“OneTable has made it possible for us to gather together consistently and find community through immensely challenging times, and I feel so grateful to have a shared investment in this practice.”
MALLORY, ATLANTA HOST
3 4 7 9 1 5
A new year always invites reflection, and here at OneTable, any time we reflect, we also imagine.
As we enter 2026, we step into a new OneTable chapter: a new year, a new CEO, and a renewed vision for supporting Jewish young adults in a rapidly changing world. This moment calls not just for continuity, but for evolution.
Over our first decade, OneTable proved a powerful point: peer-led, home-based, DIY Shabbat dinners work for young Jewish adults. When young people gather and shape Jewish ritual on their own terms, community and joy flourish. This insight has guided everything OneTable does, and since October 7, 2023, it has taken on even deeper meaning Participation has more than doubled as our young people have sought, and continue to seek, connection, grounding, and Jewish experiences when it matters most
Gathering for Shabbat is a powerful marker of Jewish time; it grounds us in meaning and brings people closer to themselves and one another In 2025, we not only sustained the post-October 7 momentum in Jewish engagement but also began reimagining how to help the next generation shape their own Shabbat practice
Our mission to ensure young adults can experience Shabbat in ways that feel authentic and personal remains unwavering. Yet the world, and especially Gen Z, continues to evolve, approaching spirituality, community, and identity in ways that challenge older models and institutions. This year, we are leaning into that reality, trying fresh ways to reach them across cities, life stages, and relationships to Jewish life so that Shabbat remains a relevant, resonant source of connection in their lives.
This is not a departure from who we are, it’s a deepening of our commitment to Jewish identity, community, and joy
Together, we’re building on a decade of success and shaping the future The table is set, and there has never been a more important time to gather
Shabbat Shalom,
Sarah Abramson, PhD
PRESIDENT & CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER ONETABLE
In 2025, OneTable entered its second decade with the same mission, and a renewed focus on scaling effective initiatives while adapting for a new generation. It was a year of change, yet OneTable continued to see record participation. We maintained the post-October 7 surge, and stayed connected with our participants nationwide. We implemented several key strategies that allowed us to remain flexible while preserving the scope and impact of our program.
IN 2025, WITH YOUR SUPPORT, WE ENABLED:
30,000
Shabbat Dinnners
255,000 Engagements
80,000 Participants
As OneTable has grown, so has our audience, especially Gen Z, which makes up 42% of the participants we now serve. Gen Z brings new expectations: they’re digital natives seeking authenticity and cultural relevance, and they often want “safe, curated” ways to step into Jewish life before they feel ready to host on their own.
Our data shows that demand continues to grow: we are engaging 100% more unique individuals than just a few years ago.
To meet that demand, we strengthened and scaled our remote engagement model, enabling regional staff to support multiple areas virtually. Their focus on strategic partnerships, digital engagement, and scalable programming extended OneTable’s reach and amplified its impact across diverse geographies.
The result was a growing group of young adults finding a sense of connection in unexpected places. Jennifer, a new host in Augusta, reflected:
“My husband and I are both passionate about building Jewish community, and since moving to Augusta two years ago for work, we’ve been fortunate to find a wonderful circle of friends and connections.
Still, we know that for this community to truly thrive for us, and one day for our future children it takes intention, effort, and people willing to create spaces where others can gather and belong. That’s where OneTable comes into play.
Hosting gives us the chance to open our home, share the traditions we love, and welcome young Jewish professionals who may be new to the area or searching for connection
We know young professionals sometimes struggle here and want to be in cities with bigger Jewish populations. We believe that in order to change that narrative, we need to do the work. We see Shabbat as the perfect anchor a weekly opportunity to slow down, share a meal, and strengthen the bonds that make Jewish life in Augusta vibrant resilient and full of warmth ”
OneTable’s success relies not only on our platform but also on our partnerships.
We partnered with Jewish National Fund to help gather more than 1,500 participants across the globe at more than 530 Shabbat dinners, all using OneTable’s platform to mark Yom Ha’atzmaut.
In Detroit, we collaborated with Temple Israel and The Jewish Federation of Detroit’s Gerson Innovation Fund to host a Hanukkah Shabbat attended by more than 500 people — a community record!
Together with Living Links, we brought “3G Stories Shabbats” to cities across the U.S., inviting descendants of Holocaust survivors to gather, share testimony, and build connection through Shabbat dinner.
