Chicago, welcome your new Field Manager: Julia Logan!
Julia Logan is thrilled to be joining OneTable as the new Chicago Field Manager, helping the incredible Chicago community celebrate Shabbat dinners with intention.
Julia’s path to OneTable started with a OneTable dinner she attended as a guest when she was looking to build community after she first moved back to Chicago (she grew up in the northern ‘burbs, journeyed to upstate New York for college, studied abroad and then taught English in Spain, moved to rural Indiana to work in admissions at Earlham College, then back to Chicago to work at two job training nonprofits called Genesys Works and re:work training before joining the OneTable team).
She so appreciated the openness in which she was invited into a stranger’s home, which she can’t wait to magnify for others because it brought such meaning and added more depth to her own life.
What does Shabbat dinner mean to you?
Shabbat dinner means time to pause; time to gather with loved ones, friends – new and old. To quote Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, Shabbat is a time to, “share in what is eternal in time, to turn from the results of creation to the mystery of creation; from the world of creation to the creation of the world.” For me, this means slowing down, sharing what you’re grateful for, and gathering for an intentional, delicious meal.
What one food are you bringing to a deserted island?
Granny Smith Apples – crunchy, sweet, tart. Perfection.
What’re you most looking forward to doing in your new role?
I’m most looking forward to engaging with our hosts and learning more about their journeys to Shabbat dinner. We all have different paths, it’s a joy to share in this meaningful practice with you!
What’s your favorite ritual and why?
It is a Logan family ritual to roll down the windows in the car as soon as we pull onto the road that leads to our family’s cottage. This brings the wonderful smells of northwest Michigan and calls for a restorative deep breath in and a deep breath out.
Favorite challah, and can you bake it?
I make a challah from the cookbook Modern Jewish Cooking. I bake it most Friday afternoons – just in time for Shabbat dinner!
