Friday night, a record 700-plus synagogues will hold special Shabbat Across America services designed to give thousands of Jews a taste of a traditional Friday night observance. Shabbat, or Sabbath, is a day of rest that begins Friday at sundown. Depending on how observant the congregation, the rules for observing Shabbat vary from simply attending worship services to refraining from using modern conveniences such as cars, phones and televisions for 24 hours. More and more people are paying attention.
Most rabbis are delighted with the campaign.