OneTable is bringing easy and accessible Shabbat dinners back to Pittsburgh
“Friday night is a night to gather,” Jordan Wright of OneTable said. “It’s a reason to get together with other Jewish people.”
OneTable’s mission is to make hosting a Shabbat dinner manageable and affordable for young adults who might not have the capability otherwise. And it’s bringing that mission to Pittsburgh.
Launched in 2014, OneTable provides resources to hosts and guests to create an accessible Shabbat dinner experience.
A typical Shabbat dinner has various components — including traditional food and rituals — that may seem daunting to some would-be young adult hosts. OneTable is geared toward people in their 20s and 30s.
“Shabbat comes every week, and it’s something that anyone can do, no matter what level of Jewishness, no matter how much you practice,” said Jordan Wright, OneTable’s Pittsburgh and Cincinnati, Ohio, field manager. “Shabbat is always there.”
To that end, OneTable, in collaboration with the JCC, is hosting a communitywide Shabbat dinner on June 27. The theme of the dinner is BYOB — bring your own board game. Wright wants this event to be accessible to any young adult in the Pittsburgh area. The evening will be a chance to mingle, play board games and participate in Shabbat rituals led by Rabbi Hindy Finman, the JCC’s senior director of Jewish life.
Along with board games, there will be a summer barbeque, mocktails and cocktails. Finman said the event aims to use board games to “bring people into the community and build up a network of people to come to all different sorts of Shabbat dinners.”
Young adults in Pittsburgh are the main target of Wright’s outreach efforts.
“We want to engage the young adults in a place where they already are,” she said. With a sizable Jewish population and multiple colleges and universities in the area, Pittsburgh is a market that OneTable feels could greatly benefit from its mission.
The online platform provides information and resources that allow for an individualized Shabbat dinner experience. Whether you desire a Shabbat centered around Pride, mental health awareness, sobriety or much more, OneTable provides comprehensive guides for young hosts.
To start the process of hosting a Shabbat dinner through OneTable, potential hosts must fill out the application on its website, onetable.org. The application asks for information about Jewish background, age and the motivation for hosting a dinner. A OneTable representative may call with follow-up questions. Once accepted by OneTable, a host can post their Shabbat dinner on the organization’s website so potential guests can register.
A big draw for OneTable is something its organizational leaders refer to as “nourishment.” For each person who signs up for a given Shabbat dinner, the host receives $10 to use toward various resources. The money can come in the form of a gift card to a specific restaurant or grocery store, or it can be used for resources such as candlesticks and silverware.
“Friday night is a night to gather,” Wright said. “It’s a reason to get together with other Jewish people.”
OneTable’s Pittsburgh operations are supported by a grant from the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh.
The June 27 dinner at the JCC will be kosher and the event is free. Registration is required and can be found here. PJC
Andrew Rich can be reached at arich@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.
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