38 | SEPTEMBER 17 • 2020
T
he 2020 High
Holidays, like much
else in the world right
now, are going to be com-
pletely different than they’
ve
ever been before. Jews all
around the world are pre-
paring to celebrate either
virtually or socially distanced
when in person.
Jewish platforms such as
OneTable (onetable.org) and
its offshoot HereFor (herefor.
com) are catering to these
changing needs perfectly.
OneTable is a national
nonprofit that focuses on
how young adults (ages
21-39) can connect with
Jewish community wisdom,
traditions and rituals, spe-
cifically based around the
Friday night Shabbat dinner
table.
OneTable, which bills itself
the “AirBnB for Shabbat din-
ners,” has platform guides to
help hosts with planning and
promoting their customized
dinners. Hosts create online
profiles, post their dinners,
and can share the dedicat-
ed link with whoever they
decide to invite.
Approved dinner hosts are
eligible for credit to part-
nered companies for resourc-
es such as groceries, food
delivery, books and decor to
help with costs.
OneTable also connects
users with online Jewish
resources such as recordings,
ritual guides, tips for hosting
and more.
With a grant from
the Charles and Lynn
Schusterman Family
Foundation and through the
Jewish Community Response
and Impact Fund (JCRIF),
OneTable launched HereFor,
a collaborative platform for
people to create their own
events, find events and con-
nect with the resources to
make the High Holidays pos-
sible and fulfilling for them
this year.
Al Rosenberg, OneTable’
s
director of strategy and
communications, said that
while OneTable
will continue
supporting young
adults for Shabbat
during the
High Holidays,
HereFor focuses
specifically on the
High Holidays and is aimed
toward more than just one
age group.
“In addressing some of the
current needs in the com-
munity, we realized that the
High Holidays were coming
up very soon,” Rosenberg
said. “We wanted to take the
wisdom and expertise we had
gained over the past six years
running OneTable and offer
it to the broader community,
not just our demographic,
for the High Holidays.”
For Passover this year,
OneTable created Seder2020.
org, and saw about 38,000
people engaged through that
platform. Rosenberg and
OneTable are hoping to see
similar numbers for HereFor.
“It’
s not going to be the
same as any year previous
to now, and so I think there
needs to be a lot of room for
experimentation and access,
so that we can really find the
things that make us feel good
and make the High Holidays
feel meaningful,” Rosenberg
said.
HereFor works with
more than 50 partners
to identify resources for
each of the holidays with-
in the holiday season, and
is very much a collabora-
tion with JCRIF partners,
including Hillel, Reboot,
Jewish Emergent Network,
Moishe House, Center for
Meaningful Feasts
Jewish websites offer guides for High Holiday and Shabbat dinners.
Lauren Hoffman
at a dinner before
the pandemic
ONETABLE
Al Rosenberg
LAUREN HOFFMAN
DANNY SCHWARTZ STAFF WRITER
Rosh Hashanah 5781