Trump’s National Shabbat Event Hits Awkward Snag: It’s Scheduled During Shabbat

In a classic case of meaning well but taking a giant misstep, President Donald Trump scheduled a national Shabbat event to celebrate American Jewish Heritage Month … on Shabbat. That means observant Jewish invitees will be unable to attend the event, which is scheduled to take place before Shabbat ends in the Indian Treaty Room, part of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building.

One invitee spoke to JNS about the event.

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“This Shabbat is part of an initiative to promote Sabbath observance,” the invitee, who asked not to be named, said. “It’s a sad oversight that attending this event would cause someone to violate it.”

“It’s a rare misstep from the Trump administration that is usually better about including Orthodox Jews at their events,” the invitee added.

Trump called last week for national Shabbat observance from sundown May 15 to nightfall May 16 in honor of American Jewish Heritage Month and the nation’s 250th anniversary.

In his official statement, Trump referred to George Washington’s famous Letter to the Hebrews, in which he wrote to the Hebrew Congregation in Newport, Rhode Island, “May the Children of the Stock of Abraham, who dwell in this land, continue to merit and enjoy the good will of the other Inhabitants; while everyone shall sit in safety under his own vine and fig tree, and there shall be none to make him afraid.” 

He then praised Jewish Americans for their myriad contributions to American society throughout the ages.

“In special honor of 250 glorious years of American independence and on the weekend of Rededicate 250 — a national jubilee of prayer, praise, and thanksgiving — Jewish Americans are encouraged to observe a national Sabbath,” he wrote. “From sundown on May 15 to nightfall on May 16, friends, families, and communities of all backgrounds may come together in gratitude for our great Nation. This day will recognize the sacred Jewish tradition of setting aside time for rest, reflection, and gratitude to the Almighty.”

Supporters of the initiative hope that a corrective action can be issued to remedy this rather awkward situation.