By Rabbi Dov Gartenberg
Tuesday, November 19, 2024
The Shabbat with Friends (SWF) Gathering is the signature program of Shabbat with Friends New Mexico. SWF gatherings always occur around the three traditional mealtimes of the Jewish Sabbath: Friday night, Saturday lunch, or late Saturday afternoon before nightfall. Not only do SWF gatherings feature a shared Shabbat feast, they also highlight other Jewish traditions surrounding Sabbath at home: group singing, focused conversation, Torah study, and social connecting. Most of all SWF gatherings tap ancient Jewish hospitality traditions of welcoming guests, building community, and connecting people one to another.
(Above: A Shabbat with Friends Gathering in Santa Fe in 2023)
Shabbat with Friends recruits, trains, and supports hosts all over New Mexico in the Jewish hospitality and Sabbat traditions. Our hosted gatherings are wonderful places to meet people, to share in our Jewish heritage, and to practice the Shabbat ideals of rest, reflection, and connection. Our convener, Rabbi Dov Gartenberg, brings people together from all backgrounds to experience and to enjoy a rich and authentic Shabbat experience.
Whether you are secular or more religious, Shabbat with Friends Gatherings offer dedicated times for joy, connection, and uplift. For some, these gatherings are a fun way to be with people and to share good food together. For others it is a deep spiritual moment of rest and connecting to God. For others, the Shabbat with Friends Gatherings are an opportunity to connect to the great cultural and religious treasury of Sabbath melodies and rich Jewish learning. For some folks, these gatherings conjure up warm memories of summer camp during one’s youth. Upcoming SWF Gatherings are listed on the SWF Calendar page along with links for sign up. Our gatherings are free, open to the community, intergenerational, child-friendly, and respectful of diverse backgrounds.
To attend a gathering, please pre-register to reserve your place. If there is a potluck, you will be able to volunteer to bring a dish or item. You can get timely notices of Shabbat with Friends gatherings by signing up to receive SWF eblasts or by checking out the calendar on our website at https://shabbatwithfriends.org.
Our hope is that you will find in Shabbat with Friends a participatory, loving and caring pluralistic Shabbat community where it remains possible to cultivate friendship, fellowship, and common purpose that has been characteristic of Jewish communities across the generations.
Updated 241119
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