You belong here — no prior Jewish practice or knowledge required.

OneTable meets young adults (21-39ish) where they are as they create a Shabbat experience that is meaningful, inclusive, and authentic. People from all backgrounds are welcome to bring a Shabbat dinner practice into their lives. We empower the creation of community around the table using the ancient wisdom and knowledge of Shabbat.

OneTable’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Goals

In the summer of 2020, OneTable began a rigorous diversity, equity, and inclusion audit and education series. We hired Franny Silverman and Imani Chapman to conduct internal training, as well as focus groups and surveys of our board, staff, and participants.

As a part of this ongoing work, we formed an internal Change Team to keep driving the organization forward in these areas. The following list of OneTable’s DEIB Goals represents the beginning of a new chapter in the organization’s intentional Belonging work.

We’ve presented them rooted in our Core Organizational Values to demonstrate how they are woven into our identity as an organization.

Joy (Oneg)

Shabbat is a weekly opportunity to create and share joy. OneTable’s DEIB work is rooted in joy – the joyful expression of one’s full self, the joy of authentic community, and the joy of Shabbat being entirely custom to you.

  • With that in mind, OneTable strives to be an organization that reflects the rich diversity of the Jewish community (and beyond) both internally on our staff and externally with our hosts, guests, partners, donors, and board members.

Welcoming (Hachnasat Orchim)

We express radical hospitality, welcoming guests or graciously being welcomed while honoring the essential value in all human beings (kavod ha’briot). OneTable aims to be and feel accessible, approachable, and welcoming to everyone we serve.

  • We work with open communication, transparency, and regularly solicit direct feedback from our communities. It also means that we approach our shortcomings with humility and curiosity, discovering how they might be opportunities for growth.
  • OneTable will honor the power of and need to create and support affinity spaces and spaces for historically excluded identity-based groups on the OneTable platform and internally on the staff.
  • OneTable proactively works against racism in our communities by providing staff with education and tools to serve as stronger allies, prioritizing increased diversity across our participant-base (setting measurable goals), and creating opportunities for emerging and existent leaders from a spectrum of backgrounds and communities to actively engage in our work.

Elevation (Kedushah)

Shabbat is an invitation to explore holiness, a sense of “sacred Otherness” by elevating time, space, food, and relationships. We balance established custom (kevah) and personal intention (kavanah) to welcome the weekend with an ever-evolving practice and experience of ritual.

  • OneTable will create a collective of “OneTable Voices,” people who represent the organization through our resources and events. These individuals will come from a broad range of social identities with the goal of all potential OneTable participants being able to see themselves reflected in our work without tokenizing individual identities.
  • OneTable’s mission, branded language, and external communications reflect authenticity, inclusivity, and openness.
  • OneTable’s staff leads with curiosity and knows that in order to be the best organization we can be, we need to ensure voices are heard equitably across all teams. Our goal is to uplift historically excluded voices across the organization, ensure low barriers to asking tough questions, and consistently iterating on OneTable’s understanding of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.

Questions? Thoughts? Comments? Email us: hello@onetable.org