Shabbat dinners
Every Friday night, after a short service, we sit down to kiddush, fresh challah and a three-course home-cooked dinner. Forty people on a quiet week, a hundred on a holiday — and always a seat for one more.
Shabbat is the one night a week the phone goes in a drawer and the table gets longer. At Chabad House Demo it starts with a short, friendly service at sundown, then kiddush over wine, two braided challahs, and a dinner the Rebbetzin and a team of volunteers start cooking on Thursday.
You don't need to know the blessings or the tunes. Someone will hand you a booklet with the English beside the Hebrew, and the person next to you will probably be just as new as you are.
What happens at the table
About two and a half hours, start to finish. Leave whenever you need to.
Candles and a short service
Candle lighting at sundown, then twenty-five minutes of song. Booklets in English and Hebrew.
Kiddush and a real dinner
Wine and grape juice, homemade challah, soup, a main and dessert — all kosher, with a vegetarian plate on request.
A short thought
Five minutes on the week's Torah portion between courses. Questions welcome, arguments too.
People to meet
Students, retirees, young families, visitors from out of town. We'll seat you next to someone you'll like.
Three steps to a seat
- 1
Pick a Friday
Open the Events page and choose a date. Each dinner has its own sign-up.
- 2
Tell us how many
Adults and kids, so we cook enough. Allergies go in the note.
- 3
Walk in at sundown
The door is open from fifteen minutes before candle lighting. Parking is free on the side street.
Shabbat dinner questions
Is there a cost?
Most Fridays there is no charge — a suggested $18 covers the food if you can. Holiday and Shabbaton dinners list their price on the event page. Nobody is turned away.
Can I come if I'm not Jewish?
If you're coming with a Jewish friend or partner, of course. Tell us when you sign up so we can say hello.
What time should I arrive?
Fifteen minutes before candle lighting. The Events page shows this week's exact time, and so does the bar at the top of the site.
I keep strictly kosher. Is the kitchen supervised?
Yes. The kitchen is under the Rabbi's supervision and meat and dairy are fully separate. Ask him anything.
More programs
Other ways to be part of the community.
- Jewish holidaysFrom the shofar on Rosh Hashanah to the last matzah ball of Passover, every holiday of the year happens here — services, meals, and something for the kids. You bring yourself; we'll bring the rest.
- Torah classes & Lunch and LearnA Tuesday evening class on the week's Torah portion, a Thursday Lunch and Learn downtown, and one-on-one study whenever you want it. No background needed — bring a question and leave with something to think about.
- Hebrew schoolSunday mornings from 9:30 to 12:00 for kids from kindergarten to sixth grade. Hebrew reading, holidays they get to make and taste, and Jewish stories — taught by teachers who know every child's name.