We worked alongside the Zalik Foundation to host “Shabbat Across Atlanta," gathering over 2,000 community members of all ages. Celebrations took place in homes and through more than 50 partner organizations.
Over the past three years, OneTable, together with the Collaborative for Applied Studies in Jewish Education (CASJE) at George Washington University and funded by the Templeton World Charity Foundation, set out to formally examine whether Friday night Shabbat dinner, a weekly ritual rooted in Jewish tradition, could lead to increased social connection.
Shabbat dinner reduces loneliness more than other kinds of gatherings. The study found that gathering for Shabbat dinner offers more benefits than other Friday night social plans for reducing loneliness and improving social well-being even after just one Friday night.
It isn’t “about the food ” One surprising result emerged from a “foodless” Shabbat gathering; researchers found that food itself wasn’t the key driver of connectedness, but rather the act of gathering on Friday night for Shabbat was what mattered most
Hosts and guests benefit equally. The study anticipated that roles might influence outcomes, but found that both hosts and guests left with greater social connectedness and lessened loneliness in equal portions
No single ritual “ingredient” drives the effect Participants came from diverse Jewish backgrounds and practices, and the research didn’t identify one ritual component that alone explained the positive outcomes, suggesting the power lies in the whole experience
Shabbat can hold hard conversations. Participants described Shabbat dinner as a container for difficult conversations including around Israel and antisemitism — reinforcing the Shabbat table as a uniquely meaningful social space.
As part of our ongoing work to co-design a new measurement tool, we partnered with M²: The Institute for Experiential Jewish Education to help us think through our educational strategy 2025 host data points to clear growth in confidence, leadership, and Jewish practice key indicators of a deepening Jewish journey.
Confidence in welcoming guests rose from 61% to 84%
Confidence in creating a sacred Shabbat space increased from 54% to 79%
These shifts suggest that repeated hosting with OneTable does more than facilitate single events, it builds hosts’ capacity to create intentional, meaningful Jewish experiences over time We also saw that qualitative responses reinforce and deepen these findings.
Powered By OneTable marked five years of supporting peer-led gathering through partner organizations, totaling 10,000+ events and connecting 60,000+ individuals, including communities across 50 Hillel campuses.
As part of our ongoing strategic focus on young adults, and our commitment to sustainable growth, we will sunset
Powered By OneTable over the course of FY26. While the initiative generated strong partnership interest, this change allows us to sharpen our focus and better serve our primary audience of young adults.
OneTable Together began evolving toward a new model of engagement in 2025, with a focus on B2B partnerships and intergenerational engagement.
In 2026, we will explore OneTable Together as a way to emphasize networking, mentorship, and professional and community connections, meeting young adults where they are and deepening OneTable’s role as a connector and convener.
As we enter 2026, we are entering a crucial bridge year, a year to stabilize what works, invest in what’s needed, and test new ways to connect with an evolving generation of Jewish young adults. This bridge plan is designed around three commitments:
At OneTable, we believe meaningful Jewish life starts and develops around the table, especially on Friday nights. In 2025, we established our Core Commitments – these will shape all our actions moving forward, along with our love for Shabbat dinner.
Our working vision for this next phase is simple: Shabbat dinner can awaken a renewed Jewish spirit in each new generation, deepening Jewish living, radiating pride and joy, and strengthening communities through shared purpose and care
To bring that vision to life, FY26 focuses on four goals:
Key priorities include:
Shifting from a geography-based model to an interest-based model, so more people can “ see themselves” at OneTable (and find community that fits)
Completing a fully articulated FY27–29 roadmap by December 2026, so the next three years are built on a solid foundation for success and continued growth
In 2026, growth remains important, but it must be purposeful and repeatable Our participation targets:
Engage 60,000–80,000 unique participants, with an average repeat rate of three times (because belonging deepens through return).
Reach up to 15% of those participants through new pilot strategies that test different acquisition pathways.
FY26 will be a year of disciplined experimentation, testing new on-ramps to Shabbat that recognize that not everyone begins with in-home hosting These explorations will still center our goal of helping as many people as possible create a habitual Shabbat practice that connects them to one another and to the Jewish community around them, while also allowing us to better understand participant behavior and encourage repeat engagement.
New incentives and points-based membership learning.
Public and affinity-based Shabbat gatherings.
Social media campaigns.
Partnership-based engagement
Reaching people is only the beginning. Retaining them and helping them return requires a seamless experience.
