became an integral part of Israeli society. Lastly, we encourage families to remember the legacy of Rabbi Lord Dr. Jonathan Sacks, the beloved former Chief Rabbi of Great Britain who passed away on Shabbat last week.

In this week's Shabbat Table, we reflect on how Abraham, an obedient servant of God who spoke up when he saw injustice in God’s plans, models advocacy. As we redouble our efforts to advocate with passion for the Jewish people, Israel, and justice for all, Abraham offers an example of righteous resolve and a diplomatic pursuit of justice. We remember two dark moments in Jewish history: the Nazi pogroms against Jews in Germany, Austria and Sudetenland known as Kristallnacht; and UN Resolution 3379 that declared Zionism to be racism. Following a bitter presidential election, we reach into the AJC Archive for some inspiration and comfort. And we provide some discussion prompts for talking about the meaning of citizenship in a deeply divided country.

In this week's Shabbat Table, we ponder some of the most powerful verses in the Torah where God tells Abraham to leave his birthplace and become the father of a great nation. What can we learn from Abraham’s lonely and courageous journey? Then we pay tribute to a poet and a peacemaker. 137 years ago, Jewish poet Emma Lazarus composed “The New Colossus,” the verse inscribed on the Statute of Liberty that welcomed millions of immigrants seeking refuge in America. Then we recall the tragic circumstances behind the assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, one of the architects of the controversial Oslo Accords, who was murdered 25 years ago this week. Lastly, we provide some talking points for discussing the rise of antisemitism in America.

In this week's Shabbat Table, we discuss what lessons we can apply in 2020 from the Biblical story of Noah and the flood. We are, in many ways, different people than we were back in February before the pandemic. Can we, like Noah, accept that this experience has changed us and constructively consider what changes should be permanent and which should be overcome? We also provide some resources for discussing fault lines in the American Jewish community regarding politics and connection to Israel. Finally, we recall the day Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Egyptian Prime Minister Anwar el-Sadat won the Nobel Peace Prize for reaching the first peace agreement between Israel and an Arab nation and the day in 1939 when the Dominican Republic stepped up to accept Jewish refugees from Nazi Germany when no other nation would.

In this week's Shabbat Table, we discuss the two creation stories in the Book of Genesis and what they can teach us about valuing different perspectives. We also provide some resources for discussing Holocaust denial in light of this week’s decisions by Facebook and Twitter to ban content that denies or distorts the systemic murder of six million Jews during World War II. In addition, we share the story of how one man revived the Hebrew language as a spoken mother tongue and the historic moment when the first ordained woman rabbi became the first woman ever to offer the opening prayer before the U.S. House of Representatives.

In this week's Shabbat Table, we ponder the significance of praying for rain on the holiday of Shemini Atzeret which falls out this Shabbat. Could the prayer for rain also serve as a symbolic call for equality and justice? We also provide some resources for discussing the unrest in Brooklyn neighborhoods with large Haredi Jewish populations who now face additional regulations to control an alarming spike in Covid cases. And lastly, we go back in time to meet Mr. Biggott, the main character in a series of cartoons created by AJC in the 1930s to combat anti-immigrant sentiment.

In this week's Shabbat Table, we discuss the deeper meaning of decorating a sukkah for the holiday of Sukkot and share the amazing history of Raoul Wallenberg, a Righteous Gentile who saved thousands of Hungarian Jews in the Holocaust. We also provide some tools for discussing politicians' decisions regarding who they will or will not associate with and who they will or will not disavow, and much more. Chag sameach!

In this week's Shabbat Table, we discuss the powerful link between the Jewish concept of repentance and helping humankind make it through hard times, we share the amazing story of a group of brave young men in British Mandatory Palestine who blew the Shofar at the Kotel at the end of Yom Kippur each year, and, in memory of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, we provide some tools for discussing different methods of making societal change.

In this week's Shabbat Table, we discuss what we can learn from Abraham's trials in the Torah readings for Rosh Hashanah, the fast day that commemorates the assassination of the ancient Jewish leader Gedaliah, how to talk to your kids about taking stock of the year that was, and much more.

In this week's Shabbat Table, we discuss our responsibility to transmit Jewish peoplehood to generations to come, the anniversary of the infamous Dreyfus Affair, the beautiful music of Israeli singer Idan Raichel, how to translate our idealism about Black-Jewish relations into action, and much more.

In this week's Shabbat Table, we discuss the commandment in the Torah reading to sacrifice the first fruits of a harvest, the 75th anniversary of Bess Myerson becoming the first (and only) Jewish Miss America, how to talk to your kids about Black-Jewish relations, and much more.

In this week's Shabbat Table, we discuss the biblical commandment to remember Amalek, the 123rd anniversary of the First Zionist Congress, how to talk to your kids about being an informed and engaged American Jewish voter, and much more.

In this week's Shabbat Table, we discuss the Jewish imperative to pursue justice, the 70th anniversary of the historic Blaustein-Ben Gurion Agreement, how to talk with your kids about last week's historic announcement about the normalization of relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, and much more.

In this week's Shabbat Table, we discuss welcoming the upcoming Jewish month of Elul, remembering Menachem Begin on the 107th anniversary of his birth, how to talk to your kids about antisemitic tropes about Jews and power, and much more.

In this week's Shabbat Table, we discuss modern lessons to be learned from the story of the Golden Calf, the anniversary of Ruth Bader Ginsburg being sworn in as a Supreme Court Justice, comedian Seth Rogen's recent controversial comments about Israel, and much more.

Taking a break from our busy lives to rest and recharge has always been important. In these days when many of us are spending much of our time at home, in a time when technology has become even more critical to our ability to stay in touch with the world out there, taking some time to consciously “unplug” feels more critical than ever before. We hope AJC’s Shabbat Table will give you interesting and inspirational material to spur lively and meaningful conversations around your family’s dinner table.