Penn Hosts Shabbat for 1,000 Dinners Campus-Wide
Penn Jewish Heritage Programs held Shabbat for 1,000 dinners across campus on November 6, drawing more than 1,700 participants.
Updated on Nov. 9, 2026 in Judaism
Penn Jewish Heritage Programs hosted Shabbat for 1,000 dinners across Penn's campus on November 6, 2026. The event drew over 1,700 participants, and about half of them were non-Jewish.
Why it matters
The event was designed as a large public showing of Jewish pride and, according to organizers, a way to combat antisemitism. It shows how a student-led program can bring Shabbat practice to a broad campus audience in Philadelphia.
Organizers reported more than 1,700 participants, with about half of them non-Jewish. The program has hosted Shabbat for 1,000 since 1997 and now has chapters at seven campuses.
The players
Penn Jewish Heritage Programs
A student-run program at the University of Pennsylvania that organizes Jewish cultural and religious events on campus and currently operates chapters at seven campuses.
Jake Ziman
A College senior at the University of Pennsylvania who serves as co-President of Penn Jewish Heritage Programs.
The details
Undergraduate and graduate student groups hosted the dinners, and Penn Jewish Heritage Programs provided free food, an informational booklet, and candles for hosts. The program reached out to Greek organizations, athletic teams, and preprofessional and cultural clubs to invite them to host, and collaborated with local vendors and restaurants for food.
Timeline
1997: Penn Jewish Heritage Programs began hosting Shabbat for 1,000.
Nov. 6, 2026: Shabbat for 1,000 dinners held across Penn campus.
Religious Tradition
The 2026 dinners continue the Shabbat for 1,000 tradition Penn Jewish Heritage Programs has run since 1997, now extended to a campus network spanning seven chapters.
Students and visitors on Penn's campus were invited to attend Shabbat dinners hosted by student groups across the university. Other students can look to the program's model of inviting Greek organizations, athletic teams, and clubs to host and share a Shabbat meal.
The takeaway
A Shabbat dinner hosted by a campus group can draw participants well beyond the Jewish community, with about half of this year's attendees not Jewish. Students interested in similar events can reach out to campus organizations that host interfaith or cultural meals.
Further reading
Explore more Judaism coverage to see how Shabbat traditions are practiced in communities like Philadelphia.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Former Penn President Liz Magill earned $4.46 million the year following her resignation - The Daily Pennsylvanian.
