40 | APRIL 11 • 2024
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bby Wolfson of
Oak Park has
lots of guests for
Shabbos. It’s how she grew
up and a tradition she loves
to continue, she says. Every
Friday night her mom would
host, for as long as she can
remember, she explains.
“It was never just us. My
house was never quiet for
Shabbos dinner. I think that’s
really important in terms of
how I feel Shabbat is meant
to be spent, really with other
people.”
Whether she’s hosting or
going to other people’s homes,
it’s a time for connecting
with community, she says,
adding that she for more
than a handful of years also
partnered with her best
friend, Corey Rosen, to
co-host at her mom’s or his
house. They welcomed single
young professionals from the
Woodward Avenue Shul, she
says, inviting guests for multi-
course meals, games and a
chance to discuss lessons from
the weekly Torah portion, the
parshah.
“If you ask people who have
come to my meals to tell them
something that stood out,”
she says, “there’s always fun
conversation, and we always
do try to be very inclusive.”
Guests who come in
small groups leave knowing
everyone at the table, she
says, adding that she enjoys
bringing people together to
make new friends. “I think
everybody deserves to have
a really positive experience
around celebrating
their Jewish
traditions.”
Wolfson often
partners with
nonprofit OneTable
to support
her endeavors
financially, she says.
And when it comes
to cooking, it’s a
labor of love. “You’ve just got
to put in the time,” she says.
She and Rosen, who she
met at the Woodward Avenue
Shul in 2017, have hosted
back and forth between their
neighborhoods ever since.
“It’s a lot of scurrying to get
things ready in time,” she says,
explaining the importance
of choosing which lights will
be on, setting the fridge and
oven to Shabbos mode and
making sure the hot water urn
is filled.
She invites guests who don’t
drive on Shabbat to come over
ahead, and once the Shabbat
candles are lit, she says, “it’s
the calm after the storm.”
With Shabbat underway,
they sit and play games while
waiting for other guests to
arrive, with whoever’s arrived
early pitching in to finish
cutting salads and
helping set the table,
too. The meal usually
includes at least three
salads, homemade
dips, homemade
challah, a fish course,
and then chicken,
tofu and sometimes a
meat dish.
“There are always
at least two or three options
in that regard, and I’m a big
fan of baking and desserts,”
she says, adding that the
most common thing she’d
have someone else bring is
fruit. She also aims to make
fresh challah, and Yerushalmi
kugel, which she considers the
perfect combination of black
pepper and sweet.
Her table seats 12
comfortably, but she’s never
turned anyone away, she says,
A Full
Shabbos Table
But there’s always room for
one more, says Abby Wolfson.
KAREN SCHWARTZ CONTRIBUTING WRITER
OUR COMMUNITY
CELEBRATING SHABBAT
LEFT: Abby Wolfson and Corey Rosen peparing lemon bars for a
Shabbat dinner at Abby’s. BOTTOM: Shabbat dinner at Abby’s mom,
Julie Wolf’s, house: Zvi Golumbik, Emily Hersch, Julianne Subia,
Danielle Brickner, Lily Lerner, Brian Fata, Daniel Bucksbaum and Corey
Rosen.
Abby Wolfson