Shabbat Dinner Study New

This exploratory study, developed in a partnership between CASJE and OneTable, seeks to contribute to a growing body of literature that addresses how community-based initiatives can support well-being,

Shabbat dinner offers an opportunity to connect with Jewish heritage and build community. Our study suggests that Shabbat dinner can also support benefits for social connection and well-being. 

Research Team

 

Dr. Arielle Levites, Principal Investigator, CASJE

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Dr. Julianne Holt-Lunstad, Brigham Young University

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Dr. Adam Cohen, Arizona State University

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Dr. Jordan Lawson, Brown University

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Dr. Sharon Avni, BMCC at the City University of New York (CUNY)

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Julia Logan Labow, Former Director, Impact + Learning, OneTable

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Dr. Sasha Volodarsky, CASJE

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Aliza Kline, Founding CEO, OneTable

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Naomi Gamoran, CASJE

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Pammie Shapiro, Senior Product Developer, OneTable

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Annie Prusky, Former Senior Development Manager, OneTable 

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Cora Torton, Former Field Speciality, OneTable

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Dr. Henry Braun, CASJE Advisory Board Liaison

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Dr. Gage Gorsky, CASJE Advisory Board Liaison

Methods

Study Phases

This study used a four-phase, mixed methods design to examine how Shabbat dinner participation relates to social connectedness.

Phase One: Qualitative study: We conducted key informant interviews with organizational leaders who run shared meals programs and focus groups with young adults from different religious backgrounds about their experience with Shabbat and times in their lives they felt more or less connected to others.

Phase Two: Experimental Study: We employed an experimental design to examine how specific features of Shabbat dinner gatherings affect social connectedness. This included assigning small groups to participate in gatherings on a Friday or a Tuesday and gatherings with or without food.. Participants completed pre- and post-gathering surveys.

Phase Three: Observational Study: We invited people in the OneTable community to fill out a survey both before and after their Friday night. Participants were free to spend their Friday night however they chose. Some participated in a Shabbat dinner; others went to the gym, watched movies at home, or went to a bar friends, among other activities.

Phase Four: In-Depth Interviews: The final phase of the study consisted of semi-structured interviews to understand how younger Jewish adults believe Shabbat dinner supports or inhibits social connection. We also probed about participants’ broader sense of connection and disconnection in the context of being Jewish, as well as how the events of October 7 and their aftermath may have shifted these experiences. 

Summary of the study methodology >

De-identified data and corresponding code book >

Please contact casjegwu [dot] edu for the R-script used in analyses.

Capturing Social Connectedness

To assess social connectedness, we primarily used four validated scales, each capturing a distinct dimension of the construct:

• UCLA Loneliness Scale (Hughes, Waite, Hawkley, & Cacioppo, 2004) Daily Loneliness Scale (Buecker et al., 2020)

• Social Warmth Scale (Inagaki & Human, 2020)

• Social Well-Being Scale (Keyes, 1998, two subscales: social integration and social contribution)

Each scale contributes a unique lens on how individuals experience connection, warmth, and well-being in social contexts.

In addition to these core measures, the research team created new measures and adapted existing ones to better capture the facets of connection that mattered to Jewish communal leaders and Shabbat dinner practitioners. 

Want to learn more about how we measured social connectedness? Download the survey instrument and a guide to using it.

Key Findings

These key findings were developed in partnership with OneTable staff with input from other leaders in Jewish communal life.

1. Those who participated in Shabbat Dinner saw more improvements in social connectedness compared to those who engaged in other social plans. The most isolated saw the most benefit.

Participants in Shabbat dinner reported a greater reduction in loneliness and improved feelings of social well-being, compared to people who participated in other social plans on their Friday nights. This held true even when controlling for study participants’ baseline social connectedness and other demographic characteristics.

Notably, these improvements were strongest for those who were the most at risk for social isolation. The most isolated people reported moderate effects on their sense of loneliness and social well-being after just one gathering.

2. The power of Shabbat isn’t in breaking bread – it’s in breaking isolation

One of this study’s most surprising discoveries came from the experimental study and the “no food” condition gatherings. We found that the groups that shared food showed no added benefit on core social connection measures compared to those who shared a meal. In fact, the group that did not have food actually demonstrated more improvements on some key measures. We also learned that the quality of the food or how it was served did matter when it came to our core measures. Food may bring people to the table, but it’s what happens around the table that builds connection.

