ShabbatUK @Solihull
Event
A young man who became Shomer Shabbat in his teens was the guest speaker at Solihull’s ShabbatUK, which revolved around boosting community feeling and educating attendees further about the Jewish day of rest. A successful Challah Make on Thursday was followed by an explanatory service on the Shabbat morning, which saw Rabbi Pink give an enlightening running commentary while a guest Chazan took over davening. A community lunch was the perfect social accompaniment to the service.
Objectives
To expose members to the beauty of Shabbat
To attract both the affiliated and the unaffiliated to shul
Evaluation from Rabbi Pink:
“We attracted people who were unaffiliated to attend both the Challah Make and the explanatory service, and raised the profile of Shabbat by utilising a young, orthodox professional as speaker. We attracted fresh participants, strengthened existing links and reinforced the perception that Judaism is relevant in the 21st century. Bringing in someone to help with davening enabled me to give a running commentary that allowed people to gain from the service.”
Participant Feedback:
- The explanatory service and lunch was a wonderful experience; I found Rabbi Pink’s discussion of aspects of the service really interesting. The Chazan sang nicely, the food was delicious, it was a great experience of what Shabbat can be like in a small community
- I attended the entire Shabbat service. The quality of the explanations given by Rabbi Pink as the service progressed was excellent, both in content & delivery. It gave me real meaning and insight to what Shabbat really means.
- I found the whole experience to be spiritually enlightening and uplifting. The attendance and support by our community was excellent. Lunch was beautifully cooked, tasty and well- presented. A special thank you should also be given to Rebbetzen Pink and her hard-working volunteers
- It was excellent having the service explained and the page numbers read out, so for once I could follow the service! The lunch was excellent and, as the waitresses failed to turn up, there was a genuinely friendly community atmosphere as everyone mucked in
