01Light
Kindle the candles
Light before sunset on Friday, May 15. Two flames: one for Shamor, one for Zachor.
White House proclamation | May 4, 2026
One Shabbos.
One million Jews. One flame, kept together.
From sundown Friday, May 15 to nightfall Saturday, May 16, Jewish families across America and around the world are invited to keep one Shabbos in honor of America's 250th year.
Sign the pledge. Light the candles. Set the table. Be counted.
Live counter
A million flames by Friday night
I | The Call
A presidential proclamation, a 250-year promise.
"Jewish Americans are encouraged to observe a national Sabbath.
The observance invites families and communities to pause for rest, reflection, and gratitude during Jewish American Heritage Month and the country's 250th year.
May 15Friday evening start of the national Shabbos observance.
May 16Saturday night conclusion after nightfall.
1790Washington's letter to the Hebrew Congregation in Newport.
250Years since American independence.
II | What is Shabbos
Twenty-five hours, set apart.
At sundown on Friday, the workweek ends. Phones are set down. The Jewish home becomes a sanctuary in time: a candlelit republic of family, song, table, and rest.
Two flames are lit. Wine is sanctified. Two loaves of challah are shared. Children are blessed. Guests are welcomed. The world begins again after three stars on Saturday night.
"More than the Jewish People have kept Shabbat, Shabbat has kept the Jewish People."
Ahad Ha'am
Ahad Ha'am
02Bless
Kiddush over wine
Lift the cup and sanctify the day with the blessing over wine or grape juice.
03Break
Two loaves of challah
Share the bread, salt it, and remember the manna in the wilderness.
04Rest
Twenty-five hours
No work. No phones. Just family, table, song, sleep, prayer, and community.
III | Voices
From rabbis, teachers, and table hosts.
01
Shabbos gives the Jewish home a weekly architecture of holiness, gratitude, and rest.
02
Putting down the phone for one day can make the people across the table visible again.
03
A national Shabbos is a simple ask: stop, bless, eat, sing, and remember who kept us.
IV | Live Counter
327,482
Jews and friends pledged so far
Recent pledges
Brooklyn, NY4,821
Los Angeles, CA3,104
Lakewood, NJ2,987
Miami, FL2,103
Chicago, IL1,842
V | The Pledge
I will keep
one Shabbos.
On Friday, May 15, 2026, before sunset, I pledge to kindle Shabbos lights, set my phone aside, and welcome twenty-five hours of rest in gratitude for my family, my community, and the Almighty.