3. Host or guest? Shabbat dinner cuts through loneliness for both

Despite playing different roles and having different responsibilities, both those hosting a Shabbat dinner and those attending a Shabbat dinner saw benefits from participating. Both groups reported less loneliness and increased social wellbeing. content.

4. The magic of Shabbat dinner lies in the whole, not the parts

The research team sought to identify programmatic aspects of a Shabbat dinner driving the observed positive change. We tested various models to understand how rituals, food, and other components of a gathering contributed to our core outcomes. Despite testing close to 40 programmatic variables the team did not identify one element or group of elements that led to more social connection. It is possible there is an important element of Shabbat dinner that was not measured. Still, the team interprets this lack of a “silver bullet” to suggest that it’s the holistic container of Shabbat that leads to social connection. What you fill that container with can change and will still be a meaningful way to build social connection. 

5. In a fractured world, Shabbat dinner participants feel more connected to humankind

On average, participants in Shabbat dinner reported a small boost in their sense of connectedness to all of humanity, compared to those who participated in other Friday night plans. The team did not observe a similar effect in connections to other Jews in particular.

6. A table set for Shabbat dinner, also sets out a place for hard conversations

We asked participants to share what they talked about on their Friday nights. Those who participated in Shabbat dinners were more likely to report addressing critical and sometimes challenging topics for the Jewish community, like Israel and antisemitism. This points to the capacity of Shabbat dinner to be a holding space for difficult conversations, setting it apart from other Friday night activities. This also suggests the need for tools to support generative conversation about challenging topics at Shabbat dinners.

7. In a context of war and rising antisemitism, younger Jews feel isolated

Most of the data for this study, including the interviews, were collected between early 2024 and early 2025. In the immediate aftermath of the Hamas attack on Israel and the subsequent war, as well as a period of documented rising antisemitism in the US, the younger Jewish adults we spoke with shared their perspectives on navigating this context. Many felt their position on these issues isolated them from others in their networks and made them feel like “an island.” This sense of isolation was shared across many interview participants, suggesting they were not alone in feeling alone. This finding points to a need for Jewish communal spaces to create more opportunities for younger Jewish adults to find points of connection with others across different perspectives on contentious issues.

8. Anyone can be lonely. Some people have higher odds of being lonely.

Broadly speaking, in American today, younger adults are lonelier than older adults in America today. In our study’s sample of younger, mostly Jewish, adults, individuals with certain social, economic, and life-stage characteristics had higher odds of being lonely. Higher odds of loneliness were observed among women, millennials (relative to GenZ), those experiencing financial strain, people who were never married, those reporting poorer health, those with less social contact and, notably, among those who reported attending religious services four or more times in the past year. While loneliness can affect anyone, these patterns indicate that some groups may be more vulnerable and benefit from additional support.

Community Engagement

From the outset, this study was designed not only to generate knowledge, but to inform practice. In addition to special presentations to OneTable leadership, staff and participants, the research team prioritized engagement with Jewish communal, civic, and interfaith leaders, sharing findings in ways that were culturally grounded, actionable, and usable within and beyond Jewish contexts.

Across these engagements, we emphasized two core contributions of the study:

1. Evidence that communal rituals—particularly Shabbat dinner—can meaningfully reduce loneliness and strengthen social connection, and
2. Practical tools for measuring and cultivating social connectedness in real-world settings.

Practitioner-facing materials, including a dedicated practitioner report and an adaptable instrument and instrument guide for measuring social connectedness, were shared widely.

