In a striking moment in American history, President Donald Trump issued a proclamation calling on Jews to observe the Shabbos of May 15-16, 2026, as part of the nation’s 250th anniversary celebrations, framing it both as an acknowledgment of the Jewish contribution to the United States and a symbolic recognition of Shabbos itself.

I saw that you sent out a video about President Trump’s call for a national Shabbos. What was your reaction when you heard about it?
To me, it feels like a unique moment in history. You have an elected president of the United States—arguably the world’s greatest superpower, and by many measures the most successful society in recorded history—honoring Shabbos in the context of the nation’s 250th anniversary and as a symbol of the Jewish contribution to America. On all of these levels, it is something truly remarkable.

In 2015, after Trump announced his presidential run, I spoke with Jason Greenblatt, who was his real estate attorney at the time. Years later, I spoke with David Schoen, who represented the president during his second impeachment and made headlines when he covered his head to make a brachah before drinking water. They both told me that even in the middle of major transactions or significant litigation, whenever they informed the president that they needed to stop because of Shabbos, he would encourage them to do so. In that sense, he always showed respect for Shabbos.
That anecdote is very beautiful and illuminating, because it shows that it stems from a deeply-held belief. There could have been innumerable ways to include the Jewish community in the 250th anniversary celebrations, and this is what he chose. In doing so, he placed Shabbos at the front and center of the country’s celebration, and in a meaningful way, the Jewish community itself. It is an extraordinary thing and something that shouldn’t pass without being noted and embraced.
I’ve been working on the Shabbos Project since 2013, first in South Africa and then expanding around the world, and it’s a subject that is close to my heart. So when I heard about what the president said in his proclamation, I felt that it called for an appropriate response, one that is commensurate and proportionate to what this represents.
This wasn’t simply a post on social media; it was an official presidential proclamation. While I understand that it isn’t legally binding, it nonetheless carries official status. Therefore, as Jews, there is an obligation to rise to the occasion and respond appropriately.

How do you interpret his statement that Shabbos is a contribution to America?
The way I understand it—and I tried to convey this in my speech—is that Jews have contributed to America over its 250-year history in their personal capacity, across every field of endeavor. But what I think this proclamation is really acknowledging is something deeper: that it was Jewish values that served as the driving force behind that contribution.
We are not merely an ethnicity descended from Avraham Avinu; we are defined by our values. That is the essence of am Yisrael. We were formed at Har Sinai, which is what we are about to celebrate on Shavuos, and that means that our identity is inseparable from the values we were given there.
At the center of those values stands Shabbos. It affirms belief in G-d, meaning that there is a Creator of this world. Shabbos is, first and foremost, a testimony that the world was created by design and is not a random accident. From that flows the understanding that life has meaning and purpose, and that it is sanctified by its Creator, Who gives us a framework for how to live: one that elevates family, human dignity and the sovereignty of the individual.
Shabbos is also about humility, the recognition that G-d is the Master of the universe, and that we are not all-powerful. Once a week, we step back and affirm that reality.
At the same time, Shabbos reflects the value of human creativity in a certain sense. The Torah frames the mitzvah with “Six days you shall work,” because G-d created the world in six days. This links the work that we do during the week to the creation of the world. So it’s holding up human endeavor.
So when we look at the extraordinary development of technology, medicine, architecture and all the other achievements that have defined the United States over its 250-year rise to global leadership, it is also an acknowledgment that at the heart of that success story and the American dream are values. And those values, in turn, are deeply rooted in the Torah, at the center of which stands Shabbos. That is the significance of this proclamation.

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