On Shabbat morning of February 28, as Jews gathered in synagogue to read from the Torah about the importance of remembering – and destroying – the evil Amalek, American and Israeli fighter jets began their own destruction of the Iranian military.
Since then, not only have America and Israel been cooperating at closer levels than ever before, but for the first time, Jewish and Christian soldiers have been fighting shoulder to shoulder, representing a new chapter in Judeo-Christian civilization. Ten weeks later, this coming Shabbat will serve as another historic milestone.
Never before in American history has a president invited his entire nation to observe the Jewish Sabbath. However, US President Donald Trump issued a formal proclamation calling upon all Americans to honor Shabbat on May 15-16.
Trump declared, “This day will recognize the sacred Jewish tradition of setting aside time for rest, reflection, and gratitude to the Almighty... I further call on all Americans to celebrate their faith and freedom throughout this year, during this month, and especially on Shabbat, to celebrate our 250th year.”
Trump’s call for Shabbat did not emerge in a vacuum. It follows the posthumous publication of Charlie Kirk’s final book, Stop in the Name of God: Why Honoring the Sabbath will Transform Your Life, which has become a bestseller and ignited unprecedented non-Jewish interest in one of Judaism’s most ancient and treasured practices.
Kirk, a lifelong defender of Israel who was assassinated last September, ended his Friday podcasts by wishing his millions of listeners “Shabbat Shalom” and encouraging them to put their phones in a drawer for 24 hours. “The Sabbath saved my life and helped preserve my family and my career,” he admitted.
Charlie Kirk became the leading advocate for Jewish Sabbath observance after meeting radio host Dennis Prager.
In his book, Kirk recalled the moment Shabbat captured his imagination upon hearing Prager describe the day of rest: “He would always talk about the Shabbat and I found myself, after a couple of years of hearing this, getting really jealous of him, being like, ‘Wait a second! You’re just able to unplug for one day and not work and be with friends and family and worship God? I want that!’”
That friendship between a faithful Jew and a committed Christian, built on a shared reverence for the Torah, changed America. It is perhaps the most influential Jewish-Christian relationship of our generation, and it reminds us of the importance of coming out of our own comfort zones and embracing people who share our biblical values, especially across lines of faith and denomination.
'Shabbat has kept the Jews'
The great early Zionist thinker Ahad Ha’am famously wrote: “More than the Jews kept the Sabbath, the Sabbath has kept the Jews.”
For millennia, Shabbat has been the treasured, weekly tabernacle of time that preserved our people through exile, persecution, and dispersion. But the Hebrew prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 56:6-7) envisioned something far larger when non-Jews would also embrace the day of rest:
“As for the Nations who attach themselves to the Lord, to serve Him, and to love the name of the Lord, to be His attendants, all who observe the Sabbath and do not desecrate it, and who hold fast to My covenant, I will bring them to My sacred mountain and let them rejoice in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices shall be welcome on My altar; for My House shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.”
We are living in Isaiah’s promised moment. “The Nations” are attaching themselves to Shabbat. They desire the rest, the sanctity, the deliberate unplugging from the noise of modern life that our tradition has safeguarded for thousands of years. “The Nations” are knocking on our door - the only question is whether we will open it.
Too often, Jews have guarded our traditions defensively, and for good reason. Centuries of persecution, forced conversions, and Christian antisemitism have trained us to build walls and hunker down in our Jewish silos.
But we are in a unique time today, with millions of Christians standing beside us in solidarity and admiration. They have demonstrated their support for Israel and the Jewish people in Washington DC, on college campuses, and in streets across the world, as antisemitism is surging. Everyone can see that Israel’s best friends in the world today are Christians who love the God of Israel and the People of Israel.
Earlier this year, at the largest Christian media conference in the world, drawing more than 5,000 journalists and media professionals, Israel365 brought Shabbat to the convention floor at the National Religious Broadcasters conference.
Rather than focus on the news at a convention of news reporters, Israel365 ran an immersive Shabbat Experience, bringing the authenticity of the Jewish Sabbath to the leading Christian communicators. For many Christian attendees, it was their first encounter with the beauty of Shabbat, but hopefully it will not be their last.
Now, with Trump’s proclamation as a catalyst, Israel365 is launching a large-scale initiative connecting Jewish and Christian communities through shared Shabbat experiences across the United States and Israel.
This weekend in Florida, New York, New Jersey, Texas, and Tennessee, rabbis will invite pastors into their synagogues and invite their wives and children into their homes to break bread together, celebrate the religious freedom granted by the United States, and honor the God of Israel, who created the world in six days and rested on the seventh.
If we seize the opportunity, then Trump’s National Shabbat will not merely be a political gesture; it can be the pivotal opening for the Jewish people to step forward as a light unto the nations, inviting our faith-based allies, friends, and neighbors to share our eternal values, our ancient wisdom, and yes, our Shabbat table.
Shabbat has always kept the Jews. Perhaps now, during these pivotal days when America and Israel are fighting side by side for freedom and the future of Judeo-Christian civilization, Shabbat can keep us all together.
The writer is the founder of Israel365 and author of Universal Zionism: The Movement for Israel and the Nations.