• Resiliency Roundtable
• Shabbat Salon with Casper ter Kuile
• Unity Suppers
• ReKindle Fellowship
• Resetting the Table

Resiliency Roundtable. In December 2024 and May 2025, the research team presented study tools and findings to the Jewish Federation of North America’s Resiliency Roundtable, a national forum of education, engagement, and mental health professionals serving Jewish teens and young adults. The first presentation introduced the study’s social connectedness instrument and guided participants in considering how it could be used to better understand loneliness, connection, and belonging within their own constituencies. The second presentation focused on religious ritual and well‑being, sharing new analyses identifying predictors of loneliness to support ideation around targeted interventions. Together, these sessions reached more than 600 professionals through live participation and shared recordings and prompted several organizations to explore adapting the instrument for use in their own programs

Shabbat Salon with Casper ter Kuile. In October 2025, the research team co-hosted a salon-style Shabbat dinner with Casper ter Kuile, co-founder of Sacred Design Labs, sharing emerging findings from the study with civic, spiritual, and community‑building leaders. The gathering combined a presentation of key findings of the study with facilitated ritual, and conversation. The study was later mentioned in a New York Times interview with Casper ter Kuile.

Unity Suppers. In November and December 2025, the research team partnered with Leap Forward to share the study’s findings with an interfaith audience at two Unity Suppers. These interfaith gatherings focus on shared meals, guided reflection, and facilitated conversation. Jewish and non-Jewish lay leaders attending the dinners engaged with key study findings and discussed the meaning for their own work. The dinners helped to extend the study’s impact into the broader ecosystem of practitioners working on social cohesion, belonging, and cross-difference engagement.

ReKindle Fellowship. In December 2025, the research team virtually shared key study findings with participants in the ReKindle Fellowship, an interfaith leadership program that brings together Black and Jewish leaders. Following the presentation, a panel responded to the study’s findings, exploring what helps gatherings foster safety, trust, and belonging. The session supported participants in interpreting the findings through their own leadership and community‑building work. Following the program, the recording was shared with ReKindle’s wider network of Fellows and alumni.

Resetting the Table. In January-February 2026, the research team partnered with Resetting the Table to translate study findings into a practice‑focused, two‑part training for OneTable dinner hosts. Grounded in the study’s finding that Shabbat dinner often serves as a container for difficult conversations, the program equipped hosts with concrete skills to facilitate respectful dialogue on divisive issues, particularly Israel/Palestine, at their Shabbat tables. The training supported hosts in strengthening connection and belonging through conversation rather than avoiding conflict, and informed the development of a new, resource for OneTable hosts designed to help prepare for challenging conversations that naturally arise at Friday night tables.

Academic Presentations

The research team has shared findings from this study at several national academic conferences.

• Society of Experimental Social Psychology Annual Meeting (October 2024)
• Association for Jewish Studies Annual Conference (December 2024
• Network for Research in Jewish Education (June 2025)
• Society for the Scientific Study of Religion (October 2025)

Publications

Extending the Table: What Shabbat Dinner Teaches Us About Social Connection

This practitioner report, prepared by OneTable, examines whether Friday night Shabbat dinner, a...

Pre-Print of Gathering with Purpose: Revisiting the Role of Weekly Rituals in Social and Psychological Flourishing

This study examined Shabbat dinner, comprising its core features—communal meals, intention, and the...

Gathering at the Table for Connection and Belonging

In this episode of Templeton World Charity Foundation's Stories of Impact podcast, the Shabbat...

The Benefits of Shabbat Dinner

In this Stories of Impact video from the Templeton World Charity Foundation, Dr. Arielle Levites...

Measuring Social Connectedness: A Tool for Jewish Engagement Organizations

This instrument guide shares how the survey questions in the Shabbat Dinner Study were developed/...

About the CASJE-OneTable Partnership

What is a Research-Practice Partnership?

A Research-Practice Partnership is an ongoing relationship between researchers and practitioners that centers questions practitioners have about their work.

This is what our partner, One Table, had to say about the partnership:

The CASJE-OneTable Research-Practice Partnership (RPP) was successful because of trust, communication, shared commitment to the project, reciprocal learning, and valuing the input of all contributors. This partnership embodied co-ownership, with both partners collaborating from the writing of the RFP through to the analysis and dissemination of the findings.

Key factors that made the RPP work:

1. Shared mission of Jewish flourishing and human connection
2. Openness to work across professional languages & timeframes
3. OneTable was valued and treated as an expert
4. Leadership support and buy in from the practice organization
5. A funding model from Templeton World Charity Foundation, the Jim Joseph Foundation, and BeWell that supported true co-development and partnership across the project lifetime.