Together at the Table
Grassroots Shabbat dinners celebrating unity and diversity in the face of fear and division.
You are not alone.
Gather people in your communities for a Together at the Table dinner to engage in constructive dialogue during a meaningful dinner. Shabbat is an opportunity to be in community, learn from and with one another, and begin to heal. Use the resources on this page to come together at your table. If you’re not yet a host, apply to host a dinner to pause and discuss.
Based on needs expressed by you and other OneTable users following October 7, 2023, we collected these resources. We will keep updating them as your needs change. OneTable curated resources to share many perspectives and the opinions expressed are those of the authors.
Gather
- Let Us Light Candles for Peace (Tamar Elad-Appelbaum and Sheikha Ibtisam Maḥameed)
- A Prayer for Israel in this Time of War (Rabbi Naomi Levy)
- The Simchat Torah of Sadness (Rabbi Eric Cytryn)
- Songs for Times of Distress (Rising Song Institute)
- For Times of Distress: Prayers for Israel, Israeli Soldiers, and Those in Captivity (Sefaria)
Learn + Reflect
- Why Be Jewish in a Time of Crisis (OneTable)
- Wellness Resources for the Situation in Israel (The Blue Dove Foundation)
- Taking Care of Yourself is a Mitzvah (Hey Alma)
- Rest Worksheet (R&R: The Rest of Our Lives)
- How to Protect Your Body from Social Media Stress (Greater Good Magazine)
Take Action
- 10 Ways to Have Conscientious Conversations on the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (ADL)
- Kidnapped from Israel (Public Artwork Initiative)
- #BlueRibbonsforIsrael (Global Solidarity Campaign)
- Donate to Humanitarian Aid (OLAM + SID-Israel)
- Save an Empty Seat at Shabbat (National Council of Jewish Women)
- Onward Volunteer Program in Israel (Taglit-Birthright Israel)
- Empty Shabbat Table Project (Darkenu)
Why Be Jewish in a Time of Crisis?
Download this guide to focus on elevating learning and ritual, and to imbue even the most challenging moments with Jewish meaning. There will be as many answers to “Why Be Jewish?” as there are guests, and that’s exactly as it should be. Our strength, as individuals and as a Jewish community, is in our willingness to ask the question.
Together at the Table Shabbat Guide
Download this guide with the Shabbat blessings, education, readings, and discussion prompts to help you come together at the table with the people and issues, including responding to antisemitism, that you care about.
Tunes for Togetherness Playlist
Songs for healing, coming together, and tuning in to the feelings flowing through us in this moment. Play this while you’re prepping for Shabbat, or anytime you want to tap into the restorative power of music.
Stories for the Sake of Argument
We know it can be challenging to talk to each other about Israel, so check out Stories for the Sake of Argument by Abi Dauber Sterne and Robbie Gringras and this resource to lead an argument with a group and bring this conversation to your Shabbat table.
Repair the World's Guide to Respectful Conversations
Use this guide to help create a space in which individuals can express and listen to each other’s lived experiences. These suggestions can facilitate the conversation into a larger communal narrative.
More Resources for Your Together at the Table Shabbat
OneTable compiled these resources for reference and the opinions expressed are those of the authors. Email our partnerships team to suggest your organization’s resources for our library.
Read Jewish Authors
In June 2021, @kaylareadsbooks on Instagram, encouraged her followers to set aside the time, be thoughtful about book choices, and read from a selection of by Jewish authors.
Reflection by Boaz Munro
In Boaz Munro’s letter, “Your Jewish Friends Are Terrified by Your Silence,” he shares a personal reflection of his family’s story and challenges others to speak up in response to antisemitic violence.
Reflections from OneTable's Rabbi
Rabbi Jessica Minnen writes, “To live justly is to continue to do both kinds of work, to build love and kindness in ways that are connected to our past and committed to our future.”
How Shabbat Dinners Transformed a White Nationalist
In an excerpt of an interview from On Being with Krista Tippet, Derek and Matthew discuss how a Shabbat dinner in college helped them meet and interact with people who share different views and opinions.
The Issue Is Not "The Issues"
Zohar Raviv shares that educators and everyone should reflect together on how, not what, people think to lead to effective and meaningful dialogue.
Resources from Jewish Education Project
While this guide was developed in response to the tragedy at Tree of Life, the Jewish Education Project has added resources as, unfortunately, the list of hate crimes in Jewish and other communities continues to grow.
We All Belong: A Letter in Response
On August 15, 2017, OneTable CEO Aliza Kline invited everyone to join Together at the Table in response to antisemitism. Avigayil was one of many to share the movement and her passion stands out to us years later.
Charting a New Course
Read Craig Cohen’s post on 18Doors, a community for interfaith families, about his experience of antisemitism and how it caused him to think about the words we use, the way we speak, and how we greet strangers.
Human Dignity in a Time of Crisis
The Conservative Yeshiva is a diverse, egalitarian, and engaging learning community in the heart of Jerusalem. This text source sheet from them can help guide your conversations.
History of Together at the Table
In August 2017, we first came together to mobilize a grassroots movement of Shabbat dinners across the country dedicated to celebrating diversity, equality, and inclusion in the face of fear, division, and hate following the horrors that took place in Charlottesville, Virginia. It was hard to put into words how many of us felt following a weekend in which we witnessed white supremacists and neo-nazis marching openly in America, leaving violence and tragedy in their wake.
Unfortunately, since that time, we’ve had to respond to the horrific events in many other communities from the tragic shootings in Pittsburgh and Poway to the recent acts of violence.
Regardless of where we each stand politically, we can all agree: hatred, bigotry, and violence cannot be tolerated in our communities. When our values are threatened in this way, we raise our voices and rise up, not just in opposition, but in unity.
See all of the partners that have joined OneTable for Together at the Table since 2017.
2019 Guide
Created in partnership with the ADL, Be’chol Lashon, Keshet, and Repair the World in response to the horrific shooting in Poway on April 27, 2019.
2018 Guide
Created in partnership with the ADL, Be’chol Lashon, Keshet, and Repair the World in response to the tragic shooting at Tree of Life on October 27, 2018.
2017 Guide
Created in partnership with Repair the World in response to the horrors that took place in Charlottesville on August 12, 2017.