They’re dubbing it the J2K problem.
Intermarriage rates are up. The emphasis on Jewish education is down. Shabbat observance is low.
To try and counteract the latter phenomenon, the New York-based National Jewish Outreach Program — which coined the phrase J2K — is sponsoring its third annual Shabbat Across America. On Friday, March 12, Jews throughout America and Canada will come together to eat, drink, relax, dance and study Torah on the day of rest.
Some will celebrate the weekly holiday for the first time.
Reform Temple Beth Hillel in Richmond will mark its first Shabbat Across America with a vegetarian potluck and service. The service will emphasize Shabbat education, said Mark Tracht, Beth Hillel president.
“I asked the rabbi to make it a didactic service,” he said. “I thought that would be good for our congregation. We have so many interfaith couples, a lot of converted Jews.”
In fact, more than a dozen Northern California congregations will take part in the event. From Fresno to San Francisco to Aptos, Shabbat will take on a broader appeal as Jews of all movements celebrate.
“It’s an amazing feeling of solidarity and unity,” said Rabbi Yehuda Ferris of Chabad of Berkeley. The East Bay organization has joined Shabbat Across America the past two years, getting higher attendance than usual for dinner and revelry.
“Word of mouth is always the strongest way of getting the word to the public,” he said. “And free food doesn’t hurt. The smell of fresh baked challah is better than any PR packet.”
For Chabad, Shabbat Across America is an extension of its standard approach toward making the holiday a community affair.
“Every Shabbos, we cook for an army,” Ferris said. “We’re ready to welcome any Jew that has a pulse.”
Orthodox Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald founded the National Jewish Outreach Program 10 years ago in an attempt to combat the loss of Jewish identity.
The Council of Jewish Federations’ 1990 National Jewish Population Survey, the most comprehensive source of American Jewish data available to date, shows that 54 percent of American Jewish children under the age of 18 are being raised as non-Jews or with no religion.
“Our grandparents prayed for a melting pot,” Buchwald said. “What they got instead was a meltdown.”
He has succeeded in convincing thousands of people to “turn Friday night into Shabbos” and learn basic Hebrew through his organization. The programs are held in synagogues of all denominations throughout the country.
Last year, NJOP sponsored a Jewish smokeout to correspond with the American Cancer Society’s Great American Smokeout.
“Give your lungs a religious experience,” NJOP posters read. “This Shabbat light candles not cigarettes.”
Information on the organization can be found on the Web at www.njop.org