In 2026, we will:
Invest in the technology infrastructure required to retain participants once we reach them, especially important as our new strategies drive new growth
Prioritize essential platform upgrades that enhance performance, scalability, and the end-to-end participant journey
HOW ONETABLE IS
To meet the moment, OneTable is shifting to a participant-centered model based not only on someone’s Shabbat journey, but in their overall Jewish journey with formal collaborations as well.
THREE TEAMS DESIGNED AROUND THE JOURNEY
Shabbat Journey Team (Host & Guest Support)
Provides holistic support tailored to a participant's stage in their Shabbat journey, including personalized hosting support, ritual guidance, resources, and content, and curated recommendations that help participants grow in confidence over time.
Affinity & Engagement Team
Builds interest-based and identity-based experiences that lower barriers to participation, balancing host support with an intentional focus on the guest experience, and expanding in-home, out-of-home, partner-driven, and public Shabbat pathways.
National Marketing & Communications Acquisition Team
Drives awareness and growth through national campaigns and digital outreach, strengthening recognition and trust while ensuring local relevance with national consistency.
Thanks to our incredible funders, whose partnership made our record-breaking 2025 possible & is now propelling us into our 2026 bridge year. This bridge year is designed to help OneTable accomplish three key objectives simultaneously: meet today’s demand, modernize for tomorrow, and establish a sustainable plan for the next three years. This next step will allow us to experiment intentionally, learn what works, and focus our energy on enhancing participant experience and measurable impact. We’ll leverage technology to support scale and strengthen our financial footing through deeper relationships with major donors and institutional partners.
At OneTable, we believe that meaningful Jewish life begins, and grows, around the table especially on Friday nights. Our Core Commitments guide everything we do, as does our love for Shabbat dinner
Each week, Shabbat provides the perfect opportunity for us to recharge and recommit ourselves to building thriving, dynamic Jewish communities Even when things get hard, Shabbat arrives and OneTable leans in We show up every single Friday night
OneTable shares our Core Commitments because we deeply value being clear and consistent about who we are and what we believe Our hope is that as many Jewish young adults as possible and their friends of all faith backgrounds find joy and community at Friday night Shabbat dinners, within the context of an organization with clear guiding principles for what we believe in and how we ask those at our tables to show up to them
Jewish Joy and Pride, Oneg, B’Simcha
We believe the future of the Jewish people must be rooted in a constant reminder of the good for which we stand and the beauty of our traditions By celebrating Jewish life, heritage, and values at our tables, we cultivate strong, proud Jewish young adults who can confidently face challenges and combat antisemitism beginning with a special sense of connection to a people, community, religion, or set of ideas that bring happiness and purpose to their lives. Oneg and Simcha joy and pride are central to everything OneTable does, ensuring our tables are spaces of celebration, inspiration, and enduring connection.
Welcoming and Respect, B’tzelem Elohim, Hachnasat Orchim
We honor the inherent dignity of every person. Any individual, Jewish or not, is welcome at our tables as long as our Code of Conduct is followed.
All OneTable participants and staff members are treated with respect, care, and compassion, reflecting our belief that we are all made in God’s image, B’tzelem Elohim We believe in Hachnasat Orchim generous hospitality and warmth, and our hosts and guests welcome everyone with a spirit of inclusivity and belonging
Global Peoplehood and Connection, Am Yisrael
OneTable centers the Jewish experience We believe that Shabbat provides a weekly reminder that we are part of a global, interconnected Jewish community: Am Yisrael We also believe that Israel, as both a Biblical construct and as an historical and modern homeland, is a fundamental part of our Jewish story
The dinners OneTable supports, whether public or private, encourage connection We do not formally partner with, or support, any organization, Shabbat dinners, or gatherings that call for Israel’s destruction or in any way question Israel’s right to exist We do not fund dinners that align with any political party or candidate
Within the framework laid out by these commitments, we welcome and encourage Machloket L’shem Shamayim, “disagreement for the sake of heaven.” We believe Friday night Shabbat dinners can be curated spaces to support one another as we seek to learn and be challenged by different perspectives. We believe OneTable’s role in constructive and challenging dialogue is to ensure our community members have the tools to help themselves and others make sense of this moment in time. We view differences of opinion as opportunities for growth and deeper connection for all.
At OneTable, we uphold three tensions together respect for the individual, commitment to the global Jewish people, and embracing challenging dialogue because the richness of Jewish life is found in the balance of these values