Before You Dismiss Another Headline — Read This By Rabbi Anchelle Perl

A Note Before You Read

A brief word of context. Shabbat 250 — a national invitation for Americans to pause, rest, and reconnect with faith and family — originated in the official White House Proclamation on Jewish American Heritage Month, signed May 4, 2026. It is the first time in American history that a sitting president has called for a national day of Sabbath observance.

A few highlights from the proclamation itself:

• It honors “the countless contributions of Jewish Americans throughout our Nation’s 250 glorious years of independence,” and celebrates their commitment to “the values that make our country great — faith, family, and freedom.”

• It designates the weekend “from sundown on May 15 to nightfall on May 16” as a national Sabbath, calling on “friends, families, and communities of all backgrounds” to come together in gratitude.

• It recognizes “the sacred Jewish tradition of setting aside time for rest, reflection, and gratitude to the Almighty.”

• It invokes George Washington’s 1790 letter to the Hebrew Congregation in Newport, Rhode Island, with its enduring promise that America “gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance.”

In response to the many reactions to my public support of this initiative, this piece is not a judgment of anyone who chose not to take part. Every clergy member and community leader knows the........

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